The Knobbly Plate

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foraged

Wild Garlic and Nettle Pakoras

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In the dappled light of early spring, the forest floor comes alive with the vibrant green of new life. Among the soft carpets of moss and leaf-littered paths, young nettles rise—tender and vivid, their sting still fierce but their flavour at its peak. Nearby, the last of the wild garlic lingers, its long, elegant leaves tapering like whispers of the season that’s beginning to turn. The air hums gently with the earthy scent of wet soil and the faint garlicky aroma that signals this forager’s treasure.

Gathering nettles requires care—gloves to ward off their sting and a patient hand to pluck the topmost, youngest leaves. These are the softest, full of the green vigour that makes them perfect for cooking. The wild garlic, growing in shaded clusters, is just starting to fade, its leaves broad and deep green, carrying that unmistakable pungency. Together, they form a wild, seasonal pairing that captures the very essence of spring’s fleeting energy.

Back in the kitchen, these humble greens are transformed into an Indian-inspired snack that bursts with flavour and texture—pakoras. The nettles are quickly blanched, taming their sting while preserving their earthy, mineral-rich taste. The wild garlic is chopped finely, lending its bold notes to the mix. Into a bowl they go, combined with gram flour, chopped onions, green chilli, cumin seeds, and a scattering of fresh coriander. A touch of turmeric gives the batter a golden hue, while a squeeze of lemon lifts the flavours.

The mixture, thick and spoonable, is dropped into hot oil, sizzling into crisp, craggy fritters. Each pakora emerges with a delicate crunch, the inside steaming and soft, the greens melting into every bite. The nettles bring a grassy depth, while the wild garlic infuses the fritters with warmth and pungency.

Served with a cooling mint yogurt or tangy tamarind chutney, these pakoras are more than a snack—they are a celebration of the land’s first gifts, a nod to traditional Indian flavours, and a moment of culinary alchemy. Foraged with care and cooked with intention, they embody the spirit of spring: fresh, fleeting, and absolutely unforgettable.

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Wild Garlic and Nettle Pakoras
Author: 
Recipe type: Foraged
Cuisine: British
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 20-25
 
Ingredients
  • 260 g chickpea flour (gram flour)
  • 2 tsp sesame seeds
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp red chilli powder
  • 1 large pinch of asafoetida
  • 1 large pinch of baking powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds, ground
  • 2 tsp coriander seeds, ground
  • 1-2 green chillies Handful three-cornered leek (or wild garlic)
  • 100 g nettle tops
  • 250 ml water
  • 500-1000 ml vegetable oil
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chickpea flour, sesame seeds, turmeric, chilli powder, asafoetida, baking powder and salt.
  2. Freshly grind the cumin and coriander seeds and add to the mix.
  3. Finely chop and deseed the green chillies and add in, combining well.
  4. Next, wash and chop the three cornered leek and stir in.
  5. Wash and roughly chop the nettles; use wooden spoons to move them around and cut with scissors.
  6. Gradually add two thirds of the water. Allow the mixture to rest. Check the consistency, you’re wanting a wet batter, though not watery. Add the rest of the water if necessary.
  7. Prepare a couple of large plates with absorbent paper kitchen towel on (I didn't have any so just placed them on a dry plate).
  8. Heat the oil over a medium to high heat in a large pan or deep fat fryer - I used a wok and turned them to cook both sides.
  9. Test to see if the oil if ready by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil. If the oil is hot enough the mixture will sink to the bottom then float straight to the top again.
  10. Using 2 teaspoons, shape the mixture into firm balls, each about the size of a very heaped teaspoon.
  11. Fry each pakora for 3-5 minutes, turning if needed or until golden brown, remove with a slotted spoon and place on the kitchen towel.

 

Fresh Springtime Wild Sorrel Soup

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Wild sorrel, with its arrow-shaped leaves and vibrant green hue, is a forager’s treasure that brings a zesty brightness to any dish. Its flavour is immediately striking—tangy, lemony, and refreshingly tart, like a burst of citrus on the tongue. There’s a crisp, green edge to it, reminiscent of young spinach but laced with a sharper, more vivacious acidity that wakes up the palate. This natural sourness comes from oxalic acid, which gives sorrel its signature bite, not unlike the zest of rhubarb or the tang of green apples.

