Over the last few months the lanes and tracks around the Purbeck hills have been dazzling with an early spring friend- Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum).   

Thought to be named after Alexander the Great who came from modern day Greece where the plant is abundant, this is a predecessor of our cultivated celery and was most probably introduced by the Romans.

It remained a widely cultivated green until the 18^th century when more succulent varieties of celery were developed and it fell into culinary obscurity.

Nowadays, although it can sometimes be found inland, especially on the sites of old kitchen gardens or monastries, Alexanders is more commonly associated with the coast. I love John Wright's image of it lingering there awaiting a ship to take it back to its Mediterranean homeland, but it is most likely due to it being a bit of southern softy and not liking hard frosts- presumably in its cultivation days it was pampered with cloches and the like.

The raw taste is pretty bitter with a fresh limey citrus kick and, while quite strong, it provides a fascinating insight into a largely forgotten flavour. For a milder taste, it's good to simmer or steam the young stems for a few minutes- a bit of butter and seasoning sets it off a treat. The leaf is subtler in taste and a little bit popped in a sandwich is a bit of fun while sauntering along the coast in early spring. By May or June it is flowering, the taste has deteriorated and it's best to move on.

Update March 2013: For the last couple of months I have taken to regularly juicing alexanders- usually with apple and ginger and a bit of water to mellow out the strong flavour. Mixed with orange, ginger and honey it also works very well- although this is slightly less detoxifying due to the high sugar content of the honey.

ID points and warning: This is a member of the umbellifer or carrot family which includes some deadly plants- mainly hemlock, hemlock water dropwort and fools parsley. However, if you can forgive its unfortunate family background and take the time to study it, it really is a great plant to know as, when it is found, it is usually in abundance.

The fact that it comes out very early in the season (down here it shows by late autumn/early winter and by now it's in full profusion) is a strong identification point and should be backed up with a closer examination using a good field guide: leaves should be shiny and relatively shallowly lobed with a sharply serrated edge; the smell when broken should be tangy and limey/citrusy; while at the base of the stem you should see a broad pinky veined sheath. To be ultra safe, avoid picking from damp ditches/ water courses where hemlock water dropwort may be lurking. Also keep an eye out for dark reddy purple blotches on the stem too as this may be hemlock.