Recipe for Beech-Leaf Noyau.
Pack an earthenware or glass jar almost full with yough beech-leaves and pour on gin, pressing the leaves down until just covered with the gin. Leave for a couple of weeks. Next strain off the, by then, brilliant green-coloured gin and to every pint add up to a pound of sugar - depending on how syrupy you wish the liqueur to be - dissolved in half a pint of boiling water. Finally add a little brandy, mix well and bottle when cold.
The recipe says the result will be sweet, slightly oily and very potent!!
Jack-by-the-Hedge or in-the-Hedge is a garlic mustard. Latin name Alliaria petiolata. It grows about 3' - 4' tall and has pale green heart-shaped leaves. Wonderful, slightly garlicy, peppery taste - great in salad.
Can also be used as a vegetable or, apparently locally to me in Somerset, they used to make a sauce out of it for salt fish where it is known as 'sauce alone'. Other local names are: Beggarman's oatmeal, lady's needlework, lamb's pummy or poor man's mustard. Hope all that was helpful???
