Wild garlic pesto pasta

Every year I line up an army of tiny plastic pots to fill with this pesto then freeze them, calling them up for duty and defrosting for all sorts of situations: atop salmon, as a dressing for greens, to spread on crostini and serve with drinks or, as here, for a quick pasta supper.

Serves 4

125g wild garlic leaves, washed, plus flowers to serve

40g parmesan cheese, grated, plus extra to serve

½ tsp flaky sea salt

75g whole blanched hazelnuts, plus 25g extra to serve

150ml extra virgin olive oil

150g dried pasta (I like orecchiette) Handful baby spinach leaves Handful rocket leaves, to serve

1 Put the wild garlic leaves, parmesan, salt, 75g of hazelnuts and 100ml olive oil in a food processor and whizz to combine. Scrape the sides down with a spatula and check the seasoning and the consistency, adding more salt and oil as necessary until you have an almost pourable consistency.

2 Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water according to pack instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving a little jug of the cooking water.

3 Stir the spinach into the hot pasta then fold in the pesto and remaining hazelnuts. Add a splash of the cooking water and stir until the spinach wilts. Spoon into bowls and finish with a few rocket leaves, a grating of parmesan and a garlic flower if you have any.

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