Wild Medicine Soup

To celebrate the Spring Equinox, I have been making 'Wild Medicine Soup', which acts as a tonic for the blood and reputedly awakens the nervous system and invigorates our energy levels. Just going out and collecting wild plants – like nettles, sorrel, alexanders, wild garlic and violets – will connect you to the delights of Spring in the most fundamental way. Here's my recipe for Wild Medicine Soup, but it can be varied according to what wild herbs you find. Always be sure to carefully identify the plant before you pick them, and only pick a few leaves from each plant.

The soup can consist of any or all of the following:

· A handful of wild garlic or ransoms as they are also called – if you don’t know what they look like, you’ll probably smell them first!

· Some carefully picked young sprigs of nettle. I take my secateurs with me and snip the top four or six young leaves off each plant and let it drop straight into my basket, meaning I don't have to wear gloves

· A few leaves of common sorrel, more if you like the tangy lemony flavour

· A few young dandelion leaves if you like their slightly bitter taste

· If you are lucky enough to live in a region where the Roman Centurions sowed ‘the pot herb of Alexandria’ (also known as horse parsley or Alexanders) you can include some of the young leaves and finely chopped stems which both have a taste similar to asparagus

· Violet flowers to garnish

Warm up your cauldron (or saucepan!) and throw in a knob of butter, a nourishing foodstuff that is also associated with Spring. Then add some diced onion, carrot and celery (I used celeriac as we still had some in the garden that needed to be eaten up). Fry until translucent, then add a large potato diced finely. Add vegetable stock and simmer until the potato is falling apart and thickening the stock. Add all your herbs finely shredded and cook for a minute or two so that they retain their greenness. If you are including nettles, they should go in first for a little longer to defuse any sting. Using a stick blender, whizz the soup for a short blast to thicken it, but leave plenty of texture and whole vegetables. Season to taste and garnish with one or two edible violet flower. For extra Spring celebration, serve with a sprinkle of croutons mixed with hard-boiled egg.