Spring in my step....

Spring is in the air. It's not the sunshine, the smiles on people's faces or the first mentions of the Royal Cornwall Show. It's the smell. The earthy soil filling my lungs as I turn the allotment plainting cauliflowers and rhubarb. It's lawns being cut after a harsh winter's hibernation. It's the smell of suncream being rubbed on pale faces.



But if you walk around Cornwall's woods and hedges there's another smell. Every other step you get a waft of Italian restaurants. You can smell wild garlic long before you spot it. I've been trying to find a good patch for weeks and then a collegue at work told me he knew of a sneaky spot. He's been foraging there already and bought me in a slice of his wild garlic and feta filo pie. It was fantastic. So he foraged me a bagful.




And there's plenty for two days of blogs. It's been a long time since I made pesto and I used to love it so much. Spread of toasted homemade bread. Stirred through steaming spaghetti. But best of all on a teaspoon foraged out of the fridge.

Wild garlic, spinach and hazelnut pesto.... (Makes about 4 heaped tablespoons)

1 manly handful of wild garlic leaves
1 small girly handful of spinach
1 handful of hazelnuts
80g pecorino (I would usually use parmesan if it weren't for my ridiculous food intolerance)
olive oil

Wash the wild garlic in a colander. Pat it dry. Put it with the spinach in a mini chopper. Chop until fine. Grated the cheese on a small setting and add to the herbs. In a pan toast the hazelnuts until golden brown. Put in a bowl to cool a little then roll through your fingers and the skin will come off. Add to the mini chopper and blend.

Add a slow drizzle of olive oil, a little at a time, until you have the consistency you want. I live mine quite thick like soft butter. Add a little pepper if you like. Salt isn't needed because of the cheese.