Wild Garlic grows in abundance near to Brambly Hedge and the mice look forward to the fragrant leaves which appear in Spring. To gather your own harvest, you will need to find a woodland or riverbank where the ground is damp – you may well smell it before you see it! Once you have picked some leaves, give them a thorough wash and chop them fairly finely; as pictured.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 heaped tablespoons of washed and chopped wild garlic leaves
- 50g soft unsalted butter
- 225g self-raising flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- A pinch of salt
- 100g grated Cheddar cheese (and a little extra to sprinkle on the top)
- 130ml semi-skimmed milk
METHOD
Heat your oven to 200C / 180 C fan and then follow Mrs Apple’s steps below:
Rub the butter and flour together with your hands until the mixture looks like little breadcrumbs.
Then add the salt, baking powder, grated cheese and the chopped Wild Garlic and ensure that all of the ingredients are evenly mixed throughout by using a spoon.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk. Using your hands, quickly bring the mixture together until it forms a dough. Try to handle it as little as possible so that it is not overworked.
Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and gently pat it down with your hands until it is around 1.5 inches thick.
Push a 1.5 inch round cutter into the dough to make the scones, and try not to twist the cutter as you lift it up (or the scones may not rise correctly).
Place the discs of dough onto a sheet of baking paper on a tray. Sprinkle a little bit of grated cheese on top of each scone and bake for 15 to 20 minutes until nicely golden.
Serve warm with butter or cream cheese and a little Wild Garlic sprinkled on top.
A Cautionary Tale
Make sure you have permission to pick the Wild Garlic and that your little mice are supervised. As a general rule, if it is early Spring, the plant looks like our photos, and smells of garlic then it should be the correct plant, but always double check.
