Alexanders are tall, dark green, waxy-leaved plants of the carrot family. They were originally brought to Britain by the Romans, who prized the plant for its strong celery-like flavour. Roman cooks used the leaves to make herb sauces to serve with meat dishes, while the stems were blanched and eaten like asparagus. A tenacious self-seeder, the plant escaped from cultivation and established itself throughout coastal regions of the British Isles.
By medieval times it was again being cultivated in monastic herb gardens, referred to by the Latin name Petroselinum Alexandrium, or ‘the rock parsley of Alexandria’. Used as a healing herb, it was said no infirmary garden was complete without it. Indeed, the plant was claimed to cure all manner of ailments, from asthma to open wounds.
By the eighteenth century, as much of Britain’s population began to move from the countryside into towns and cities, its popularity declined. The Alexander’s strong, bitter and perfumed qualities no longer appealed to urban tastes – instead, blander and more neutral flavours like celery, brought in from Italy, were preferred.
Although Alexanders have poisonous lookalikes, they have a distinct enough appearance to set them apart with confidence. As a member of the carrot family, the flowers of the Alexander form large umbels – rounded clusters of flowers emanating from a single point. But unlike poisonous members, such as hemlock water dropwort and hemlock, Alexander flowers are yellow rather than white. The leaves are a dark glossy green and split into groups of three leaflets. They are toothed (i.e. they have jagged edges) but like the overall leaf shape, these teeth are rounded rather than sharp. You may also notice a slight yellow tinge to the stem and around the veins.
The plant has an aromatic, celery-like scent, especially when crushed. Poison hemlock looks very different – it has a foul smell and often has purple blotches on the stem, as if it has been flicked with paint. Hemlock has carrot or fern-like feathery leaves and as it flowers in the warmer months, its shoots are nowhere near as prolific as Alexanders in the late winter and spring. Similarly, hemlock water dropwort grows mostly next to rivers or wetland areas and has more triangular toothed leaflets, giving it the appearance of flat-leaf parsley. Alexanders also have dark black seeds, which contrast with the brown seeds of hemlock.
What you’re looking for:
Alexanders are mostly confined to the coast. You will usually find them along country lanes, in hedgerows and on headlands. However, they do occasionally grow inland and when established can form large colonies. They are one of the first late winter or early spring plants to sprout, so February and March are good times to go and look for the young leaves. During the spring and early summer, they begin to flower, growing up to 1.5m (4ft) high, and entire hedgerows are thick with their cheerful yellow flowers. Look for the dark seeds later in the year, from late summer right though into winter.
Use the early shoots in moderation in mixed salads or as a pot herb, giving soups and stews a strong, celery-like flavour. It pairs particularly well with fish and seafood. Finely chopped and mixed with melted butter and a squeeze of lemon juice, it also makes a fine dressing for new potatoes or spring asparagus.
Alternatively, you can cook them as the Romans did and steam the stems before peeling them, dressing with butter or hollandaise sauce and serving as a vegetable side dish.
Meanwhile, the dark black seeds are deliciously aromatic and can be used as a spice in sweet or savoury dishes. Treat them as you would peppercorns and grind or blitz them up in a mill or spice grinder. Try them on a poached egg – you won’t regret it!
These delicious puff pastry bites combine the pungency of Alexander leaves and wild garlic with the palate-cleansing freshness of cream cheese. It’s essentially a sort of forager’s version of sour cream and onion, or cheese and chive. They make an excellent hors d’oeuvre, served either as an appetiser or as a starter.
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