How to forage wild garlic

When to find wild garlic

Wild garlic season starts in mid-February and runs on till April, but you’ll find it at its prime around late March. It happens to have one of the longest seasons of wild plants, but will begin to turn bitter after the flowers have gone to seed, around mid-April.

Where to find wild garlic

A member of the allium or onion family, you’ll find wild garlic in wooded areas (the older the better, try for ancient woodland if you can). It can also be found in fields, or alongside water, by rivers and streams.

What to look for

Wild garlic is pretty distinctive, and you’ll probably smell it before you see it, but it has long pointed leaves that are bright green and grow from a central stem. When flowering, it’ll have white star shaped flowers that grow in small clusters right at the top of a stem that outgrows the leaves.

There are a few things to bear in mind when foraging wild garlic:

• As with all foraging, only ever take what you need, so as not to damage the plants

• Take the leaves, NOT the roots, unless you have the landowner’s permission

• Wild garlic is toxic to dogs, so keep an eye on your four-legged friend if they’re out with you foraging

• Wild garlic isn’t easily confused with much, but it can look a little like the leaves of Lords-and-ladies or Lily of the valley – keep your nose out for the distinctive smell, and if in doubt, crush a leaf to get a better whiff.

Wild garlic’s benefits are very similar to its cultured cousin. With an enviable vitamin and mineral profile, and antibacterial, antibiotic, antiseptic etc properties – it’s an incredibly good plant for general health. In fact, wild garlic outperforms its farmed counterpart on things like lowering blood pressure.

Technically, every part of wild garlic is edible, making it quite the find. If you can get the permission to use the roots, then the bulb can be used the same way conventional garlic is. However, don’t fret if not. The leaves are generally what’s foraged, can be cooked or eaten raw (do wash them though), and have a gentle flavour that’s useful in most imaginable recipes - Butter infusions, salsa verde, pesto, the list is almost endless. The stems can be used similarly and have a slightly lighter flavour. The flowers are also excellent, with the opportunity to use them in salads as a stunning garnish.

We recommend a wild garlic nature break! If you’re looking to hit a few different spots, or fancy cooking up your wild garlic as part of a weekend away, you’re in luck. We’ve got a few glamping spaces where wild garlic grows onsite and you can make a real adventure of it!

Where this rustic cabin sits pressed up against bluebell woodland, you’ll find wild garlic dotted about amongst the trees. Spend the morning foraging through the woods, and the afternoon crafting wild garlic mayo for the perfect BBQ dip.

There’s every chance you’ll forget to actually leave this place to go foraging, given that it has a wood-fired sauna. But if you go early enough, you can be back in time for a spa-like reward. Just head down the track to the woods to find this little green treasure.

This is exactly the kind of spot to be cooking something up. Gas hobs, a Kamado BBQ, dutch oven, firepit tripod – it’s ready to take on some wild cooking. As you’re on the edge of ancient woodland, just go wandering to find the wild garlic supply.

If you’re gonna treat yourself to a little wild garlic recipe, you may as well treat yourself all round. Spend the day exploring ancient woodland, gravitate towards the water at the lake, and you might well find some wild garlic about. Then finish the day in the wood-fired sauna. Treats all round.