the best wild garlic butter

plus more ways eat wild garlic and springy recipes from the archive

in my opinion, this is the easiest and very best way to eat wild garlic. it’s highly likely you’ve seen recipes for it before, but i’m here to add just one more in hopes that, this time, you’ll make it and see just how special it is. it’s also a great way to take wild garlic with you through the summer (and fall!), as it can easily be frozen for months.

i’ve made a handful of different variations of wild garlic butter in the past—with and without garlic, with and without lemon zest and juice, with other herbs, blanched and not, et cetera—but the recipe below is my favorite. it’s super simple, so you may never really need this recipe after you make it once, but hey, it’ll be here as a reference for you for years to come!

this butter is incredibly versatile as it can be used in pretty much any place where you’d use plain butter, but my personal favorite way to eat it is to put a thick, cold slice of it on top of a piece of bread. that’s it. but, in case you need some more ideas for using it up: slather it on a baguette and layer with thinly sliced radish. toss it with hot, cooked pasta. make biscuits or brioche rolls with it. place thick slices over roasted or grilled vegetables. top poached or steamed fish with it. fold it into an omelette or pan of scrambled eggs. gently warm it through with a can of cooked chickpeas or white beans. toss it into risotto. layer into a savory crepe with some ham and cheese.

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more ways to eat wild garlic:

• wild garlic shokupan from

  Thea Everett

• wild garlic dumplings from

  Xueci Cheng

• wild garlic and pancetta spaghetti from

  Sophie Wyburd

• wild garlic herb oil from yours truly

• spring chicken adobo and cumin lamb with ramp sauce from

  Chuck Cruz

• ramp and spinach green sauce from crispyegg420

• hot honey buttered spring green pie (throw in some wild garlic!) from

  Rosie Kellett

some springy recipes from the darn good archive:

• roasted rhubarb and rose water jam

• charred spring veg with cottage cheese and crispy fried shallots

• raspberries, rhubarb and cream

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this time last year:

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wild garlic butter

makes 250 grams

25 grams wild garlic

1 clove garlic

250 grams unsalted butter

1 teaspoon flaky salt

1. bring a small pot or frying pan of water (you really only need about 2 inches /5-cm) to a simmer over high heat. stir in 40 grams wild garlic leaves and blanch for about 20 seconds. drain in a sieve and run under cold water. once cool enough to handle, use your hands to press out as much liquid as much as possible.

2. add blanched wild garlic (gently separating the leaves a bit), one peeled garlic clove and 250 grams unsalted butter to a food processor. blitz to combine, scraping down the sides with a spatula as needed to make sure everything is thoroughly mixed. once it’s well mixed, sprinkle in 1 teaspoon flaky salt and blitz once more to distribute.

3. transfer the butter to a large piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper. use your hands and your wrap of choice to shape the butter into a log or a block, then tightly wrap. store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.