High Street Herbs

Ramsons - Allium Ursinum - Wild Garlic

For those of you who know your herbs and culinary uses, you will recognise this as Ramsons or more commonly known as wild garlic or wood garlic.  The leaves are edible, and characteristically smell and taste like mild garlic, so they are brilliant to add to salads, or to use in soups or sauces. It is a wild relative of chives.

The first time I tasted wild garlic was in Denmark during asparagus time.  It had been added to a sauce as an accompaniment to the thick white variety of asparagus, that is more common in Denmark and Northern Germany, than the green variety we know.  The two are in season at the same time, and the wild herb sauce was fragrant and delicious.

So what has this to do with Tonbridge you might ask?  Well, I spotted the wild garlic this afternoon in The High Street, and there was plenty of it too.  I'm not going to reveal where it is though.  I can't give all the interesting Tonbridge spots away!!