When cooked into soup, sorrel transforms. The raw leaf’s brightness mellows into a silken, earthy depth, but the lemony undertone remains, lending the dish a gentle sharpness that cuts through creamy bases beautifully. It adds complexity without heaviness—a vibrant note that dances across the taste buds. Imagine the grassy warmth of spring, kissed by a hint of citrus rain. The soup gains an almost velvet-like texture when pureed, while the sorrel’s acidity balances rich ingredients like potatoes, leeks, or a splash of cream.

In this way, sorrel acts both as a bold flavour and a subtle enhancer. It awakens the senses, conjuring images of dew-covered meadows and forest clearings. There’s something wild and ancient in its taste—primal, clean, and invigorating. It’s a reminder that food from the earth can be both nourishing and thrilling, with a taste that sings of nature’s own pantry. Wild sorrel soup, therefore, is more than a dish; it’s a sip of spring’s essence, wrapped in the comforting warmth of a rustic meal. 

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Fresh Springtime Wild Sorrel Soup
Author: 
Recipe type: Foraged
Cuisine: British
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6 persons
 
Ingredients
  • Soup Base
  • 1 small onion or leek (white part), chopped (1/2 cup)
  • 1 Tbs. butter or olive oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
  • 1 medium baking potato or ½ lb. (8 oz.) Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
  • 
3 cups water or broth
  • Sorrel Paste
  • 
4 cups sorrel leaves (3 oz./90 g.), stems trimmed
  • 2 Tbs. (1 oz./30 g.) softened butter or olive oil
Instructions
  1. Sauce the onion or leek in butter or olive oil in a medium saucepan 3 to 4 minutes, or until softened.
  2. Stir in the garlic, then add the potato and water.
  3. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Cover, and simmer 20 to 25 minutes, or until the potato pieces are very soft.
Meanwhile make the Sorrel Paste.
  5. Pulse the sorrel leaves in a food processor until finely chopped.
  6. Add the butter or olive oil, and process until a smooth paste forms.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender until smooth, then stir in the sorrel paste.
  7. Adjust seasonings, and serve hot or cold.
  8. Alternately, add the soup directly to the sorrel paste in the food processor, and blend everything until smooth.
  9. Adjust seasonings, and reheat, if necessary.

 

Delicious Warm, Foraged, Wild Garlic Bread

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Nestled in the heart of spring, this wild garlic bread is a celebration of the season’s most vibrant offering. Hand-foraged from lush, shaded woodlands, the wild garlic infuses the loaf with its unmistakable aroma — fresh, earthy, and gently pungent — a natural perfume that fills the kitchen as it bakes. The leaves, chopped finely and folded generously into a soft, enriched dough, create vivid green marbling throughout each slice, offering both beauty and bold flavor.

Golden and crisp on the outside, the crust cracks gently under the pressure of your fingers, giving way to a pillowy interior, tender and steaming when torn apart. The scent intensifies as the loaf is broken open, releasing warm notes of garlic, yeast, and a whisper of butter. It’s the kind of bread that begs to be shared — laid in the center of the table, still warm, with pieces pulled off and passed around, fingers brushing, laughter mingling with the sound of crust tearing.

Each bite is a textural delight — the contrast of crunchy crust and airy crumb, punctuated by the mellow, green sharpness of wild garlic. There’s a rustic charm to it, a reminder of barefoot walks through damp meadows and baskets filled with wild greens. Delicious on its own or dipped into olive oil, slathered with salted butter, or paired with soft cheeses, it transforms the simplest meal into something memorable.

This bread isn’t just baked — it’s gathered, kneaded, and loved into life. It’s wild and soulful, a reminder of the bounty just beyond our doors, and of the quiet magic found in the act of sharing food made with our hands and the gifts of nature.

