Exploring wild food from the seashore, river valleys, woods and hedgerows
Voted Food & Drink Awards Best Foraging Education Provider – England South.
Our courses feature in the BBC Countryfile Magazine Best UK Foraging Courses
& The Wild Side of Life is among The Sunday Telegraph’s Top 5 Foraging Course Providers.
Come and join us for exciting Saturdays in stunning locations for the gourmet, photographer or naturalist alike… discover the astonishing variety of tasty and healthy wild foods, how to identify them, harvest them sustainably and use them successfully,
Black morels, wild garlic and St. George’s mushrooms are in season early… no guarantee what we will find of course as every day is a surprise!
2025 Spring one-day course dates:
– gift certificates are available until mid-day 23rd December –
March 29th 2025, North Devon SEASHORE FORAGING AT THE SUPER LOW TIDE – click here for more details
(SEAWEEDS, SHELLFISH AND VEGETABLES FROM THE CLIFFS & SEASHORE)
May 3rd 2025, North Wiltshire – 3 SPACES AVAILABLE!
(WILD GARLIC, SPRING CURE SOUPS AND REFRESHING HERBAL WATERS)
May 24th 2025, East Wiltshire / Berks border – NO SPACES AVAILABLE – SORRY
(SPRING FUNGI, SALADS, SAUTES AND HERB TEAS)
Gift certificates are available for the 2025 season
Days generally run from 11.00 AM to approximately 4.30 / 5.00 PM
Seashore days may differ due to tide times
Cost: £85:00 per person
To book email fred@thewildsideoflife.co.uk
Magnificent St. George’s Mushrooms traditionally fruit around the feast of St. George (23rd April) but often they appear much earlier, and continue to appear for a month or so afterwards, sometimes up to mid-June. They are increasingly being recorded in the autumn too, probably due to changes in our climate.
With a solid consistency and a robust flavour they are valued as a gourmet mushroom in many European markets and in France they are sold under the name of ‘mousseron’, a name that they share with the fairy ring champignon or ‘petit mousseron’, also much sought after.
St. George’s mushroom, Calocybe gambosa, is a perfect companion for delicious spring shoots and leaves such as hogweed shoots, wild garlic, chickweed and Jack-by-the-hedge.
On our fun days out you will learn to recognise the plants (and if they are up, mushrooms) that we find from their key identification features and you will also be taught to recognise the habitats where you can expect to find them. Early booking recommended.
We will be preparing simple canapes or soups with our freshly foraged wild ingredients, which we will enjoy in the open air with a glass or two of freshly picked herbal tea, herbal waters or foraged liqueurs!
Bookings can be made by sending an email to Fred@thewildsideoflife.co.uk (please put FORAGING DISCOVERY DAY in the subject line). Your place will be secure once we have received full payment by bank transfer (preferred), cheque or PayPal. If you have received a gift certificate for this course then your course has already been paid for and you must get in touch soon to reserve your chosen date.
