Wild Garlic Season

It is that time of the year again – it begins in April when lovely scents start to assault the senses if you live in the countryside. Here at Barnabrow, Liam begins to cut the grass again and that smell is a universal favourite – absolutely everybody loves the aroma of freshly mown grass. But we have an added bonus in the wild garlic that self seeds itself all over the place – it gets chopped too, unleashing its faint garlic oils into the atmosphere…delicious! There is a rumour locally that our neighbour, Myrtle Allen from Ballymaloe House, originally planted the wild garlic that has spread profusely in this little corner of East Cork. For sure, we have an abundance of it. Come and visit us and take a bunch home with you.

I use it liberally – in salads, in a marinade for Spring Lamb, mixed with roast vegetables and it is especially good in soup. It even has its own special Wild Garlic Soup recipe   – one that you don’t need to be a chef to prepare!

Use 35g butter

300g cubed potatoes

100g leeks

100g onions

1litre of stock or water

150g of wild garlic leaves chopped

150 ml cream

Add potatoes, leeks and onions to the melted butter, season and sweat. Add the stock and the wild garlic and simmer until all vegetable are soft. Add the cream and blend with a stick blender. Correct seasoning.

Simple!