Nettle Soup

A word on nettles:
Nettles are a real gift from nature. They are both food and medicine. Nettles are rich chlorophyll, iron and vitamin C, which makes this non-haem iron very absorbable and a great blood tonic. They also work as a natural anti-histamine, and may help to reduce inflammation experienced in seasonal allergic reactions.

Select and pick only the tips and first few leaves of the nettles, and make sure they are bright and young. After flowering, toxins start to build up in nettles. This is why they are best picked in the spring. Gloves and scissors are a simple way of picking nettles (also avoid areas when dogs might pee!) You can pick a large bunch and then freeze for later use.

Serves 4-6 as a starter

Ingredients:

• A few handfuls of nettle tips (handle with gloves until cooked)

• A handful of other wild greens (eg cleavers, dandelion leaves, wild garlic)

• 2 kale or savoy cabbage leaves (you can get creative with your choice of vegetables)

• 1 large brown onion

• 2 slender sticks celery (or 2 thicker ones)

• 2 cloves garlic (or a bunch of wild garlic leaves)

• 2 handfuls of potatoes or sweet potatoes cubed small

• 1 stock cube

• 3 litres of water for blanching

• 1 tbsp olive or coconut oil

• Salt and pepper to taste

• zest of one lemon

What to do:

1. Clean and prepare the greens. Chop the kale leaves up to where the stalk starts thickening. Keep the thicker parts aside the stock.

2. Bring the water to the boil in a pan with a bit of salt. Add the greens and blanch for a minute or two until tender and softened. Strain, retaining the cooking water, and run the greens under cold water to cool and stop them cooking. This preserves the vitamins and colour. Squeeze the greens and add excess water to the blanching water. Keep the greens to one side.

3. In the blanching pan, with the (now-green) cooking water you saved add potato cubes and the stock cube and bring to the boil. Boil for about 15 mins.

4. In a different pan, add the oil, chopped onions, kale stalks, celery and garlic and fry gently with the lid on to soften. If sticking add some stock water. When the onions are translucent and the celery softened, add the hot stock mix from the other pan.

5. Take off the heat and use a stick blender to blitz the vegetables. Now add the chopped blanched greens and blitz again. Add the the zested lemon at the end. You now have your nettle soup! Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.