Salsify

Salsify and its close cousin scorzonera have always been hard to find even in Soho. They appear occasionally on the more adventurous stalls in Berwick Street and Roche used to sell them. Salsify is the lighter-skinned one and, living up to its name, scorzonera has a black skin. The latter is considered to have a slightly finer flavour but to all intents they are interchangeable. None of the old menus in my possession lists these delicious vegetables and the first time I ate salsify wasn’t i