Here is a Venn Diagram that connects skateboarding and Alliums. Allium is a genus of plant that includes onions, garlic, leeks, chives, wild garlic etc. Skateboarding is a sport and subculture that is synonymous with things like knee and elbow pads, Dogtown and Z-boys, TechDecks, Avril Lavine’s music and Kickflips.
Skateboarding is popular in some parts of America. In America, Wild Garlic is referred to as Ramsons (or Ramps). Skateboarding is an Olympic sport and is sometimes associated with nonconformity. Foraging for wild garlic is not a recognised sport but, as a pastime, can be associated with botanical leanings and has its own hint of unorthodoxy. For beginners, skateboarding can be painful while foraging can be uplifting and rewarding.
Our menus are always seasonally-oriented. We find it helps derive more enjoyment and a more realistic interaction with food, tunes our attention to the world up-close, offers helpful boundaries and signposts towards sustainable living and points us towards a broader interaction with what we could put on a menu.
This time of year, wild garlic is one of the first instalments of spring on the menu. There’s still plenty of winter in there too, as evidenced by onions, kale, pulses, ferments and preserves. But it’s reassuring to see the greens and to know that wild garlic leads to spring brassicas, spinach, chard and- before long- asparagus, then courgettes and cherry tomatoes and abundance. For now, enjoy some wild alliums and variations on sausage pizza.