I am superly duperly hooked on The Simple Things magazine (as is half the UK I think). Would you believe that I never knew what wild garlic looked like until I saw it in that mag? Have I been residing under a large rock for the last 26yrs?!
New found garlicky knowledge accumulated, I had been keeping my eyes peeled for some of it growing around Pembrokeshire – I found a bit growing on the farm, but it was far too fledgling for me to start foraging off with its precious leaves. Eventually I eyeballed a HUGE patch of it growing next to a lay-by when Chris and I were out sourcing some bits and bobs for the shop and yelled at him to pull over!!
I ran out, armed with Tesco carrier bag and started grabbing handfuls of the stuff, guerilla style, much to the bemusement and wonder of passers-by (clearly not readers of The Simple Things…).
Most of it was in flower already, and the delicate white powdery puffs of bloom were so pretty that I had to pick a few stems to take home with me. Well, that was a frugal choice and a half as not only were they free but they are still going – over two weeks later!! They are starting to get a little bit of a garlic-esque stink to them now though… probably not long for this life.
For those of you that might not know, you don’t rip up the bulb of wild garlic, but instead use the leaves. This makes them a great addition to salads or for making pesto! Instead of using basil leaves as one would traditionally, instead use the garlic leaves, together with parmesan, olive oil and cashew nuts (or pine nuts). Easy. peasy. pops, and way cheaper to make than traditional pesto. See the mag for the recipe, or alternatively you can try this one.
We have been enjoying ours on pasta, with cream cheese on bagels (yum-ting) and over chicken. It will store well if put in a sterilised jar and kept in the fridge. We even made a mini one for our friend to try – at which point I realised they would have made lovely wedding favours for a spring wedding (wedding brain, soz)!
It is getting a little late in the year to gather it now – once the blooms come out the leaves begin to lose flavour – but ours tasted delicious, so it is well worth giving it a go if you spy a patch near you.
What’s in a Dress?
Since embarking on the Wartime Wardrobe Challenge back in January, I’ve connected with some really fantastic people who are passionate about ethical fashion and reducing our consumerism with regard to clothes. I’ve also been really fortunate to find out about a whole host of inspiring clothing brands, who are trying to work sustainably and with environmental sensitivity.
Many of these brands are big players in the game – Howies, Rapanui, Seasalt etc. etc. But some are small outfits starting out with inspiring collections that have been filled with personality and love. What’s in a Dress? is one of these brands. Silvia’s first collection is made with beautifully colourful organic and fair trade cotton fabrics, mostly sourced from an Indian worker’s cooperative and woven on traditional looms, and is the culmination of many years of passionate crafting and making combined with a desire to provide women with clothing tailored to their individual body shapes.
Each item in the collection is made to order- so that Silvia can ensure each piece is a perfect fit and therefore something that can be worn and treasured for many years, the perfect antidote to the ‘throwaway culture’ that has resulted from our nation’s obsession with cheap clothes.
I am completely in love with the collection, it is so unusual and full of summer cheeriness – am definitely hoping to invest in a nice top for my honeymoon 
You can see the full collection here and you can follow the brand on Facebook here.
Have a great weekend all, we are off to choose the tiers of our organic wedding cheese cake, coupled with a drive through the beautiful Gwaun Valley. Bellissimo!
