April foraging guide: best plants to find and recipe ideas

By the month of April spring is well underway with the countryside buzzing with wildlife and many plant species in bloom.

This makes April a great time to forage for spring greens in woodlands and forests and in the countryside to use to give your home-cooking recipes a local, seasonal flavour.

From the pungent wild garlic plant to common mallow, why not see what plants you can identify on your next spring walk.  As our guide explains, it is vital to learn how to forage responsibly and not cause damage to the local environment.

Our guide on how and what to forage for in April in Britain, with a few key details regarding where each plant can be found, characteristics and recipe ideas.

Where to forage in Britain

Woodlands, hedgerows and the shoreline are good places to start your foray into foraging. However, you may discover local parks and even your garden provide foraging hotspots.

How to forage responsibly and safely

It is vital to avoid damaging wildlife habitats or rare species, so check you are allowed to forage in the area before starting to pick.  When foraging, ensure you leave plenty behind for wildlife and only pick from an area with a plentiful supply. Only take what you plan to eat and take care to avoid damaging the roots of plants as you pick.

Take a good field guide with you and always be sure you can positively identify any plant before you pick it, and never eat any plant you are unsure of. Taking part in a foraging course with an expert is a good way to learn how to forage safely and responsibly.

Best plants to forage for in April

Wild garlic, Allium ursinum

Also known as Bear leek, wild garlic is an edible plant that emerges in April and can be foraged right through summer. Use it when cooking to add great flavour to your favourite recipes.

The leaves and flowers are edible. Young leaves are delicious added to soups, sauces and pesto. Leaves appear in March and are best picked when young. The flowers emerge from April to June and can add a potent garlic punch to salads and sandwiches.

More foraging content:

• Wild garlic guide: where to find, how to cook it and recipe ideas
• March foraging guide: best foods to find and recipe ideas
• Monthly foraging guide: what’s in season, where to find it, and how to forage responsibly

Birch: silver , betula pendula, and downy, Betula pubescens

Parts used: young leaves

This tree is native to the northern hemisphere, which may be why it is one of the most hardy and resilient trees in winter. In spring, young birch leaves contain especially high amounts of flavonoids, saponins and tannins – all valuable nutrients. These leaves are one of the first to unfurl and can be used to make a peppery, minty tea, rich in vitamin C. Birch leaves are simple with round corners and serrated edges. The leaves of downy birch are rounder in shape than those of silver birch, but both can be found in the UK.

 Blackcurrant, Ribes nigrum

Parts used: leaves (fruits in summer)

Blackcurrant is a woody medium-sized shrub native to Europe and Asia, which is grown for its small black berries, but it is also highly valued for its leaves. They are excellent at helping to support normal digestive function, and can be a useful appetite stimulant in times of illness. A small handful of fresh, young leaves can be made into a tasty tea with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory actions. They have palmate lobes and a serrated margin. All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic.

 Common mallow, Malva sylvestris

Parts used: leaves (flowers in summer and seeds in autumn)

This large, spreading plant can be found on roadside verges and along footpaths and its leaves can be used to make dolmas and as a replacement for spinach in almost any recipe. Adding the leaves to soups helps thicken them.

Common mallow leaves contain more than double the amount of protein per 100g than cultivated vegetables, such as spinach and kale, and contains fibre, calcium, magnesium, zinc and essential vitamins A, B, C and E. Identifiable by its five-lobed leaves – which appear on the stems – and more rounded leaves at the base of the plant. In June, its pink flowers can be seen on flowering spikes.

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea

Parts used: leaves and flowers

This common perennial wildflower is found throughout Britain, aside from Ireland’s west coast and the Scottish Highlands, in damp semi-shaded woods, hedgerows or grassland. When used medicinally, this plant is a great expectorant and catarrh-clearing herb with additional anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. To identify, look for its crinkly, opposite, heart-shaped leaves and slightly hairy stems with two to four purple flowers. It has a slightly musty, but minty, smell when its leaves are crushed.

Plantain, Plantago major

Parts used: leaves

In Britain, this plant is sometimes called ‘angel’s harps’ as, when the leaves are pulled apart, the fibres can be seen in a harp-like formation. This plant is common almost everywhere but the most acid grassland, appearing in meadows, grazed pasture, lawns, sea cliffs and sand dunes.

With anti-inflammatory properties, it is a versatile wound-healer and used extensively in herbal first aid for boils, splinters, pus, and dirty and infected wounds. It is also a restorative herb for mucous membranes of the respiratory system, which helps with many types of allergies. Its leaves are broad, large and oval with wavy edges and seven large nerves running through the whole length of the leaves.

Cow parsley, Anthriscus sylvestris

Cow parsley is a member of the carrot family and is often confused Queen Anne’s Lace, although they aren’t the same thing. It’s an excellent herb to give your dishes a bit of a twist.

Garlic mustard, Alliaria petiolata

Garlic mustard flowers in April, it’s also known as Jack-by-the-hedge and hedge garlic. Use it in sauces, dressings and soups to add a taste of peppery garlic.