The first time I made nettle soup, it was edible, but underwhelming, leading me to the conclusion that, though I was glad one could eat one of the few edible wild foods in abundance locally, I wouldn’t be rushing to repeat the experience while I could still afford to buy greens. Yet the enthusiasm of others for this stinging weed unsettled me: could it be that I, rather than the poor old nettle, was at fault?
Reader, it seems it could. Having given the soup a second, third and sixth and seventh chance this week, I must concede that my fellow food writers are not, as I’d cynically assumed, lying through their teeth when they liken the stuff to spinach. The notorious nettle has a similarly iron-rich, slightly minerally flavour – indeed, as one of the first plants to emerge after the winter, it was much prized as a tonic by our forerunners on these islands, held to purify the blood and ensure good health in the months ahead. Not only are nettles a decent source of vitamins and minerals, they’re also surprisingly tasty. You just have to know how to handle them.
