Wild garlic leaves have a punch to them when eaten raw, but the flavour mellows when cooked - simply briefly blanched or wilted for 30–60 seconds as you would with spinach. Like spinach, wild garlic leaves shrink down a lot after cooking, so make sure you have plenty to go round. As a lot of wild garlic can sometimes be overpowering however, mixing with spinach is a good way to achieve a nice balanced flavour. Always wash wild garlic before cooking, and keep the vibrant colour after cooking by plunging into iced water, as recommended by Christoffer Hruskova.

Although the scent of wild garlic is powerful, the flavour when cooked is a little more subtle. For this reason, it makes a wonderful flavouring when whizzed in a food processor and added to tart fillings or mayonnaise, as Pete Biggs demonstrates in his wild garlic mayonnaise. Adam Gray even uses wild garlic to make beautiful cream cheese toasties as an accompaniment to a spinach soup.

Its roots being firmly planted in spring, wild garlic is a natural accompaniment to other flavours of the season. Colin McGurran transforms wild garlic into a velouté to accompany his Chicken and asparagus recipe, while Shaun Rankin uses wild garlic in a risotto for his Rump and rib of lamb. Wild garlic also holds up to bolder seasonal flavour combinations -James Mackenzie’s Black pudding and langoustine crumble comes with a crisp wild garlic crust.

For a unique wild garlic-infused canapé, try Simon Hulstone’s Onion with wild garlic and snails, the mild wild garlic pairing beautifully with the sweet onion and punchy snails.