Full-Day Foraging Course, Northallerton

Children under 12 come free. Well-behaved dogs on a lead are also more than welcome.

What to expect

On the morning we will take a 2.5 hour guided foraging walk (covering 1 to 2 miles) around the wild areas of a private farm, stopping regularly to discuss (and where possible, eat!) the many edible goodies we find along the way, whether that be plants, flowers, fruits, nuts or mushrooms! What we’ll find depends on the time of year and the mercy of nature!

The morning will include:

• A brief introduction to myself and foraging in general.
• Finding and discussing over 15 species common across the UK.
• How to identify the species we come across.
• Information about toxic species to avoid.
• Foraging laws and principles to ensure you forage legally, safely and responsibly.
• Trying a couple of pre-prepared wild food-based samples.

The afternoon starts with a 2 to 3 course lunch containing many foraged goodies, and may even include some of what we’ve gathered from the morning!

We can accommodate gluten-free, vegan, and a few other dietary requirements. Please respond to my confirmation email closer to the course date with your specific dietary needs.

After a delicious taste of the wild lunch, the learning and walking continue in the afternoon and includes:

• A practical walk-through of my favourite foraging books and how best to use them.
• Finding and discussing at least 10 further species common across the UK that have food uses.
• Foraging for non-food uses, such as medicinal uses and/or finding natural plant fibres to make your own string or rope!
• Learning about “forest bathing” and the importance of trees from a foraging perspective.
• Going deeper on some of the topics we covered in the morning, including identification skills and toxicity.

Across the full-day we will cover 3 to 4 miles. The route is mainly flat, and we’ll go at a gentle pace. In wet weather, it is important to ensure you have waterproofs, but for the lunch part of the day, a tarp shelter is provided if it is raining heavily.

After the course I will send a follow-up email to participants with a summary of the species we found and other useful information such as my recommended books for further reading.

Making foraging fun and safe

Foraging is fun and fascinating, with so many benefits it’s unbelievable. It’s as safe as anything when approached with the right level of caution, awareness, and knowledge. It’s important to realise however that foraging can be dangerous IF you approach it with a lack of caution (recklessness), and/or a lack of awareness of the risks and without the respect nature deserves. During the course, I will show you how to approach foraging in a way whereby you don’t just minimise but eliminate all risks, so you are free to enjoy the many benefits that foraging brings into your life – and there are many!

Log in to nature

Humans have been foraging as a way to survive for hundreds of thousands of years. Before farming, this was how we survived – finding what nature provided in harmony with the seasons and the land. This period before farming forms over 95 per cent of our existence as a species, so to our brains and bodies, wild food foraging is incredibly natural – this is one of the reasons it feels so good!

Foraging is one of the best ways to disconnect from our busy modern lives of emails, social media and technology, and reconnect with nature and our ancestral roots. During our foraging walk, we will log off from the modern world and log in to nature!

Meeting Point and Parking

A few days before the course, I will email you with all the details you will require including the exact location and meeting point on the farm. Regardless of our exact meeting point, there will be parking available.