Foraged and Wild Food
Anyone who has spent time in the countryside foraging for mushrooms, berries or wild herbs will know just how gratifying and wholesome the experience is. To take those precious ingredients and create a delicious meal with them is even better – a truly satisfying endeavour.
Wild mushrooms are one of the more obvious wild foods available, if you know what you're looking for, but there are many less well-known ingredients waiting to be gleaned from the wild. Wild garlic and wild leeks in the spring are some of my favourites, and there are a plethora of tasty things to be had from hedgerows throughout the year, blackberries ( a.ka. brambles) being one of the highlights.
As well as wild plants and funghi, there is also a huge availability of wild fish, seafood and game as sustainable sources of protein to be turned into delicious and nutritious meals. Game birds are a regular appearance in my kitchen in the late summer and autumn months, and venison – which is available all year round in the U.K. – is a versatile and underrated meat.
