Sorrel

Rumex acetosa A perennial herb, generally distributed and common throughout the British Isles, it occurs on grassland, including roadside banks, in open places in woods, and is generally found where the soil contains iron. It flowers from May to August but the leaves can be picked as early as February.

Sorrel has been employed from the most distant times as a salad. It was extensively cultivated in Britain until Henry VIII’s reign when it was ousted by the large-leaved French sorrel (R. scutatus). John Pechy, 1694, tells us ‘the Juice may be mix’d with Broths, or the Leaves boyl’d in them. In Summer ‘tis good sauce for most eats.’ Traditionally, it was used in country districts as a green sauce with cold meats. The plants were ground down in a mortar and the resulting purée mixed with vinegar and sugar in the manner of a mint sauce.