I absolutely love Spring. It seems to have been a bit slower on the uptake this year. Have you ever heard the saying “Oak before ash, you’re in for a splash. Ash before oak, you’re in for a soak”? Well, I’ve noticed the oak leaves busting out much earlier than the ash this year, so fingers crossed for a splash this summer.

I love to keep track of the seasons by what I can see growing, especially when I can eat it, and so I’ve been out and about with a group this week, munching our way around. On Tuesday, we walked up Crimpiau – a summit of 475m heading via Llyn Crafnant and Geirionydd. On our journey we found bilberries, not quite ripe but still had a sweetness to them. I talked to my group about how they are the original wild blueberries! They won’t forget them in a hurry. Wood sorrel was next on the menu – this can be found most of the year, and it can be a great indicator that you may be standing on what was once a woodland if it’s found on open ground. The group agreed with me that it tastes very much like the skin of a grape; very interesting, and lovely in salads!

Towards the end of our walk we came across some gorse. The group immediately asked me if it was edible, noticing how much I like to forage. Luckily for us, you can indeed eat gorse, and as well as being full of vitamin C, it tastes like coconut! Not one for the young ones, but a bit of gorse flower wine is delightful.

On our adventures today whilst gorge scrambling, we managed to find another tasty treat: wild garlic. Yummy. It makes a great pesto, or you can try wild garlic butter – just chop up some wild garlic and stir into butter. It’s great to connect people with nature, and what better way to do that than through food? Mission complete.

Here’s to more sunshine, longer days and even more tasty things to munch on.

Until next time,

Emily.