There’s another side to ‘bush tucker’, and it’s to be found in the green and pleasant forests and meadows of the UK. Those tiny, bitter wild strawberries and fat blackberries of your childhood were just the tip of the wild culinary iceberg, and you are guaranteed to be surprised at how many of the common British plants and fungi that you’ve heard of are edible – and indeed, how many of those you haven’t. Aside from being a useful skill to have if your local supermarket were to close down, foraging opens up a wonderful world of local, seasonal nature to those new to it – even for urbanites. Knowing what to do with water lily roots, stinging nettles, acorns, ground ivy, elderberries and samphire (just to begin with) and how to recognise them also means that you are given a chance to appreciate the history and traditional recipes associated with them, making this as much about cultural heritage as about survival or interesting snacks.

You could try the Wild Food School in Lostwithiel, Cornwall; they do weekend courses which vary according to each group’s level of prior knowledge and week-long courses for want to practise their newfound skills in more detail. They also run one-day courses in urban foraging and landscape reading methodology.

Written by  larapiegeler.

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