You may have noticed lots of green shoots poking above ground recently in woodland, parks and even by the sides of paths and roads in and around Frome.

The season of wild garlic – also known as ransoms, bear garlic or wood garlic – is upon us and we will soon be inundated with this small but fiery plant.

It is not always obvious how to identify and prepare this wild bounty and local author Eleanor Hayes has made it easy in her wonderful book Wild Garlic Recipes: a cookbook for spring foragers.

She says, "Wild garlic is a bit of an obsession for me! It is such a versatile plant and so easy to cook adding a vibrant colour and flavour to any dish. I wanted to help people access this abundant food right on our doorstep, and inspire people to get creative with it."

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It is not Eleanor's first book; she has already written two tomes on the subject of birth preparation in her career as an antenatal teacher, but food and cooking is a passion and the wild garlic recipe book just came from being inventive in the kitchen during springtime.

"Friends and family would often ask me for recipes and ideas as I am always banging on about wild garlic and I found I was writing them down again and again," she told us. "The recipe book just evolved naturally and it became a fun project to get it published."

The recipe book gives a useful identification guide with colour photos and descriptions to ensure you are collecting the right plant. Then a number of mouth-watering recipes of cold food, hot food plus condiments and sauces.

It has full-colour photographs for every dish and concise, easy-to-follow instructions so all cooks - no matter your ability - can get ideas on how to bring this tasty herb into your spring diet.

Copies of the cookbook are available for £10 at Hunting Raven Books, Frome's award-winning independent bookshop, via the author herself in Frome, and on Amazon as paperback or kindle.

You can grab a copy by emailing [email protected] or go to tinyurl.com/wildgarlicrecipes.

She can also be found on Instagram where you can follow her wild garlic foraging and cooking exploits (@wildgarlicenthusiast).

"Wild garlic is such a delicious plant," she adds, "and what's more, once you have eaten it, it is very easy to ensure people remain socially distant from you! Yes, wild garlic breath is pretty potent!"