Foraging for Wild Garlic in the UK

The first time I stumbled upon a patch of Wild Garlic in full bloom, I couldn’t believe that this ingredient grows so abundantly in the UK, and yet so few people have ever tried it.

I now have a couple of go-to patches that I check on diligently during the early spring weeks, and sure enough, the first sprang into life the first week of February this year.

Where to find Wild Garlic

Wild Garlic is easiest to spot when the patch is in full bloom - you literally can’t miss it and will likely be trampling plants left, right, and center, releasing the heady scent of garlic into the air as you do so. Mature patches can carpet swathes of the forest floor in a decadent shade of the purest green, with small white buds and flowers appearing later in Spring.

If you’ve yet to stumble across a patch of your own and are planning to hunt one down, then start by looking in damp areas of ancient woodland such as river banks or streams. Both of my go-to patches of Wild Garlic are in shaded woodland areas either directly next to or just a few meters away from a water source. Each year, the barren waterlogged soil miraculously sprouts vibrant green shoots, and within a few weeks, the entire river bank is transformed into a thick carpet of green garlic.

If you plan to forage and eat the Wild Garlic you find, then avoid any patches growing close to a road and be sure to pick leaves well away from the edges of the footpath where dogs may have decided to give them an extra sprinkle.

The first shoots of Wild Garlic emerging - early February 2024

A glorious pop of green against the dull waterlogged earth.

When to pick Wild Garlic

While you can pick Wild Garlic any time during its growing season, I prefer eating the young tender leaves when they first emerge because, like many plants, Wild Garlic leaves can become a little more bitter once the plant flowers, but don’t let this shouldn’t stop you from trying it if you happen to come across it in bloom.

Even the buds and flowers of the Wild Garlic plant are edible; in fact, I’ve still got a jar of pickled Wild Garlic buds in my fridge from last year’s growing season - they taste a little like a caper!

Identifying Wild Garlic - lookalikes to watch out for

Identifying Wild Garlic is pretty easy, especially when it’s fully formed and in all its glory - its leaves are broad, glossy, and slightly curved, and its flowers are white and star-shaped - but perhaps the easiest way to identify Wild Garlic is to smell it. Crush the leaves between your fingers and take a sniff - you’ll know pretty quickly if you have Wild Garlic or not.

Poisonous Wild Garlic lookalike

There’s one main lookalike to be aware of, especially if picking Wild Garlic early in the growing season when the leaves and flowers have yet to develop fully and that’s Lily of the Valley (Lords and Ladies).

Lily of the Valley shares a liking for damp parts of ancient woodland and, therefore, often grows alongside Wild Garlic. In full bloom, it’s easy to tell the two plants apart, but when the leaves are young, Lily of the Valley can look a little like curled up Wild Garlic leaves. Can you tell which of the below is Wild Garlic and which is Lily of the Valley?

The image on the left is a young Lily of the Valley; its dark spots have yet to develop, and the tails of its leaves are hidden in its tight coil.

The image on the right is young Wild Garlic. Notice how the leaves are glossier without distinct veins, and note how the base of the leaves is smooth without tails. While you can’t smell these images, the young Wild Garlic already has a strong garlic scent that can be released with a little rub of your fingers.

Now, look at Lily of the Valley when it’s a little more mature.

As soon as the leaves of Lily of the Valley open out, they become pretty distinct from Wild Garlic, growing to a much larger size and boasting dark spots and long tails that make them easy to avoid.

How to cook Wild Garlic

Wild Garlic needs very little processing, if any at all. Here are a few of my favourite ways to enjoy it:

• Add the raw leaves to a salad for a subtle pop of garlic

• Toss the leaves into an omelet just before serving

• Add the leaves to a pesto recipe for strong garlic pasta

• Wilt the leaves in with spinach to make spinach less boring

• Pickle the buds and add to salads as a garnish

How to store Wild Garlic

In my opinion, the best way to eat Wild Garlic is fresh, so I tend to pick it as and when I need it. That being said, there are ways to store and preserve Wild Garlic, though some of these can alter its taste or texture.

1. Washed and stored in an airtight container in the fridge, Wild Garlic will keep fresh for 3-5 days - during peak foraging season, I’ll gather 2-3 days’ worth at a time.

2. Washed, chopped, and frozen, Wild Garlic can be stored for much longer if you freeze it, though freezing does change its texture, so it’s now best added to cooked foods rather than eaten fresh.

3. Pickled flower buds stored in a sterile jar can last for years! Mine are a year old and still going strong - keep an eye out for mold forming; otherwise, leave them be.

4. Dehydrated - I’ve yet to try this, but I assume that dehydrating and grinding Wild Garlic leaves will result in a fragrant garlic-scented herb that can be added to dishes in the same way that dried oregano and basil can - I plan to give this a go this season and will report back!

So there you have it - a little more information about one of my favourite Spring greens, Wild Garlic - will you be foraging it?