Wild garlic season

Chef's Corner • Published 26 Mar 2012 12:30

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WELCOME to the third of our food blog's, featuring the young and talented chef David Hetherington. In this entry, David, 24, introduces us to wild garlic with a recipe for Wild Garlic Veloute.

It's that time again when the pungent smell of wild garlic permeates the air.

That luscious green grass like leaf that scatters the woodland. I love it, its strong garlic scent and flavour is fantastic, we put it through anything we can.

Wild garlic can be bought in bags at veg markets or in special veg shops, but why go out and buy it when mother nature so kindly gives us it.

First of all, it's the leaves that are the thing.

However, the flowers are beautiful and also edible! You can find wild garlic in wooded areas, damp and with a good bit of light. But it is easily identified by its garlic-like smell.

Its mild flavour combined with its local origin makes it an ideal ingredient for a Scottish kitchen and gives us a wonderful time thinking up new ways of incorporating it into dishes.

The best thing for us about the wild garlic season is that it is so readily available, we just pop out the back door and pick a bin liner full within ten minutes... I love it.

So when you next whiff the distinctive scent of wild garlic in the air, look out for a trail of chefs hiding in the undergrowth.

Wild Garlic Veloute

4 shallots

1 clove garlic

Tsp olive oil

500ml stock

100ml double cream

Salt and pepper

700g wild garlic

Finley slice shallots and garlic clove, sweat off in a heavy based sauce pan with the olive oil. Cook gently until soft but no colour.

Add wild garlic and cook, let it wilt but do not colour.

Once all ingredients are soft add stock and cream, reduce by half.