There is nothing quite like nipping out to the garden to pick a few ingredients for whatever dish you are making. The only trouble is, you have to have been organized enough to plant ‘said’ ingredient months earlier, and much as I would like to be as forward thinking as Martha Stewart, I rarely am. So wild garlic really is the ultimate ingredient for those, like myself, who like the idea of being green fingered but never are. Around the middle of March it springs to life, with not so much as a finger lifted earlier in the year. It grows well in a damp environment, usually around trees and hedges. So it is extremely easy to find in rainy UK and Ireland. The striking white flowers set against lush green leaves are easy to spot once you know what they look like. I spent years walking straight past loads of it in my garden until someone told me! So have a look at the photos and get acquainted with this wonderful free herb. It can be used raw in salads, cooked down with fish or pasta, made into a pesto or sauce… the possibilities are endless.

Here, the simple pairing of wild garlic pesto with baby new potatoes is a celebration of spring’s new crop. Simple and delicious.