It would be a terrible shame if commercial foragers followed the dreadful example of the Victorian horticultural collectors who drove native species like the lady’s slipper orchid close to extinction in Britain (‘It’s trendy’: wild garlic foragers leave bad taste in mouth of Cornish residents, 24 March).
However, in at least some parts of the country it is possible to forage large quantities of garlic without harming the ecosystem at all, by targeting non-native species. Many woods in and around Edinburgh are carpeted by the highly invasive few-flowered leek (Allium paradoxum), whereas south-western coasts have lots of the more attractive but equally alien three-cornered leek (Allium triquetrum). Both are very edible, and the more you pick, the more you are helping native flora, provided you don’t accidentally spread them in the process.
Dr Richard Milne
Edinburgh
• Well done, Guardian. Just after your report about the destruction of wild garlic in Cornwall, you publish a recipe for wild garlic macaroni in your food magazine Feast (26 March).
Glyn Evans
Crowborough, East Sussex
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