Wild Garlic / Ramsoms / Ransoms / Somerset’s ‘Onion Stinkers’ / stink bombs or stinking nannies are widely available to forage throughout the British Isles particularly in the Westcountry where it grows in abundance in woodland & hedgerows. Often an indicator of ancient woodland this plant has been used in cooking and medicinal uses throughout the ages. The whole plant is edible from the delicate white flowers used in salads or to garnish soups, the leaves, used here and the bulbs.
The leaves are at their best in late March and early April – before the flowers appear. Often giving a garlicky smell as you walk through the woods this plant has more recently been forgotten but in the past was commonly used and lends its name Ramsoms to many place names such as Ramsgill in West Yorkshire, so called from the Old English ‘hramsa’ literally meaning the dweller by the field where garlic grew.
Ingredients
- 1 Pack of readymade shortcrust pastry
- 55g Butter
- 3 large onions
- 40 Wild Garlic Leaves
- 4 Eggs
- 300mls Double Cream
- Grated Nutmeg
- 100g Feta Cheese
- Roll out the pastry to line a 24cm tart tin
- Preheat the oven to 180 oC Fan
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan and fry the sliced onions for 30 mins until soft and golden
- Season the onions with salt and pepper and add the shredded Wild Garlic leaves
- Remove from the heat and allow residual heat to wilt the washed Wild garlic leaves
- Mix the Eggs and cream in a bowl and add grated nutmeg
- Arrange the Wild garlic and onions in the Tart tin
- Poor over the Egg & Cream mixture
- Add the feta cheese cut into 1cm cubes
- Bake for 30-35 minutes
- Leave to cool and trim edges to neaten
- Serve with a crisp green salad once cooled
