Hogweed (Heracleum sphondilium) is a common plant in the British Isles and can be found along verges, in hedgerows, tracks and on the sides of fields. It’s fairly recognisable but take care not to confuse it with giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum). We’re eating hogweed regularly at this time of year, it’s one of my favourite wild foods.
It’s also nutrituous and contains high levels of potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, as well as vitamins A and C.
The bit that you’re after for eating are the new shoots. These are often tucked away at the base of the plant so you need to move the mature leaves out of the way to get a good look.
We’ve used them in all sorts of recipes , including in spring rolls, stir frys, frittatas. But my favourite, and probaly the simplest thing to do with them, is to simply gently fry them in a little butter and then squeeze over some lemon juice!
This is just one of the many wonderful dishes that we cook on our 1 day foraging courses. You can see plenty of photos from these courses, as well as all of our others, on our Facebook page.
