I started making harissa one year when the wild garlic was back, carpeting the local park, filling all the gaps with its bright vivid green and tempting me to harvest far more than I knew what to do with. I was looking for new ideas. This sauce has a rich depth and warmth to it. I have served it with fresh cheese on toast, folded through warm lentils with feta, drizzled over fried eggs or roast potatoes and garlic.

You can make it with coriander, parsley and rocket as the green base, but with wild garlic too, or experiment with any leaves and herbs you like.

Harissas

MAKES 200ml

• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds

• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds

• 1/2 tsp cardamom seeds

• 2 red or green chillies, deseeded and chopped

• 60g coriander

• juice of 1/4 lemon

• pinch of salt

• grind of pepper

• olive oil

WILD GARLIC

• 60g wild garlic

GREEN HERB

• 30g parsley

• 30g rocket

EQUIPMENT

• pestle and mortar

• small blender

Lightly toast all the seeds in a dry frying pan, then transfer them to a pestle and mortar and crush them to a fine powder. Set aside.

Place the chillies in a small blender, add the coriander, wild garlic or green herbs, lemon juice, salt and pepper, then add the crushed seeds to the blender and blitz everything together, gradually adding a stream of olive oil until you have a thick paste. Serve.

• Wild Garlic: Fold through lentils or drizzle over ricotta or feta salads.

• Green Herb: Serve with grilled lamb,BBQ pork or drizzled over fried eggs with yoghurt.