Wild garlic soup using the best wild garlic the season has to offer. Foraged fresh leaves picked that morning making the freshest of soups.
Wild garlic soup is a seasonal favourite of mine, but one I only really get to enjoy during April to June. I love wild garlic season and eat it as much as I can during it’s short growing season. I look forward to it’s arrival on our woodland floor every year. I forage the garlic leaves in the woods local to my house where they grown in abundance. Wild garlic soup is so simple to make and has a beautiful freshness to it and it’s always the first thing I cook with this fragrant green.
I woke up this morning at 3am, never the best start to a day! The only way to feel remotely human was to just keep going. After meeting Michelle I decided a mini mid-week adventure was in order. So we headed off to forage some wild garlic as I fancied making a soup with this seasonal green. A far better option than sitting feeling sorry for myself for the lack of sleep!
We arrived at our stop, a huge patch of wild garlic, growing in the woods close to where we live. Only then did I notice I was wearing sandals and cropped jeans. Completely unsuitable for a foray into the woods where the nettles grow in abundance right alongside the garlic! Therefore I sent Michelle in with the bag!
Lunch today was a deliciously light soup, Spring in a bowl. I have to say risking my friends ankles to the ever ready stinging nettle was definitely worth it!
Recipe steps:
What does wild garlic taste like?
Do not be put off by the pungency of this green, leafy herb. The aroma of wild garlic hits you well before you arrive at a patch of it and it can be quite overpowering! However, the taste is a lot more mellow than the smell of a decent handful might suggest!
Wild garlic has a mellow garlic flavour, somewhat like a garlic chive. The flavour is far fresher and herbal, rather than pungent like a garlic clove. This makes it ideal for eating both cooked and raw.
Worth noting, wild garlic is best picked when young, before it flowers, that’s when it is at it’s most flavoursome. However, that’s not to say that you can’t enjoy it once it is in flower.
What does wild garlic soup taste like?
Michelle was very sceptical about this soup, but I promised her she’d enjoy it. Indeed, there was a lot of very uncertain faces around my own dinner table when I first made this soup.
However, the raw pungency of the leaf really does not come through on the taste. In fact the taste is somewhat surprising, what you have is a light, beautifully fresh soup that tastes of Spring in my opinion. It’s not heavy on garlic, but light, bright, clean tasting soup.
How to pick wild garlic?
Finally, if you fancy foraging some wild garlic please be mindful. Don’t pick from the side of the road as there is too much pollution here from cars. Wear appropriate food-wear, brave the nettles and get right into the woods where you will find the best leaves. However take care to pick only the leaves, don’t pull too hard otherwise the bulb will come with you destroying the plant!
Can you make this recipe ahead of time?
As with most soups, wild garlic soup can be made ahead of time and reheated when you are ready to eat. What I do in this instance is make the soup and blitz it to smooth. Only adding the cream into the soup when I’m reheating and ready to serve.
Can you freeze wild garlic soup?
Wild garlic is only around for a couple of months each year so I like to make the very best of it while I can. For that reason I like to make double quantities of this soup, enjoying some and freezing a portion for later. This is how you can extend the enjoyment of a herb that is only around for a couple of months.
Simply make the soup, allow it cool complete before placing it in containers ready for the freezer.
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Additional recipe suggestions:
If you enjoyed this recipe then why not try our Warm Potato Salad with Wild Garlic, or our Comte & Wild Garlic Tart, both delicious meals using this wonderful seasonal herb.
If you want to extend the season why not try our Wild Garlic Butter or Wild Garlic Chimichurri, both of which can be made and frozen in portions for enjoying over the long Summer months.
Wild Garlic Soup
Ingredients
- 40 g butter
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 3 medium potatoes (peeled and diced)
- 1.5 ltr vegetable stock
- 300 g wild garlic leaf
- 100 ml double cream
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter over a medium heat and add the onions, saute until soft. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes to the pan and simmer gently until the potatoes are cooked.
- Add the wild garlic to the pan and allow to wilt for a couple of minutes then blitz the soup until smooth. Stir through the cream, season to taste and serve.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided below is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
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louise Gunstone
Yes! Going to give this a whirl… sounds awesome 🙂
Lesley
Thank you Louise, I love this soup, it’s just very Spring-like in the freshness of the flavours. Also super quick to make! Lesley x
jacqui
wild garlic soup what a good idea why didn’t I think of that! I bet it tastes fabulous. Hoping I can still get my hands on some wild garlic to try it. If not next year for sure!. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare
Lesley
I love wild garlic soup, its got the best savoury flavour. Michelle looked very sceptical at the vibrancy of the green soup when I served it up to her last year, however I’ve converted her! One of my favourite free seasonal ingredients.