My hawthorn salad recipe is super simple and can be thrown together in a matter of minutes. Foraging for hawthorn leaves is great fun – they are super hardy plants and can be found across the UK in hedgerows and gardens.
The best time to harvest hawthorn leaves in the UK is March, when the leaves are still young and bright green. I photographed this recipe in mid April, hence the slightly larger leaves shown in the images. They were slightly tough but still delicious!
Ingredients
Serves 2 as a side salad
Salad
- Large handful of young hawthorn leaves
- Half a tin of anchovies
- Cherry tomatoes
- Hawthorn flower buds (optional)
Dressing
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- Half tbsp red wine vinegar
- Half tsp mustard
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Thoroughly wash your foraged hawthorn leaves, removing stalks and damaged leaves, then dry on a tea towel or use a salad spinner.
- Whisk together dressing ingredients with a fork until smoothly combined.
- Toss the hawthorn leaves with the dressing in a bowl until evenly coated.
- Tear up the anchovies and halve the cherry tomatoes, then add to the salad.
- Top with hawthorn flower buds (if using) and serve as a side dish.
Helpful Info for Making Hawthorn Salad
How do I harvest hawthorn leaves?
First, identify the hawthorn plant. In early spring it shouldn’t have any blossoming flowers but there may be a few hawthorn berries lingering on from the last season. If not, look for the parsley-like leaves and thorny branches. If in doubt, use a plant identifier app or online hawthorn identifying guide.
Then you just pluck the leaves off the branches with your hands. Don’t strip a branch bare, just take a few leaves and move on to the next. Hawthorn is a very hardy plant!
What do hawthorn leaves taste like?
Young hawthorn leaves have a slightly nutty, peppery flavour. They’re more characterful than a bag of supermarket salad leaves. The strong vinegary dressing and bright pops of tomato help balance the flavour. It is super nutritious!
Hawthorn leaves were often called ‘bread and cheese’ in the UK as they were a last resort to eat when not even bread and cheese was available.
You can also use hawthorn leaves to make pesto, bubble and squeak, or soup. It’s like a small version of a spinach or cabbage leaf.
Substituting Ingredients
If you don’t have enough hawthorn leaves, substitute with any salad leaf you have around. If you are a little late in the season, you might be able to forage wild garlic mustard leaves too.
Tomatoes could be substituted with grapes, olives, or even fruit like apple. You want something bright and cheery to break through.
Anchovies could be substituted with tinned tuna or eggs, like a niçoise.
Are Hawthorn Flower Buds Edible?
Yes, they are edible and taste much like the leaves but more concentrated. I have scattered a few on my salad like capers, but feel free to leave them out if you want to keep it simple.
The flowers of the hawthorn tree are edible too – you can harvest these when they are in full bloom for making syrups and cordials. They have a musky scent and aniseed taste.
