Everyone knows Stinging Nettles, they’re everywhere in the UK. They’re a menace, but they’re really good for you, especially for women.

Stinging Nettles make amazing compost for the garden, a nutritious feed for farm animals, and have even been used to make fabric in the past! Trust me, if you’re eating it, the stems are so fibrous that it’s not worth it. It’s better to use the stems as a fabric or as compost than as food.

Personally, what I like to do is:

• Melt some butter in a saucepan
• Fry up the nettle leaves and some chopped up garlic
• Add chicken stock
• Add double cream
• Add lemon juice

Ta da! It’s a tasty nettle soup.

Now, it’s usually better to get the young leaves, but to be honest, I like to pick a load of leaves, dehydrate them, grind them down in a pestle and mortar, and keep them in jars ready for future soups.

Why go to all this effort?

Well, Stinging Nettles are an amazing source of:

• Vitamins A, B and C
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Chromium
• Copper
• Magnesium
• Iron

It’s great for anaemia, rheumatism, circulation, hay fever, colds, and improving circulation!