WILD FOOD & FORAGING
DAY COURSE
Discover the incredible variety of edible plants and fungi growing all around us on our Wild Food & Foraging Day in Hertfordshire, just one hour from London.
Guided by qualified ethnobotanist and Chief Instructor Graham Couling, you'll learn how to safely identify seasonal edible plants, trees and fungi while taking a leisurely walk exploring our private ancient woodland, fields and hedgerows. After gathering a selection of wild ingredients, we'll return to camp to prepare and cook some of our finds as well as try some we prepared earlier.
Whether you're new to foraging or looking to build your knowledge of Britain's wild foods, this immersive workshop will give you the confidence to explore nature safely and responsibly. Suitable for complete beginners, walkers, bushcraft enthusiasts, gardeners, chefs and nature lovers.
WILD FOOD & FORAGE DAY OVERVIEW
We will meet a range of plants and learn to identify those which are edible, and of course the toxic ones we need to avoid, including the plant attributed with killing more people than any other, Hemlock (Conium maculatum), which can be easily mistaken for members of the carrot family, particularly Cow Parsley.
We will seek out edible roots, seeds, leaves, flowers, and fungi, according to the season, learn the essential identification characteristics of each species we encounter and then put the wild flavours to the test back in camp.
You will also learn other bushcraft uses for the plants and trees we encounter such as for tinder, cordage and medicine.
COURSE CONTENT
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Learn to safely identify at least 50 common edible plant species.
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Learn to recognise poisonous look-a-likes.
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Covers edible plants, flowers, trees and fungi.
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Seasonal wild foods, foraging and harvesting.
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Learn to identify trees and plants that provide other uses for bushcraft and first aid.
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Methods of wild food preparation, preservation and storage.
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Recipes and ideas for foraged meals, bakes and cordials.
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Cook and try a range of wild flavours.
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UK foraging law and foraging ethics.
Safety and responsible identification are central to everything we teach. Deepen your confidence in identifying edible plants and learn practical foraging skills you'll use for years to come.
Conducted from an expedition-style teaching environment in a beautiful mixed broadleaf and coniferous woodland with an eco-friendly composting toilet.
The camp fire is under cover, and acts as a communal area with a hot kettle constantly on the fire, coffee, tea, biscuit tin and squash available all day.
Learn more about our bushcraft base camp here.
SEASONAL WILD FOODS
Our Spring and Autumn forage day courses are different because nature changes throughout the year.
Each day workshop covers over 20 British tree species, and you will typically encounter around 50 more seasonal species that may include:
SPRING
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Wild garlic
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Dead nettles
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Hogweed
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Hedge garlic
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Wood Sorrel
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Lime leaves
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Primrose
AUTUMN
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Sweet Chestnut
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Cleavers
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Ground Ivy
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Elderberry
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Rosehips
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Edible and toxic fungi
Your instructor, Graham Couling, is a qualified ethnobotanist with decades of experience studying British plants, woodland ecology and traditional bushcraft.
Our private woodland camp is nestled within 45 acres of tranquil ancient woodland in Bayford, Hertfordshire, one hour from London and accessible by train.
Classified as ancient woodland meaning it has been continuously forested for at least 400 years, creating a rich mosaic of mixed deciduous woodland, hedgerows, grassland and diverse natural habitats that support an abundance of wildlife, plants and fungi.
Surrounded by the sights and sounds of an undisturbed woodland, you'll enjoy a peaceful setting that offers the perfect environment to reconnect with nature and deepen your understanding of the natural world.
