Under the clock, with the flowers

Yesterday I had an assignation at Liverpool Street Station in London with a man I’d never met before called Dan (at least that what he said his name was). 

We agreed to meet at 11.30 BST.

He said I’d recognise him by the flowers and the gentle aroma of garlic. How he was going to identify me we didn’t establish. Gave me plenty of get out but not him.

Fortunately there aren’t that many people just standing looking like they are waiting for a man bearing a wild garlic plant at that time of day – most people are busy rushing to or from somewhere. Me, I was just loitering.

Anyway along came a guy with a garlic plant and I reasoned there wasn’t going to be 2 people doing this so I said ‘Hi’ and as luck would have it it was Dan! We chatted bit, Dan told me about how to look after the plant and what to expect. We compared foodie notes. I handed him a sample of my home made sloe vodka (vintage 2006) as a thank you and he went off to carry on his day job (and sneak a nip of vodka I think) and I took the garlic for a coffee followed by lunch – most enjoyable and not too many odd looks.

The plant is now at home, the cats have checked it out and decided its not for them, I sampled some today at lunch and was impressed, so next up is to plant it at the shady end of the garden and hope that next year we have a good crop.

I can’t wait for a feast of wild garlic next year :)

With big thanks to Dan over at FoodUrchin for giving me a little bit of his garden.

7 thoughts on “Under the clock, with the flowers”

  1. Actually my real name is Sue but don’t tell anyone. You are more than welcome to a slice of my garden . Thanks for the big shout and vodka which is gone…kidding).

    Good luck with your plant, let’s hope that the cats don’t eat it.

    Dan/Sue

  2. Oh I’m so jealous, I wish some kind stranger would give me a bunch of wild garlic. I would prefer them to a bouquet of flowers any day. Lucky you!

  3. So thats what wild garlic looks like – Ive been looking for it all over the place in the…err….wild..but it appears a fellow Dan, and a fellow Essex dweller to boot is giving it out at train stations.

  4. That was kind and quite the assignation!

    and…….

    Congratulations! You have won this month’s No Croutons Required :)

  5. What a smashing trade off.
    I hear sloe vodka is better than sloe gin (my gin is vintage 2007)

    I’ll have to try it.

    Enjoy your feast of garlic when it arrives. Gill.

  6. Congratulation on winning the No Croutons Required challenge.

    A very innovative idea!

  7. So far the wild garlic plant is settling in happily to its new home. It was a great trade with Dan. I’ve tried some of the flowers and they are lovely in a salad. Also saw lots growing in the wild yesterday.

    Dan 1/Sue: thanks again

    Mangocheeks: maybe get on twitter and see if you can find another kind man with garlic to spare. And thx for the congrats – I was VERY pleased to win.

    Dan 2: I’ve heard Dan 1 only gives plants to girls!

    Holler: The kind of assignation I like. Very pleased about my win. Hope to enter again soon I had such fun.

    Gill: Sloe vodka and gin are both good – the sloe taste is clearer in vodka. I’m happy with either and its so easy to do.

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