Old Fashioned Lovage & Potato Soup

I have a rather large patch of lovage growing in my garden at the moment. Unlike smaller and more delicate herbs, the lovage plant is much bigger and can often reach 6ft tall.

Lovage is largely a forgotten herb and was historically grown for medicinal and culinary purposes. I’ve never used lovage in my cooking before, but with an abundant crop this year I decided it was time to give it a try so I’m cooking an old fashioned recipe my grandmother used to make – lovage and potato soup.

In my opinion, lovage has a lovely scent. It has a strong celery smell and all the parts of the plant are edible. It also offers a host of health benefits too from easing digestion, supporting joint health by reducing rheumatic swelling of the joints and it also promotes healthy skin by fighting skin conditions including dermatitis. The list goes on……

Using lovage in this soup recipe is perfect as it enhances the flavour of the potatoes. This is a refreshing and pretty looking spring soup which you are guaranteed to enjoy. My boys had second helpings so it definitely past the taste test in this house.

Happy foraging and cooking.

Gill x

NB: Lovage freezes well so it can be used all year round.