Kayaking and fishing off Dorset
Fore Adventure runs outdoor activities on and around Studland Bay on the Jurassic coast, offering half-day kayak foraging around Old Harry Rocks (£65), is suitable for vegans and vegetarians, focusing on harvesting wild plants and seaweed. Fishing and foraging (£70) adds fishing for crustaceans and fish such as black bream, sea bass and mackerel; and foraging and feasting (£140) adds a two-course meal. The company also runs two-day wild camping, sea kayaking and coastal foraging adventures (£290).
Next kayak foraging trip 15 October, foreadventure.co.uk
Wild food lunch, Britain-wide
Wild Food UK runs half-day foraging courses all year, educating people about edible plants, mushrooms, fruits, roots and flowers. Many of the walks begin at pubs or glampsites, so participants can make a weekend of it. The Peak District course starts at the Miners Arms in Eyam, a 17th-century pub with rooms; one of the Cumbrian courses starts at the Eden Valley Glamping site near Carlisle; and North Yorkshire’s starts at the Little Seed Field glampsite in Nidderdale. There are homemade refreshments along the way – perhaps hogweed and wild garlic soup and elderflower champagne – followed by a wild food lunch.
£60 adult, £30 child, wildfooduk.com
DIY foraging, Monmouthshire
Wern-y-Cwm, a Grade-II listed farm in 30 acres of wildflower meadows near Abergavenny, recently opened with self-catering properties and yurts. There are guidebooks on foraging and local flora and fauna, and the owner, Laura Tenison, can give guests tips on where to hunt for fruit, mushrooms and nuts. She has partnered with Liz Knight of Forage Fine Foods to offer half- or full-day foraging courses in the Black Mountains. The family foraging morning includes child-friendly activities such as crown-weaving, potion-making and cake-decorating.
A two-night stay at the Cider House with a day’s foraging with Liz Knight costs from £150pp (based on five sharing), wonderfulescapes.co.uk
Night foraging, Shropshire
Hawkstone Park Follies, a 40-hectare park full of 19th-century towers, bridges, caves and gullies, is the spectacular setting for this two- to three-hour night walk. Foragers head out with torches in search of mushrooms – with luck, even finding rare bioluminescent fungi, glowing in the dark. The price includes a mug of wild mushroom soup and homemade bread. Visitors can stay in the refurbished Coppice Cottage, a one-bedroom property with views of the park.
Night fungi hunt, £35, 14 October, foragingforages.com; Coppice Cottage costs £116 a night, airbnb.co.uk
Fungi feast, Hampshire
Wild food expert Peter Studzinski is leading a three-hour fungi forage in the New Forest national park in Hampshire. There is a mushroom cooking demonstration and light lunch after the walk, followed by free time to explore Stockbridge, a pretty town nestled in the Test Valley. In the evening, a mushroom-inspired dinner cooked by chef Phillip Bishop is served at the historic Greyhound on the Test hotel. Diners can upgrade to an overnight stay in one of the 10 rooms, seven above the restaurant and three in an adjacent cottage.
Fungi forage £135pp or £260pp with accommodation, 18 October, thegreyhound-events.giftpro.co.uk
Herbal cocktails and fine dining, Kent
Lucia Stuart, a wild food chef, is helming a foraging expedition on beaches and in berry-rich habitats around Sandwich and Deal. The group will be searching for sea buckthorn, horseradish root, wild herbs and sea kale, among other bounty. Then it’s off to the Pilot’s House, a 200-year-old property in Deal, to turn it all into herbal cocktails and a fine-dining lunch. Guests can sleep it off at the Rose, a similarly venerable restaurant and boutique hotel on the high street.
Berry and beach foraging with fine-dining, £129, 11am-4pm, 22 October, thewildkitchen.net; doubles from £100, therosedeal.com
Seafood walk, Pembrokeshire
The Retreats Group, which runs three historic hotels on St David’s peninsula, has teamed up with West Wales Coastal Foraging to offer discounted courses. Forager Craig Evans leads a four-hour coastal walk along beach, rocky shore, tidal mud flats and estuaries in search of edible plants, mussels, crabs and more. A dozen courses a year take place at extreme low tide, when more of the lower shore is exposed and deep-water species can be found. The group cook their finds on a handmadesolva stove (AKA a Swedish candle) on the beach. Guests can stay at Twr y Felin, a former windmill; 12th-century Roch Castle; or 19th-century Penrhiw Priory.
Foraging from £60, next trips 1, 2, 14-18 and 27-31 October, B&B from £160 a night for two, retreatsgroup.com
Foraging, cake and afternoon tea, Perthshire
Visitors to Blair Castle on the Atholl Estates at the edge of the Cairngorms can sign up for a foraging session. Expert Tamara Colchester leads a three-hour meditative, sensory walk in the gardens and grounds. Participants will learn about 15 wild, edible and medicinal trees, flowers and plants, along with the folklore that surrounds them and how to prepare them, ending with a herbal afternoon tea, including cakes and biscuits made with wild ingredients. Shorter children’s walks (90 minutes) focus on mushrooms, wild greens and berries, and also look for animal tracks and other signs of wildlife. Guests can stay on-site at Glen Glack in one of five new lochside woodland cabins, inspired by bothies (but a lot more luxurious).
Foraging, £45, 20-22 October; children’s foraging, £15, 19-21 October, atholl-estates.co.uk; cabins sleeping four from £240 a night
Seaweed feast, Cornwall
Caroline Davey grew up foraging and her two big passions – food and nature – led her to launch Fat Hen: The Wild Cookery School, near Penzance. She runs regular foraging days exploring Cornwall’s wild bounty, and guests feast on their finds. Autumn events include Forage and Feast at the Gurnard’s Head (11 October, £65), which involves exploring the coastal path and a four-course meal, and a Seaweed and Picnic half day (29 October, £65). Guests learn about edible seaweeds and how to incorporate them into their diet, then harvest sea vegetables and enjoy a seaweed-based lunch. Private foraging and cooking days can be arranged too. The Gurnard’s Head (doubles from £155) is known for its food and stays with a three-course dinner and breakfast start at £205 for two midweek from 29 October. the-fat-hen.co.uk
Chanterelle hunting, East Sussex
Webbe’s cookery school in Rye has a special chanterelle forage in November. Paul Webbe, a chef and mushroom expert, will take participants to hunt for the prized mushrooms and teach them how to safely identify and pick other wild fungi. Back in the kitchen, everyone will help to prepare a seven-course lunch. There are plenty of places to stay in Rye, or visitors can take a half-hour drive to the new Starcroft Farm Cabins which are in a meadow with native hedgerows – perfect for putting new foraging skills to the test.
Forage and lunch £130, guest £50, webbesrestaurants.co.uk, cabin for two from £100 a night, starcroftfarm.co.uk
