wild garlic soup...
As spring seems to now be well and truly here, you might want to try your hand at foraging for foods. There are a number of herbs and plants throughout Cumbria which can add something special to your meal. Just ask Simon Rogan, owner of the avant garde Michelin star restaurant l'Enclume in Cartmel: "I had the best meal of my life at a restaurant in the Alps owned by the French avant garde chef Marc Veyrat. He uses a lot of alpine herbs and flowers and that really inspired me. Here in Cumbria, we have lots of edible and flavourful herbs, such as sweet cicely and hyssop, on our doorstep as well. This is probably the last area of the UK where things are relatively unspoilt and there's no polution. I want to bring these forgotten ingredients into the 21st century and give my diners a unique experience."
An early spring foraging favourite in these parts has to be the wild garlic (Allium ursinum), which grows in abundance throughout Cumbria. It is found in moist, semi-shaded conditions in woodland, and if you are unsure whether you've found the right plant, its wonderful aroma will let you know for sure.
Wild garlic can give extra flavour to many things, including salads and soups.
Wild garlic soup
Ingredients
Knob of butter
1 onion, chopped
1 large potato (Maris Piper or King Edward), peeled & chopped
750 ml chicken stock
500 gr wild garlic leaves, washed
100 ml double cream
salt, pepper
Method
1. Melt the butter, and add the onion, cooking on medium heat until the onion is soft but not coloured.
2. Add the potatoes and seasoning, stirring for a few seconds. Pour in the chicken stock and cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through.
3. Add the wild garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Blitz the soup using a blender or hand mixer. Finally, stir in the cream and heat through.
4. Optional extras for flavour variations: add some chopped parsley in along with the wild garlic, or add a pinch of mild curry powder to the seasoning before pouring the stock on, to give the soup added flavour.
Content and photography supplied by www.artisan-food.com
