Cooking With Nettles

May 1 2009 by Sadie Parker, The Journal

LANDSCAPE: Souter Lighthouse Nettles

WHEN I was little my mum fed my brother and I nettle cakes. As the name suggests, this is a savoury potato cake with nettles in it.

At the time I thought she was mad – nobody else ate nettles. Being about five at the time I was sure of that. How embarrassing, I thought! There’s no way I would be telling anyone we had nettles for tea last night.

But after years of my mum’s cooking, I now realise she was in fact well ahead of the game.

Nettles are one of the first edible plants to emerge in spring, and pop up around April and last all summer. For many, the nettle is a plant to avoid, something that conjures up memories of rummaging through the foliage to find dock leaves to take away the sting. But for others, nettles are a plant to be enjoyed, both in the garden and in our food.

In the wild they grow in rich soils such as forest clearings, stream banks, old fields and wastelands of disturbed soils. But if you find you love eating nettles after trying this week’s recipe, you could grow your own nettle patch at home as they have done at the National Trust’s Souter Lighthouse in South Tyneside where head cook Lynn Bays uses nettles in produce for the tea room.

A nettle patch is a good source of food and also great for attracting butterflies, if planted in a sunny area. Souter’s nettle patch is about 3m x 2m, and Lynn says once your patch is established it doesn’t take much looking after.

I haven’t tried cooking with nettles yet, but have got some advice on preparing them ahead of this week’s recipe. Simple really – wear gloves!

When selecting your harvest cut the young leaves from the top of the plant into a basket or use gloves to hold them.

Nettles are rich in vitamins and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium and vitamins C, D and A and when cooked they taste a bit like spinach. They make a healthy addition to any meal either simply steamed or you could try them in soup, risotto, tea or even a tart.

If you’d like more information on cooking with them, Cragside near Rothbury is holding a Nettle Day on May 31. You can find out about the benefits of cooking with nettles and get advice on recipes. The restaurant at Cragside will also be serving nettle-based dishes using leaves foraged from the Cragside estate.