Roasted Wet Garlic with Herb Goats Cheese.

Wet garlic is freshly harvested garlic which has a milder flavour than the stuff you normally get in the shops which has been dried. the drying process intensifies the flavour. If you are using dried garlic in the recipe just roast it for slightly longer.
Place the garlic bulbs in an oven proof dish and cover with a small amount of oilve oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in an oven on about 180 for 35-45 mins depending on the size.
While the garlic is roasting collect some fresh herbs of choice and finely chop.
Press the fresh herbs around the outside of the goats cheese to give it a crust.
Serve the garlic with the cheese and some good bread - squeeze the garlic which should be roasted to a puree onto the bread and spread a little goats cheese on.
To speed up the roasting process if you are using dried garlic you can wrap in foil before placing in the oven.

Hop Shoot and Herb Omelette

We are lucky enough to have hops growing wild by the front gate so this year thought I would try the shoots which if eaten early enough are suposed to be good. Richard Mabey suggests before the end of May in his book Food For Free (a foragers bible!).
I collected a good number of shoots and then did a quick trip round the rest of the garden for herbs to beef out the omlette collecting fennel, rocket, parsley, chives and lovage.
Fry off the hop shoots in a little butter for a min or two before adding the rest of the herbs and egg.

Richard Mabey suggests blanching the in salted water before frying in a little butter and eating like asparagus.