Foraging fun
Foraging is a fun way to enjoy a weekend in the country, with more courses than ever on off er. At her 100-acre working farm just outside Monmouth in the beautiful Wye Valley, TV presenter Kate Humble offers Humble By Nature courses in rural skills.
These include everything from sheep shearing, lambing and keeping pigs to hedgelaying and beekeeping. There’s also one on foraging, led by expert Liz Knight.
‘Until I met Liz, I thought foraging was a really lovely idea but it was something passed down generations and you could only do it if you’re a 5th-generation forager,’ Kate told me. ‘You would rarely feel brave enough to do it on your own, you’d poison yourself.
The courses are proving very popular, Kate said. ‘It gives people the encouragement and confi dence to go pick and eat something, whether it’s a dandelion leaf or wild garlic, that’s delicious, free and not in a plastic packet from the supermarket.
‘Then they might just look at their little suburban garden and think, actually this is a larder and not just something I have to spray and mow and is a pain in the backside.’
Liz treats wild food as seasoning, and as we walked, she plucked and placed a whole crop of tasty shoots and leaves in her basket that she later used in our al-fresco lunch of salad, cold meats and cheeses.
Above: find your own supper in Cape Town. Right: forage expert Liz Knight with Kate Humble
It’s not all about salads. Liz crushed herbs together to make a refreshing drink, and blends them together for ready-to-use dried herb mixes, sold as Forage Fine Foods in Fortnum & Mason in London.
The next foraging course is on 5 July and costs £95 per person, including lunch.
01600-714595, www.humblebynature.com
Many National Trust properties offer foraging events. In Devon, for example, there’s Fungi And Foraging in the Heddon Valley on 5 October, from 10.30am to 1pm. Join expert Patrick Watts-Mabbott and a National Trust ranger on this stroll to discover how many wild treats you can fi nd. Adults, £5; children, £2.50.
01598-763402, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/heddon-valley
Finally, for serious foraging further afield, head for South Africa. The Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town off ers guests a three-hour urban foraging experience, from £315 for two, led by local hunter-gatherer Charlie Standing. You’ll be looking for black mussels, giant sea snails and seaweed on the Atlantic coast; edible plants, nuts and mushrooms in the mountain forest, and herbs on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, all cooked back at the hotel. Rooms from £414 per night.
0845-077 2222, www.mountnelson.com
Contact Wendy at wendy.gomersall@lady.co.uk
Prices are correct at the time of going to press.
These include everything from sheep shearing, lambing and keeping pigs to hedgelaying and beekeeping. There’s also one on foraging, led by expert Liz Knight.
‘Until I met Liz, I thought foraging was a really lovely idea but it was something passed down generations and you could only do it if you’re a 5th-generation forager,’ Kate told me. ‘You would rarely feel brave enough to do it on your own, you’d poison yourself.
The courses are proving very popular, Kate said. ‘It gives people the encouragement and confi dence to go pick and eat something, whether it’s a dandelion leaf or wild garlic, that’s delicious, free and not in a plastic packet from the supermarket.
‘Then they might just look at their little suburban garden and think, actually this is a larder and not just something I have to spray and mow and is a pain in the backside.’
Liz treats wild food as seasoning, and as we walked, she plucked and placed a whole crop of tasty shoots and leaves in her basket that she later used in our al-fresco lunch of salad, cold meats and cheeses.
Above: find your own supper in Cape Town. Right: forage expert Liz Knight with Kate HumbleIt’s not all about salads. Liz crushed herbs together to make a refreshing drink, and blends them together for ready-to-use dried herb mixes, sold as Forage Fine Foods in Fortnum & Mason in London.
The next foraging course is on 5 July and costs £95 per person, including lunch.
01600-714595, www.humblebynature.com
Many National Trust properties offer foraging events. In Devon, for example, there’s Fungi And Foraging in the Heddon Valley on 5 October, from 10.30am to 1pm. Join expert Patrick Watts-Mabbott and a National Trust ranger on this stroll to discover how many wild treats you can fi nd. Adults, £5; children, £2.50.
01598-763402, www.nationaltrust.org.uk/heddon-valley
Finally, for serious foraging further afield, head for South Africa. The Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town off ers guests a three-hour urban foraging experience, from £315 for two, led by local hunter-gatherer Charlie Standing. You’ll be looking for black mussels, giant sea snails and seaweed on the Atlantic coast; edible plants, nuts and mushrooms in the mountain forest, and herbs on the slopes of Devil’s Peak, all cooked back at the hotel. Rooms from £414 per night.
0845-077 2222, www.mountnelson.com
Contact Wendy at wendy.gomersall@lady.co.uk
Prices are correct at the time of going to press.