I was inspired to make these Wild Garlic Scones after seeing the ever increasing patch of wild garlic growing in my daughter’s garden. There has been a bumper crop this spring so I have been experimenting with using it in savoury scones.

I tried a number of different cheeses and other ingredients when developing this Wild Garlic Scones recipe but I thought the most successful included feta cheese and black olives.

What is Wild Garlic?

Wild garlic is a bulbous perennial plant often found growing in woodlands, along drainage ditches and sometimes along the roadside in the UK. It is a distinctive plant with dark green leaves and pretty white flowers. If you are foraging it resembles lily of the valley which is poisonous, but it can be identified by its distinctive strong garlicky smell. All parts of the wild garlic plant are edible – leaves, stalks, flowers and bulbs.

If you would like some more information about foraging for wild garlic and how to use it the BBC’s Countryfile website has a very good guide.

The wild garlic season is short – between March and June in the UK. If you can, pick the leaves early in March for a fuller flavour. Flowers usually emerge from April and as the whole plant is edible you can then use the flowers and bulbs in your recipes too!

Other Uses for Wild Garlic

My daughter mainly uses her wild garlic to make pesto (an interesting alternative to basil pesto) but also in salads as a herb when a subtle garlic flavour is required – wild garlic tends to be milder than regular garlic.

Wild garlic can be frozen – cut the whole plant very finely, add some olive oil and assemble into portions that can then be dropped into soups or used to make pesto.

Ingredients you will need to make these Wild Garlic Scones

Jump to Recipe

• Feta Cheese – diced into squares
• Black Pitted Olives – cut in half
• Wild Garlic (just leaves and stalks)
• Self Raising Flour
• Baking Powder
• Salt
• Butter (softened)
• Buttermilk
• A little milk

Directions

1. Cut the feta cheese into ¼ inch dice squares and cut the olives in half.
2. Snip the wild garlic leaves and stalks using scissors, as you would chives. Any flowers make a decorative and flavourful addition to a salad.
3. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
4. Add the butter cut into small pieces and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
5. Stir in the feta, olives and wild garlic.
6. Mix to a soft sticky dough with the buttermilk. You may need a bit more than ½ pint.
7. Tip the dough out onto a well floured working surface and lightly knead until smooth.
8. Pat out to about 1 ½ inches thick and cut into rounds using a metal cutter. I used a 2 inch / 5 cm cutter and made 14 scones.
9. Place on a well floured baking sheet or one lined with baking parchment and brush the tops with a little milk.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes in a pre-heated oven 220°C / 200°C Fan / 425°F / Gas Mark 7 until well risen and golden brown.
11. Remove from the baking tray and cool on a wire rack wrapped in a clean tea towel.

Equipment you will need to make these Wild Garlic Scones

As with all my scones you will need a baking tray, some parchment paper, a metal cutter, a mixing bowl and a wire rack. If you are out and about foraging, or even just in your own garden, then a Sussex Trug, a handmade wooden basket, is ideal for collecting wild garlic – I do love these baskets – but of course they are not essential.

Serving Wild Garlic Scones

I like these scones at room temperature and spread with salted butter.

I did try them with a garlic and herb soft cheese (Boursin) but found that the flavour of the cheese dominated and the subtle fragrances of the wild garlic was lost.

Eat on the day of making and freeze any leftovers.

You may also like

I have a number of other savoury scones recipes If you would like to try them:

• Easy Cheese Scones
• Olive & Chorizo Scones with Manchego Cheese
• Scone Dogs
• Seeded Spelt Scones
• Apple and Cheese Scones
• Gluten Free Cheese Scones

Until next time…

Happy Baking!

Tanya