Mark Hix recipe: Flower fritters

Serves 4

Serve flower fritters as a snack with drinks or as a garnish on another dish (Jason Lowe)

Depending what part of the country you live in, your wild garlic may have well flowered already – or, with any luck, be just coming into bloom.

If you've missed the boat, you can use elderflowers. Simply dust them with icing sugar before serving. Feel free to add in other flowers such as chives, rosemary or thyme.

Serve the fritters as a snack with drinks or as a garnish on another dish.

12 or so wild garlic flowers
80g gluten-free self-raising flour
Enough sparkling mineral water or cider to make a batter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (or a couple of teaspoons of caster sugar if using elderflower)

Preheat about 8cm of oil to 160-180C in a large, thick-bottomed saucepan or an electric deep-fat fryer.

Put the flour into a mixing bowl, add salt and pepper if using the garlic or sugar if using elderflower. Then whisk in enough mineral water, or cider, to make a batter.

Dip the flowers into the batter and fry them a few at a time, turning them in the oil with a slotted spoon until lightly coloured and crisp. Then drain on some kitchen paper.