Isle of Wight Wild Garlic Tart

Serves 2 - 4 Prep time 60 mins

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb potatoes cubed and boiled
• 1 lb green beans, courgettes or peas
• Quality olive oil
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• 1 small tin of anchovies, drained
• 8 - 10 wild garlic leaves, rolled and sliced
• 4 oz curd cheese
• 2 tbsp crème fraiche or double cream with a squeeze of lemon
• 3 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 tbsp freshly grated Sussex parmesan
• 1 cup dry breadcrumbs

1. Cook the beans in salted water until they just have a slight crunch, cool, and cut into bite size pieces.
2. Mash the potatoes roughly with a fork while still hot, reserve in a large bowl with the beans. Warm the oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic cloves gently until transparent, add the anchovies and mash, sprinkle in the sliced wild garlic, stir and remove from the heat. Add to the beans and potatoes, mix well with a fork.
3. Oil an 8" springform cake tin and shake the breadcrumbs around it so it is well coated, tip excess into bean and potato mixture, add the remaining ingredients and mix well, pour into cake tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.
4. Turn the tart out and serve at room temperature.

This is one of those dishes that is not in the same league if eaten hot. You can make this from left overs, play around with the vegetables and herbs, the type of cheese, or you could add local Welsh bacon or ham. Cook in a loaf tin - it is easy and adaptable.

Alfred Franklin says in La Vie d'Autrefois: 'the Parisians did not neglect to eat garlic with fresh butter during the month of May and were quite convinced that this rustic diet strengthened their health for the whole year.' It seems that the more science finds out about the food we eat, the more it proves that our ancestors were right.