So, as you know, I recently went on a foraging course and now know what to pick that won’t kill me. Well, I know a few things to pick that won’t kill me. One of which is leaves from the Linden (Lime) Tree, dubbed “the iceberg lettuce of the foraging world” by my free food guide. Last week I freaked out my au pair by dashing out to pick a load of leaves off a nearby Linden tree, then serving them up as a salad. She bravely tried one but declared it “too weird” for her, and bowed out. My kids gamely had a portion each (with a deliciously tangy pomegranate syrup/mustard vinaigrette), and then I had the leftovers the next day. Still no stomach cramps, so they must be OK. Just now I used up the remaining leaves by making a quiche, based on a Greek spanakopita but with shortcrust (not filo) pastry and Linden instead of spinach. It’s fantastic.

When using these leaves though – and especially in a salad – you MUST use only the youngest leaves from this “very common street tree”, only the very tips and shoots. This is a good rule of thumb for any foraging, incidentally. And also: good luck selling this to any fussy kids (which mine aren’t, thankfully).

Recipe: Linden Leaves Quiche

Ingredients (serves 6):

220g plain flour (I used half Doves Farm gluten free flour and half Granary bread flour)

110g butter or Benecol buttery

1 tbsp oatmeal or flour (for dusting and rolling)

200g Linden leaves (or spinach, nettle leaves etc)

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

200g feta

4-5 eggs

splash Worcestershire sauce

Few dried chilli flakes (optional)

salt and pepper

1 tsp mixed dried herbs

Method:  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.  Blitz the butter and flour in a food processor to make pastry (or use ready made frozen) until it balls up into one wodge. Tip out onto a cool work surface (I do it direct onto my granite worktop) dusted with the oatmeal or flour. Form into a ball, then roll out (or press it out, as I find is easier with gluten free pastry, which is crumblier) into a METAL loose-bottomed cake tin or baking tin (round or rectangle is fine, but metal makes the pastry crisper). Press the edges up the sides for about 5cm. Wash the linden leaves and cut them from their stems, which you discard. Chop roughly and zap in the microwave on full power for 3 minutes (this is to wilt them down and reduce their volume). Tip into the pastry case. Scatter over the chopped onion (I find it’s not necessary to fry it first, but you can do this or blitz in the microwave for 2 minutes with a little oil if you like) and sprinkle over the garlic, plus finally the crumbled feta. Whisk the eggs with the seasoning, chilli (if using) and Worcestershire sauce, and a splash of milk if you like. Pour carefully over the feta and bake 25 minutes. Check the top is golden and the pastry done, and the wobble has gone from the egg mix. You may need a few more minutes.  Serve with a tomato salad and your favourite dressing, although it doesn’t need potatoes, because you have the pastry for carbs.