NETTLES - those horrible stinging plants to be avoided at all costs? Not according to Rob Caton, wild food expert, who believes that their nutritional content makes them a great addition to any meal.

This month, Rob and I are heading to Gibside to forage and cook some nettles in the hope of changing the reputation of this much-maligned plant.

“It’s not that they have a nice strong distinctive flavour and texture on their own,” Rob tells me on the phone as we plan our trip, “but they do add a good amount of vitamins to a meal.”

Nettles are very common and widespread throughout Britain and Europe. Their leaves have a heart-shaped base with spiky margins, and can grow up to nine centimetres long. The plant itself can grow over a metre high. The sting you get from a nettle comes from very fine hairs that cover the stem – when you touch them, the hairs pierce the skin. However, when you cook nettles, which you can do as you would cook spinach, the sting is taken away. Young leaves are a great source of Vitamin C and iron.

It’s a windy, grey Monday morning as I prepare to go to Gibside and the sky doesn’t look too promising – I’m sure it’s going to rain – so I pack up all the waterproof clothing I can find as well as a pair of gloves to pick the nettles.

Rob is there to meet me, as is Phil Younger, one of Gibside’s wardens, who is passionate about wild food, particularly fungi. He has found us a patch of St George’s mushrooms to cook with the nettles.

Gibside is a managed landscape garden with great woodland walks offering frequent vistas and vantage points. Phil leads us along the tree-lined avenue, through the bottom of Snipes Dene and past the lily pond to a patch of ground next to the path where there are five St George’s growing. I am also happy, for once, to see a patch of nettles nearby and something else that Rob says we can eat – goosegrass, the one that gets all the sticky bobbles later in the year. Whilst I set about picking a handful of nettles, Rob and Phil pick mushrooms. Unlike other food we have foraged, we can take all of the mushrooms without worrying about leaving enough of the plant to reproduce as they will grow back anyway. And as for the nettles – there are definitely plenty to go round! I pick only the tips of the plants taking the youngest leaves, and make sure I get a big handful as they will reduce when we cook them.

We take our foraged find – five St George’s mushrooms, a handful of young nettle leaves and a handful of goosegrass, each piece 20cmlong – down the river path to set up the camp stove somewhere more sheltered.

To cook, we blanch the nettles and goosegrass together in a pan for a couple of minutes – which once cooked gives off the distinct smell of fresh peas – then roughly chop and set aside. After that, we slice and fry the mushrooms in butter and just before serving, add the blanched greens to heat through.

The mushrooms make up the main part of the meal and whilst they add texture and substance, the taste is very bland. The nettles and the goosegrass do add a different element, although not a strong, distinct flavour, more a gentle freshness.

Of the greens, the nettles are surprisingly my favourite as the texture is a little softer than the goosegrass whose stalks take a little longer to soften. The saving grace of the meal, however, is the butter, salt and pepper that Rob has in his camping kit. My best advice when foraging for nettles is to take them home and add them to another element of your meal, so I have included some of Rob’s recipe suggestions for you to try.

Rob Caton runs outdoor adventure provider Wild Harmony. For more information on events and activities, log on to www.wildharmony.co.uk

ROB’S NETTLE RECIPE SUGGESTIONS

NETTLE SOUP This is a classic dish and there are many variations. One of my favourite versions is a simple potato and leek soup with well-seasoned stock and black pepper. Add your cooked nettle leaves with a little butter to the soup and blend to a smooth consistency. Finish off with a small amount of cream, and diced, grilled streaky bacon. Very tasty!

NETTLE FRITTERS For a quick snack try mixing blanched, finely chopped leaves with a beaten egg. Season, form into patties, cover in flour and fry in butter.