Pretty much getting to the end of the season for wild garlic here in Cambridgeshire. In some ways it's easier to identify once it's in full flower - the tell-tale white flowering carpet. However, it's harder to pick safely now as the past two to three weeks have seen the understory flourish.
To get at the wild garlic leaves, we have to push aside the burgeoning dogs mercury and cuckoo pint, both of which are toxic. Easily enough done, when picking with care. But then, why would you rush such a joyful endeavour with just the birdsong as a soundtrack?
This wild garlic will be a treat in store for this week's Italian Breadmaking class - we'll be using it to make pesto and then use it to fill some of our delicious olive oil picnic bread. We might also use a few dollops on our hand-thrown pizze. If you're free this Wednesday and can book by tomorrow am, there's still a couple of places left.
Next week, we have our Baguettes and More class (fully booked), but there's still space on our Intro to Artisan Baking the following week. The week after's Sourdough has sold out, but we still have spaces in July. Next month's Levant is sold out, but again, we have spaces in July.
Hoping we'll see some of you soon. Happy foraging!
White Cottage Bakery & Baking School
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Helen Underwood
Baker, teacher, food writer and recipe developer. Workshops and culinary retreats. UK and Europe
Teaching baking and breadmaking in workshops within the UK and Europe.
16/04/2026
Wild garlic (or ramps) everywhere around us here at the mo. If you have a bluebell wood nearby, chances are there will be some wild garlic lurking. It's just coming into flower, here in Cambridgeshire, which makes it much easier to identify if you're unsure of exactly what to look for. The little white allium flowers are easy to spot and are edible too.
Last week it was wild garlic soup (roast garlic, celery, leek, broccoli, courgette, cavolo nero, parsley, veg stock and copious handfuls of wild garlic). I basically emptied the fridge of anything green and fresh, cooked them all down well then threw in the foraged greens, stock and seasoning with a splash of lemon juice. Delicious.
This week, I wanted to use up some mushrooms, cream and defrosted filo leftover from the Easter weekend. The rest of the leftovers could be frozen (I always manage to over-cater when family and friends descend) but these three needed using up.
I fried off the mushrooms in some butter before adding some sliced roasted garlic (I keep a store 'sott'olio' in the fridge) and a generous splash of marsala. I then wilted the wild garlic in the pan with the mushrooms, finally adding some double cream, seasoning and a handful grated Grana Padano and cooked for a few minutes. Once the sauce had thickened a little, I allowed the mixture to cool before layering up the filo with melted butter and piling the mix inside, scrunching the overlapping pastry back over the edges. Baked at 180C until golden. Quick and simple but sooo tasty!
What next? We still have a week or two left of the season...
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