Wild garlic and potato soup

This wild garlic soup feels like a very Irish meal for Spring and it’s very easy to make. I like to serve it with homemade brown soda bread or a wheaten loaf and plenty of salted butter

Last time I made it I used waxy thin-skinned potatoes and didn’t bother to peel them. It will work well with floury potatoes too and if the skin is really thick you can peel them.

If you are foraging for wild garlic then do make sure you have correctly identified the plant (it will smell garlicky), that you have permission to pick from where you are gathering and that you only pick where there is an abundance. Take only what you need and make sure to pick away from areas where there are dog walkers. Wild garlic is a low lying plant! I also like to say thank you to the land and to the plants I’m collecting when I’m foraging!

Wild garlic is not the same as three-cornered leek, which also grows wild in Ireland and has an oniony smell. Both plants are edible but three cornered leek is a non-native, invasive plant. I do use three-cornered leek in cooking but the leaves have a tougher, stringier texture - so it’s trickly to make into pesto and if you are using it in a soup if needs to be cooked for longer.

Serves 6-8

25g butter
Dash olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1KG potatoes, chopped into 1 cm cubes
1500ml stock (veg or chicken)
200g wild garlic, well washed and roughly chopped
Salt and white pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a large saucepan over a low heat.

Add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes, put the lid in and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the hot stock, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 20 minutes until soft. Add the wild garlic, cook for one minute and turn off the heat.

Add 1/2 teaspoon white pepper and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve garnished with a drizzle of oil and a few wild garlic flowers.