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Delicious Warm, Foraged, Wild Garlic Bread
Author: 
Recipe type: Foraged
Cuisine: British Woodland Food
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 6
 
Ingredients
  • DOUGH
  • * 750 g wheat flour
  • * 400 ml water, lukewarm
  • * 1 tsp sugar
  • * 42 g fresh yeast, corresponds to 1 cube
  • * 2 tsp salt
  • * 5 tbsp olive oil
  • WILD GARLIC BUTTER
  • * 200 g vegan butter, soft
  • * 40 g wild garlic
  • * ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
  1. * For the dough, first mix the lukewarm water (only around 35-40 degrees Celsius) and the sugar. Crumble in the yeast and dissolve by stirring. Let stand in a warm place for about 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast.
  2. * Put the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the yeast mixture and olive oil and knead everything into a smooth dough for a few minutes. Shape the finished dough into a large ball. Cover the bowl with a damp kitchen towel and let the dough rise in a warm place for at least 1 hour. Now also prepare the wild garlic butter or put it out of the refrigerator so that it can become soft.
  3. * Roll out the dough into a long rectangle on a floured work surface and brush with ¾ of the soft wild garlic butter. Halve the rectangle from the short side. Then cut from the long side into strips approx. 5-6 cm thick and roll them up. Don't worry, you don't have to work exact here. Place the dough rolls close together in a greased springform pan (we use one with a diameter of 21 cm). Below you can find pictures of these steps.
  4. * Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Since springform pans are usually not completely tight, place a pan underneath in the oven to catch any melting fat. Bake the wild garlic bread for about 40-45 minutes until the crust is lightly brown and crispy. Brush the bread with the rest of the wild garlic butter and bake for another 5 minutes.
  5. * Take out of the oven and let cool down before cutting.
  6. WILD GARLIC BUTTER
  7. * Wash wild garlic and spin dry. Roughly cut into small pieces with a knife.
  8. * Mix the wild garlic, salt and the softened butter (in small pieces) either in a tall, narrow container with a hand blender or in a food processor. Like this it can be used for the recipe.
  9. * If you make more butter and want to keep it: put the vegan wild garlic butter in a clean container or form a roll in cling film. The wild garlic butter can be kept in the fridge for at least 1-2 weeks. But it can also be frozen wonderfully.

 

Sautéed Sea Beets

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Well the foraging season is well and truly underway. This is Sea Beet. It grows all along the foreshore here and is a great alternative to spinach. There is one thing you have to bear in mind though. Don’t pick from the edges because that’s where all the dogs on walks wee! so move further in and pick from the centre. After all who wants to eat foraged vegetables doused in dog wee.

An ancient plant, sea beet is the wild ancestor of common vegetables like beetroots and Swiss chard. With its spinach-like flavor, it’s a great green to grow if you like the taste of chard but find yourself tossing out the stems.

While I know not everyone can just walk down the beach and pick a batch of sea beets, but if you can, you definitely should…or if you have a garden, you could try planting them. The crispy shallots are something everyone should know how to pair with greens because they’re so simple and so satisfying.


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Sautéed Sea Beets
Author: 
Recipe type: Foraged
Cuisine: British
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 1 lb. (500 g.) sea beets or other leafy greens
  • 2 Tbs. (30 ml.) olive oil, plus more for drizzling
  • 4 shallots, thinly sliced into crescents or rings
  • salt, pepper
Instructions
  1. TRIM any tough stems from the greens and rinse well in lots of cold water while bringing a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
  2. PLUNGE the greens in the boiling water. When the water returns to a rolling boil, drain the greens, and gently squeeze out any excess water when cool.
  3. TO MAKE THE CRISPY SHALLOTS: Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, and sauté 4 to 5 minutes, or until the shallots are deep golden brown. (They will crisp as they cool.) Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, and sprinkle with salt.
  4. ADD the greens to the remaining oil in the skillet, and cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning with tongs, or until the leaves turn a darker brown and are coated in oil. Serve sprinkled with the crispy shallots.

 

 

 

 

 

Wild Garlic Pesto

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It’s getting around to my favourite time of the year when there is so much free food to forage for. I love making recipes with wild garlic and walking in woods where there is a huge abundance of it at this time of year. The heady smell in the early morning is intoxicating. I took this shot on a walk through a wood near Butler Hill in Hampshire in the heart of the Southdowns National Park not long after dawn. I have yet to come across anywhere else where the wild garlic is so proliferous. I always like to leave plenty behind for others to forage and to not destroy the crop and so damage it for next years growth but there is absolutely no problem with that here as you can see by the image. It’s absolutely everywhere. What a find!

