Miscellaneous
Forageables

Learn more about some of our ingredients...

Wild Cherries

Cherries appear on the trees in June, and gathering them is a race against the birds. There are two wild varieties that are widespread in London- wild cherries, which are slightly smaller and lighter in colour than bought cherries, and bird cherries which are significantly smaller. Both are bitter and better cooked than raw. To use them in desserts, halve and stone the cherries, then leave them to sit in a dusting of caster sugar for an hour or so before using as you would the shop-bought varieties.

Wild Fennel

Wild fennel is startlingly aromatic for a wild plant. The fronds have a gentle aniseed flavour, perfect for flavouring sauces such as hollandaise, or kneaded into bread dough in place of caraway seeds. The plant’s piece de resistance is the flower bud. Plucked straight from the plant and eaten raw, the buds are like natural aniseed balls.

Hawthorn

Spring Hawthorn leaves, known in Oxfordshire as Bread and Cheese, are good eaten in sandwiches or salads. Any later than April and they’ll be too tough and tree-tasting. The berries, which ripen in August, have a taste uncannily like avocados. We contemplated making a guacamole, but abandoned the idea when we realised how labour intensive it would be. The berries have a large stone which makes them pretty awkward to prepare and not much use in the kitchen. We’re going to brine some with chillis and garlic, and see how they fare as an olive substitute with aperitifs. We’ll get back to you.