With the first glimmer of sunlight, green shoots of wild garlic begin to appear in the woodlands of our Cotswold farm. Our chefs harvest the fragrant leaves by hand ready to bring a taste of spring to our menus.
We usually begin cutting wild garlic in mid‑March, but this year the first shoots appeared early and will reach their peak just in time for Easter. Twice a week, our chefs forage in the woodland around Oddington House, just across from The Fox – taking only what they need and always harvesting sustainably. Wild garlic grows abundantly and can be cut twice in a season, ensuring a generous supply, with any remaining leaves harvested and preserved in oils for use throughout the year.
Look out for wild garlic on this season’s new menus, including Daylesford rack of lamb and braised lamb neck, with Wye Valley green asparagus, lamb mousse-stuffed morels and a wild garlic lamb jus at The Wild Rabbit.
And, crispy salt and pepper lamb sweetbreads, with wild garlic aioli at The Fox, with a side order of a wild garlic martini.
To make the most of the aromatic, flavourful leaves, we are sharing an utterly delicious wild garlic pesto recipe to try at home while the season is in full swing. The flavour of wild garlic is often stronger at the beginning of the season, so you may find you need fewer leaves for the same intense hit in the recipe.
Blend all of the ingredients to your desired consistency. Taste and adjust, seasoning with salt. Stir through cooked, fresh pasta for a light spring dish. Alternatively, make and freeze the pesto into ice cubes to use in the summertime as a tomato salad dressing, adding a little more olive oil to the pesto and stirring through. The pesto is fantastic when barbecuing, brushed over grilled meats.
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