One morning last October, we took a trip to West Sussex for a day of foraging hosted by Totally Wild UK. Wrapped up against the autumnal chill, Fleurie was looking forward to going mushroom-hunting, and whilst Anika isn't quite so thrilled when it comes to the outdoors, she's always excited at the prospect of food. That said, she's slightly more cut out for countryside visits than our pet dog, Alfie, with his bright white coat - but we happily brought him along, and he loved sniffing everything we came across.
At the foraging site, the 100-acre Sumners Ponds in Horsham, we were warmly greeted by our guide, Megan, and fellow foragers. We each shared what we were looking for that day, and Fleurie was pleased to hear that many of the others were seeking mushrooms as well. The course began with some advice about how to approach our search for plants, flowers and fungi, concentrating on the sensory details of what was growing all around us; how does your specimen look, how does it feel to touch, smell, taste? We were instructed to pick something we could see nearby and look at it closely, before describing it to the group. Leaves, branches and the first mushroom of the day were carefully scrutinised, before we all set off to explore more of the park.
We had a truly excellent morning, a perfect blend of learning and entertainment! There were wild and wonderful edible delights all over the park and plenty of opportunities to stop and talk about our discoveries and show them to the rest of the group.
Some of the most interesting plants we found were wild mint, pineapple weed, chamomile, dandelion leaves, nettle and rosehips. In particular, pineapple weed took us all by surprise, as it grows all over the place in mossy-looking patches that you could easily walk by without a second thought. The plant smells just like its namesake, deliciously tropical and quite a bit like chamomile. It can be made into teas or desserts such as a sorbet or infused in a cream - we had some soothing tea at home after our long day outdoors.
The mushroom population made itself known, although primarily in 'little brown jobs', most of which were edible, as well as a total alien with a red, blue and green stem that made everyone exclaim in shock and fascination. While exploring the woodland we all found several clusters of little white fungi on tree branches that were so pristinely pretty. Fleurie also saw a spooky-looking Shaggy Inkcap, a ghostly white mushroom with a black rim, poking out of some dead leaves.
Other highlights included Megan's recommendation of making a ketchup out of rosehips. We picked handfuls of them from a hedgerow and sucked out the juice of one or two, carefully avoiding the seeds which can irritate your throat. They have a wonderful thick texture, with a taste almost like a sweet and sour tomato. Rosehip bushes grow in abundance all over the UK, and we've since been delighted to discover the bushes in local areas - Regent's Park, for example.
Biting into wild apples, we also gathered berries such as sloes, which can be infused to make sloe gin, and hawthorn berries which could be turned into perfumed and unusual preserves that would go well with savoury foods.
Top tip of the day: Did you know that the daisies you used to make chains out of, and wear as a flower crown if you were so inclined (Fleurie), can be eaten? We've previously eyed up some pretty edible flowers at Selfridges, and then quickly averted our gaze when we saw the £10 price tag for a small box. If you are looking for a decoration for a special dish, a much cheaper alternative would be to try adding a few daisies or dandelion leaves (also very good for you) for a delicate garnish.
We'd also recommend browsing Wild Food UK's shop (perhaps over a cup of pineapple weed tea) - we've tried all sorts of goodies like dandelion root coffee substitute, and Anika gave Fleurie a mushroom foraging knife for her birthday! We've also signed up to their subscription box, which we couldn't recommend more highly. For £15, you get a huge range of freshly foraged goodies with tips about how to cook them.
We had such a great time foraging and we both thoroughly recommend that you try it for yourself! Other than gathering and harvesting wild food products, it's a perfect opportunity to spend time in nature, move your body in the fresh air and feel a sense of achievement too. Looking for seasonal delights can be fun to plan, but even if you know what you're looking for, you never know what you might find. And then you get to make it into something delicious!
Bonus: Here are a couple of dishes we have made since our day of foraging, using ingredients from Totally Wild:
Homemade pasta with foraged Hen of the Woods and girolles, topped with grated truffle:
Mackerel with fennel and beetroot salad, and foraged sea buckthorn, sweet cicely and salty fingers:
Stay salty af,
Anika & Fleurie