Nettle (Urtica dioica), the common stinging nettle, is a wild perennial green famous for the burning sting of its hairs and prized, once cooked, as a deep, dark, mineral-rich leaf vegetable. Heat or drying instantly disarms the sting, leaving a flavour close to a richer, earthier spinach — green and vegetal with a faint nutty, almost savoury edge — and the young spring tops are turned into soup, pesto, gnudi fillings, beer and a grassy herbal tea.