Lady’s Mantle is a perennial herb with pleated leaves and very small yellow-green flowers that bloom from June to August. It is generally distributed all over South Tyrol, but flourishes particularly well in colder, high up areas. It also grows well near streams. The leaves have a mild, bitter taste, and can be shredded into salads, but they are also used to flavour bread, soups and medicinal drinks.

Native to parts of Asia and Europe, particularly in the Alps and Appennine mountains in Italy, silver birch trees have white or pale yellow bark with slender twigs. The leaves are generally dried and ground into a powder, then used as a seasoning or to flavour sauces, while the sap of the tree is turned into a drink now lauded for its health benefits. Heinrich, however, uses small birch twigs to create a birch-flavoured ice cream.

Wood sorrel has heart-shaped leaves and tiny flowers which can be anything from white and pink to red and yellow. While the flowers and roots are almost flavourless, the leaves have a pleasantly acidic taste due to the high levels of binoxalate of potash within them. This, combined with their delicate nature, means they’re often included in springtime salads, as their sharp taste makes a good substitute for citrus juice or vinegar.

This is an annual or perennial plant which is native to much of central and southern Europe. It has long, broad, triangular or diamond-shaped leaves, with very small flowers. It comes from the same family as spinach, and its leaves are used in much the same way. The shoots are eaten like asparagus, flower buds like broccoli and the seeds are an edible grain.

Icelandic moss is a lichen which looks like moss, thanks to its upright leafy appearance. In Iceland it is only occasionally used to make folk medicines, and is included in a few traditional dishes, but in South Tyrol has been known to be used in breads, porridges and soups. Heinrich uses Icelandic Moss to garnish his dish of Free-range egg with dried true morels and char caviar.