My Top 5 wild foods for Spring

1. Nettle

Abundant at this time of year early spring nettles are packed full of nutrients and in my opinion are at their tastiest. Nettles are still taken as a spring tonic in many places as they are believed to clear the blood and strengthen the body after a hard winter. They can be the perfect green food in spring when theres not much in the garden and can be served as a green spinach wilted or steamed and go very well with chicken.

2. Seaweeds

Seaweed is finding anew light in the UK and in the western hemisphere in general due to being a rich source of minerals, vitamins and iron and its sustainability as a food source could see it being more of a permanent feature on our plates in the future. All though most seaweeds are available throughout the year the texture and taste can vary from season to season and i find spring is a good time to venture out and sustainably pick some tasty additions to our kitchen flavour entourage.

3. Wild garlic

Early spring sees the appearance of this culinary delight in the hedgerows. Three cornered garlic garlic and their boarder leafed cousins ramsons have both been described as wild garlic and are probably one of the most famous wild foods known for their light garlicky flavour and a great addition to the kitchen in pestos,stir fries, pastas, oil blends and can be used as a replacement for spring onion in dishes.

4 Gorse flower

This pungent pineapple-coconut flavour flower grows all year round but comes on flurries when the weather gets warmer and the sun raises it head in spring. If you dare to risk the gorses thorns you will be well rewarded with its golden treasure. Ever tried gorse flower infused rum?

5 Penny wort

Probably the least well known of our top five but definitely worth a mention as these succulent crunchy plants go very well in fresh salads and can be picked earlier than any garden succulents. Pennywort or navelwort has a slight cucumber taste to it and can be found growing in cracks on walls or in hedgerows in most places in the UK so why not give it a try!