Taught some lovely people this weekend, including a paramedic, a biochemist, someone who works in international theatre and people that work with PRU units to make work opportunities for teenagers.

I changed the tapas menu for Sat : this June we sampled Steamed Hogweed Flower Beetroot Club Sticks, Estonian Potato Nettle Cakes and Elderflower Jelly with Lime & Cream.

Beetroot is a traditional Russian pairing with Hogweed. Known as Cossack asparagus, Common Hogweed (Heracleum spondylum) is fermented and added fresh to Russian beetroot borscht soup, together with a generous dollop of yoghurt.

Estonians grate raw potato with egg to make nettle cakes. I added some cumin and carrot to mine. My hungry next door neighbour ate the rest!

Everyone loved the raw Hogweed flower buds too. They have an amazing flavour of orange oil and asparagus.

After a taste of especially bitter Sow Thistle, it was time to whip out the Elderflower Jelly which we ate underneath a majestic elder. It really adds something special when we eat our Tapas next to the tree or plant that made it.

The weather remained glorious, too!

There’s more courses coming up, including Herbal First Aid and Natural Dyes. More on those later.

xx Hedgewitch Kat xx