Recipe: Cream of wild nettle and garlic soup...

There are days when my kitchen looks like a scene from 'The Good Life'.

I love those days...

Foraging isn't just for the fancy 'celeb chef' who wants free produce that he can charge exorbitant prices for - it's for anyone. Nettles have got to be one of the most basic plants you can easily find (either in your garden or a hedgerow) and turn into a culinary revelation.

And no, as someone suggested to me, you don't need a dock leaf salad on the side.

Nettles start to shoot up in early spring and it's best to harvest them while young and tender. Use leaves from the top half only and don't forget to use your rubber gardening gloves!

Gather

20g vegan margarine (I used Pure sunflower spread)

1 medium brown onion - chopped

3 cloves garlic - finely chopped

2 medium potatoes - peeled and diced

a large bowlful of freshly picked nettle leaves - washed and shaken dry

1.2l veg stock (I used just one Kallo organic veg stock cube)

100ml soya single cream + extra to serve (I use Alpro)

salt and pepper to taste

a grating of fresh nutmeg (optional, to serve)

Create

1. sautee the onion and garlic in the margarine over a gentle heat in a large pan
2. add the nettles, stock and potatoes and bring to the boil
3. skim off any 'scum' that rises to the surface of the soup and turn heat down to a simmer
4. simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft
5. blend the soup in a processor or with a hand blender
6. add the cream, taste and season to your liking (I like to add lots of freshly ground black pepper and a few pinches of sea salt)
7. keep stirring and warm through

Enjoy [serves 4 generously]

Serve with an extra drizzle of cream and the nutmeg if you wish, along with some crusty granary bread on the side.

p.s.  Please don't cook with or weed out all of your nettles; try to leave a patch of wild nettles in your garden. Not only can they make you this wonderful soup - they are loved by butterfly larvae and pollinating insects - including our beloved (and endangered) bees. 

Chantal xx