Created by Ilana Apolot-Rwego, a BSc Nutrition and Food Science student at the University Of Reading

Garlic. A much loved aromatic bulb that when used makes us feel like experienced chefs in our own kitchens. But have you heard of her wilder and slightly niche sister? If you’ve ever walked in woodland or down a footpath and been hit with a sudden whiff of garlic (I promise you, you are not imagining it). It's most likely wild garlic. Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) is a green leafy, bulbous plant that grows in the wild from mid-February to April. It has a strong aroma of garlic and tastes like a hybrid of regular garlic and a spring onion or chive. As briefly mentioned, the plant is made of a bulb, leaves and pretty white flowers, all of which are edible raw or cooked. Wild garlic is native to woodlands in Britain, Europe, and Asia, and its use dates back several centuries. Lucky for us, wild garlic is abundant in the UK and so it can mainly be sourced by foraging (more on that below). 

Some wild garlic I found.

Quick fact: Wild garlic is also known as bear’s garlic or allium ursinum as folk tales tell that brown bears love wild garlic and would consume it once awakening from hibernation!

Where can I buy it? You may be able to find wild garlic at your local farmers' market when in season, and when not in season, supermarkets like Waitrose even sell it frozen. But if your into some DIY here is how you can identify and forage wild garlic yourself;

Where? Wild garlic is found in damp and shady woodland and footpaths, so land alongside riverbanks or streams will likely lead you to the garlicky treasure.

When? As mentioned earlier the wild garlic season blesses us from mid-February where the shoots begin to appear all the way to April where its flowers blossom. The peak season however, is in late March where its leaves are most tender and flavoursome.

What to look for? So other than a strong garlicky scent which you may smell in the air or by breaking and rubbing the plant in your fingers, look out for white star-shaped flowers and long bunched stems. 

Harvesting: Hold the stems of the wild garlic in one hand and with the other hand use a sharp knife or pair of scissors to cut the plant from the stems. Cut as close to the ground as you can. It’s as simple as that! 

Preparation: Thoroughly wash your wild garlic with cold water ensuring all mud and bugs have been washed away and it is now ready for use! 

Storage: On its own, wild garlic can be refrigerated by covering it with a damp cloth, it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days, as long as there is no visible mold. You could even chop it and freeze it in a zip lock bag to have for when the season ends. 

Essential rules: If there were 3 main messages I could send you away with before you go foraging wild garlic, here they are: 

Rule 1: Do not confuse wild garlic with her poisonous look-alike Lily (Lily-of the valley that is!). Consuming this pretty plant can cause serious illness or even death.

Here's how to tell the two apart: 

• Scent: Wild garlic has the obvious smell of garlic, while Lily of the valley has a sweet, floral scent. 
• Flowers: Lily of the valley have white bell-shaped flowers that face downwards while wild garlic have white star-shaped flowers with six petals.
• Leaves and stem: Lily of the valley has several leaves coming out of one stem, while wild garlic has only one leaf per stem and grows as a bunch of stems.

Side note: If you are still unsure on what you have picked it is always safer to leave the plant behind! (more on that later)

Rule 2: While you are allowed to sustainably forage wild garlic for personal use on common land without any permission, if you want to forage on private land, you must have the permission of the landowner first. Otherwise, it is considered trespassing and therefore illegal. It is always best to confirm whether a piece of land is privately owned or not beforehand.

Rule 3: Don’t take more than you need! Leave ⅔ of the wild garlic you see as it is also needed for our ecosystem and animals.

Cooking: Despite its name, wild garlic is subtler than regular garlic, so it can be a great substitute for when raw garlic is too overpowering or pungent. Wild garlic is great as a replacement for basil in pesto or to make delicious dips like hummus or aioli. It can also be used to garnish soups, to jazz up an omelet or if you're feeling savvy you could use it to make a ‘wild garlic butter’ for steaks, chicken, roast potatoes and even wild garlic bread! Additionally, the flowers are particularly good used raw in salads. The number of ways you could use wild garlic is literally endless, here are some ways I have used my foraged wild garlic so far:

Wild garlic omelettes, wild garlic butter to use on flatbreads and steamed veg, wild garlic tzatziki for wraps!

So, if you're a garlic girl or you're just looking for an easy beginner-friendly foraging activity, wild garlic is your place to start. If everything I have said so far doesn’t convince you to give wild garlic a go, research suggests it has an even greater ability to lower blood pressure than regular garlic does and I love that for us!

References: 

Lemm, E. (2023) What is Wild Garlic? Available at: https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-wild-garlic-435437 (Accessed: 2 March 2025)

Desmazery, B. (2025) How to use wild garlic. Available at: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-to-use-wild-garlic (Accessed: 2 March 2025)

Woodland Trust (no date) Wild garlic (Allium ursinum). Available at: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/trees-woods-and-wildlife/plants/wild-flowers/wild-garlic/ (Accessed: 2 March 2025)

Wikipedia (no date) Allium ursinum. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allium_ursinum#:~:text=9%20External%20links-,Etymology,

them%20after%20awakening%20from%20hibernation. (Accessed: 4 March 2025)

Totally Wild UK (2023) When to Forage Wild Garlic. Available at: https://totallywilduk.co.uk/2023/01/30/where-to-forage-wild-garlic/#:~:text=It%20grows%20in%20damp%2C%20wooded,along%20the%20edges%20of%

20fields. (Accessed: 4 March 2025).

The Greedy Vegan (2016) Identifying and Picking Wild Garlic. Available at: 

https://thegreedyvegan.com/identifying-picking-wild-garlic/ (Accessed: 12 March 2025)

Vallie, S. and Powell Key, A. (2024) Lily of the Valley Poisoning. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/first-aid/lily-of-the-valley-poisoning (Accessed: 12 March 2025)

Woodland Trust (no date) Responsible foraging guidelines. Available at: https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/visiting-woods/things-to-do/foraging/foraging-guidelines/ (Accessed: 16 March 2025)

Preuss, H.G., Clouatre, D., Mohamadi, A. and Jarrell, S.T. (2001) ‘Wild garlic has a greater effect than regular garlic on blood pressure and blood chemistries of rats’ International urology and nephrology, 32(4), p. 525.

British Local Food (no date) Is Foraging Legal in the UK? What You Need to Know About the Law. Available at: https://britishlocalfood.com/foraging-british-law/ (Accessed: 2 April 2025)