Wild garlic boasts a nutritional value rich in vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and copper. It also contains organosulphur compounds, phenolic compounds, steroidal glycosides, lectins, and a variety of essential amino acids, contributing to its garlic nutritional value.

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Wild Garlic Pesto
Author: 
Recipe type: Foraged
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 150g wild garlic leaves or young nettles, or a mixture (foraged – see tip)
  • 50g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, finely grated
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • ½ lemon, zested and a few squeezes of juice
  • 50g pine nuts, toasted
  • 150ml rapeseed oil
Instructions
  1. STEP 1
  2. Rinse and roughly chop the wild garlic leaves.
  3. STEP 2
  4. Blitz the wild garlic leaves, parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and pine nuts to a rough paste in a food processor. Season, and with the motor running slowly, add almost all the oil. Taste, season and add a few squeezes of lemon juice.
  5. STEP 3
  6. Transfer the pesto to a clean jar and top with the remaining oil. Will keep in the fridge for two weeks.

 

MULBERRY & BLACKBERRY JAM

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So we have finally had a dry couple of days with sunshine thrown in for good measure. Perfect for picking mulberries and blackberries to make a fresh batch of jam.

Mulberries are so rare round here that I keep my foraged secret to myself each year in the hope that I get first pick of the new years crop and with all the early years sunshine and recent rain it has ensured a particularly plump season for these delicious berries.

The health benefits of berries is well documented.

  • Delicious, fleshy, succulent mulberries are less in calories (just 43 calories per 100 g). They compose of health-promoting phytonutrient compounds like polyphenol pigment antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that are essential for optimum health.
  • Mulberries have significantly high amounts of phenolic flavonoid phytochemicals called anthocyanins. Scientific studies have shown that consumption of berries has potential health effects against cancer, aging and neurological diseases, inflammation, diabetes, and bacterial infections.
  • The berries contain resveratrol, another polyphenol flavonoid antioxidant. Resveratrol protects against stroke risk by altering molecular mechanisms in the blood vessels; reducing their susceptibility to damage through reduced activity of angiotensin (a systemic hormone causing blood vessel constriction that would elevate blood pressure) but potentiating production of the vasodilator hormone, nitric oxide.
  • Also, these berries are excellent sources of vitamin-C (36.4 mg per 100, about 61% of RDI), which is also a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents, counter inflammation and scavenge harmful free radicals.
  • Further, the berries also contain small amounts of vitamin-A, and vitamin-E in addition to the antioxidants mentioned above. Consumption of mulberry provides another group of health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic antioxidants such as lutein, zeaxanthin, ß-carotene and a-carotene in small but notably significant amounts. Altogether, these compounds help act as protect from harmful effects of oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.

The health benefits of blackberries are equally impressive.

Just one cup of raw blackberries has 30.2 milligrams of vitamin C. That’s half the daily recommended value. Vitamin C is integral to collagen formation in bones, connective tissue, and blood vessels. Vitamin C may also help you:

  • heal wounds
  • regenerate the skin
  • battle free radicals (molecules released by toxins) in the body
  • absorb iron
  • shorten the common cold
  • prevent scurvy

More research is needed, but some studies suggest vitamin C helps reduce the formation of cancer-causing substances in the body. Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant which may also reduce oxidative stress in the body that can lead to cancer.


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MULBERRY & BLACKBERRY JAM
Author: 
Recipe type: foraged
Cuisine: British
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 4 Pots
 
Ingredients
  • 1kg mulberries
  • 0.75kg blackberries
  • 2kg caster sugar
  • 3 tablespoons powdered pectin
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Place the mulberries and blackberries into a large, heavy saucepan and crush them with a potato masher.
  2. Add the sugar and pectin and heat very slowly, stirring all the time until every grain of sugar has dissolved. Add the butter, increase the heat, bring to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool for 1 minute, then place in jam jars and cover immediately.