Creamy Nettle and Chickweed Soup

      

1 chopped onion

3 chopped celery sticks

3 garlic cloves

Salt and pepper

5 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered

5 cups of vegetable stock

5 cups of fresh washed and chopped chickweed

1 cup of fresh young nettles.

A little cream or milk optional
    

                                 

Saute the onion and celery in butter in a large soup pot over medium heat until tender. Add garlic and season with salt and pepper. Add the potatoes. Stir. Add the stock, lower heat and simmer gently until the potatoes are very tender. Add the fresh nettles and stir until gently wilted but still bright green. Add the chickweed and  blend with a hand blender until very smooth, whisk in the cream. Serve with some edible flowers and fresh chives.

                 

We went out to pick the various flowers and leaves that were available in March.  Although the rosemary, daisies, violets and speedwell flowers looked very pretty agains the greens of the lambs lettuce, sunflower and pea shoots, the orange of the last few carrots made it look very bright and beautiful as well as giving our salad a lovely taste. We added some walnuts and blue cheese.

As a desert we made a lemon mousse, using the little violets we picked as decoration.