Five ways with wild garlic

James Mackenzie's wild garlic crust is an ingenious and simple way to inject some spring into your meals, and can be used to add a wonderfully aromatic wild garlic tang to a variety of dishes. This recipe is from his Wild rabbit, langoustine and Jerusalem artichoke crumble, a dish fit for any dinner party feast.

Recipe: Add 100g of white breadcrumbs, a handful of parsley leaves and 6 finely shredded wild garlic leaves to a food processor. Blitz until evenly green, add to a bowl and stir through 50g of melted butter and 50g of finely grated Parmesan to resemble a crumble. Use the crumb to sprinkle over gratins or bakes, then pop under the grill to finish.

Christoffer Hruskova is well known for his love of foraged ingredients, and wild garlic makes a star turn in a number of his dishes. The chef recommends using this wild garlic oil to attractively split stocks and sauces for lamb and pork, or for buttermilk or cream, much like the way he uses parsley oil in his Grey mullet recipe.

Recipe: Blanch 250g of wild garlic, then drain and transfer to a bowl of iced water. Once cool, squeeze out any excess water and add to a food processor. Gently warm 250g of rapeseed oil, then add to the wild garlic and blitz until smooth. Pass the oil through a muslin-lined sieve to finish.

Though the leaves are the most commonly eaten part of the wild garlic plant, the roots and buds are also full of flavour, and offer their own attributes to a dish. David Everitt-Matthias preserves wild garlic buds in brine in his Lamb recipe, as well as using the roots and leaves. Much like capers, brined wild garlic buds offer a potent punch of flavour to dishes, so make the most of the glut and get preserving!

Recipe: Remove any stalk from 125g of wild garlic buds and rinse thoroughly. Add 20g of salt and 100g of water of a pan, bring to the boil then allow to cool. Add the buds to a sterilised jar and pour over the brine. Seal the jar and store in in a cool, dark place for 2-3 weeks. If not using straight away, drain the buds, add to another sterilised jar and submerge in olive oil, keeping in the fridge until required.

A wild garlic recipe that can be whipped up in no time, this comforting soup recipe the Galvin brothers will persuade any level of chef to give wild garlic a spin. Intensely flavoured, rich and buttery, this is a soup for chilly spring nights, perfect for mopping up with some crusty bread.

Recipe: Sweat 1 finely diced large onion and 2 sliced garlic cloves in 100g of butter and a dash of olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 150g of finely diced potatoes and 1 litre of hot chicken stock, season and bring to the boil. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked, then add 800g of wild garlic, bring to the boil and transfer to a blender. Blitz until smooth, pass through a sieve and cool over a bowl of iced water. Check the seasoning and gently reheat to serve.