In the summer of 2022 I enjoyed a foraging experience in South Downs with Wild Food UK - a group of foraging experts helping those who wish to foregone learn new skills and expand their knowledge when it comes to wild food.
I started my foraging journey in lockdown when nature called for us to enjoy moments of calm and wellbeing - it came very naturally to me as I have always loved the wild world and learned about the food we can enjoy for free. So I started dabbling in foraging for what I knew like blackberries, wild garlic, dandelions - enjoying foraged food created a new passion where I wanted to learn and take in more. So I armed myself with a library of books, signed up to a herbalism course, and my partner booked me on a foraging course as a present - and what a wonderful present it was!
We met at a given location in South Downs and our guide Fabio started the workshop by explaining the basic rules of foraging, do's and don'ts, and how to forage safely. Armed with notes, we went off to explore the beautiful Hampshire countryside in search of wild edibles.
On the agenda were plants and fungi I was already familiar with such as elder and jelly ear mushrooms, however I learned so much about others such as one of the most poisonous plants in the UK which is as important to know and identify as edibles. Hemlock Water Dropwart is a horrendous plant which grows in abundance near water, and can kill a person within 3 hours with no known antidote. To the untrained eye this plant looks just like cow parsley, and can even be mistaken for common hogweed which turns out has the most delicious bulbs when cooked! This is why it's so important to have some kind of knowledge of foraging before you go out and munch on anything that looks remotely attractive - I spent my whole life being terrified of picking the wrong mushroom, when I have been surrounded by murderous plants waiting to do some serious damage.
We also learned about wood sorrel which quickly became a favourite of mine - it's citrusy flavour perfectly goes with salads or as a dessert topper; hawthorn and how to use it's leaves and berries; ground ivy which is another wonderful addition to salads; and many more.
During the foraging walk we sampled some foraged goodies Fabio brought with him like wild mushroom soup, sparkling elderberry cordial, and fruit leather made from haw berries; and at the end of the workshop we go to enjoy a meal created from foraged finds which included a delicious wild salad with a blackberry vinegar, wild garlic pesto and creamy stir fried jelly ears.
I throughly enjoyed the experience with Wild Food UK and will definitely come back to do more workshops and courses to keep expanding my knowledge. There are many courses to choose from, and other companies across the country who help people learn how to forage. Wild Food UK also have a great book which I bought which has so many edible and poisonous species to help you identify what you can and can't pick. From this course, I went on to do more courses and workshops around the country which I will share with you in due time - but foraging in your local area is such great fun because you can go out and pick all new food you learned about!
To find out more about Wild Food UK visit: https://www.wildfooduk.com
To buy the pocket book visit: https://www.wildfooduk.com/shop/the-wild-food-uk-foraging-pocket-guide/
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