ADVENTUROUS EATING Fromhedgerowsaladsto venisonburgers:recipestotapintoyourwildside

EATING Adventurous

A 21st-century hunter-gatherer, Nick Weston wants to rewild our dining habits. Here, he shares some of his favourite spring recipes

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID LOFTUS

verygreatplateoffoodshouldhaveastorybehindit.Thetimeyougotstung tobitsharvestingnettlesforpesto.Orwhenyounearlyfelloutofatreetrying tosourceDouglasfirtipstoinfuseaseasonaltipple.Whatmakeswildfood enjoyableisthatyoucan ’tsimplypickitoffashelf.Youhavetoworkforit.

HavingworkedasachefinLondonforthreeyears,Ibegantocravethecountryside andreturnedtomySussexrootsin2009.Ibuiltanine-metretreehouseinasecluded woodlandnearLewes,whichbecamemyhomeforsixmonths.Livingcompletelyoff grid,Ihunteddeer,fishedfortrout,foragedleavesandcultivatedvegetables.This self-sufficientlifestyleformedtheethosofHunterGatherCook,theoutdoorcookery schoolIfoundedin2011.Now,thousandsofguestsgatheratthetreehouseeachyear toforagefortheirownsalads,processfreshlycaughtgameandbuildoutdoorfires forcooking.Attheendoftheday,they ’ rerewardedwithasimpleseasonalsupper andthedelicioussatisfactionofhavingsourceditthemselves.

Ofcourse,goingwildrequiresmoreworkthanadashtothesupermarket–butit’ s morerewarding.Foodtastesbetter,costslessandisallthemorenutritious,havingbeen cultivatedbyMotherNature.Wecookthefollowingrecipeseachspring,usingingredients sourcedfromoursurroundingwoodsandmeadows.Behindeachdishisanadventure…

DIRTY PIGEON BREASTS WITH PEAS & WILD GREENS

Spring in a dish.

‘Dirty’ cooking, also known as ‘clinching’ , means cooking directly on hot coals, just as our ancestors would have done. Serves4

4 PIGEON BREASTS, SKIN ON 350G FROZEN PEAS 2 TBSP BUTTER, PLUS EXTRA IF NEEDED 12 HOGWEED BUDS (AVAILABLE APRIL TO SEPTEMBER) LEAVES FROM A FEW SPRIGS OF WILD MINT (AVAILABLE APRIL TO SEPTEMBER), COARSELY CHOPPED 12 VETCH TOPS (AVAILABLE APRIL TO JULY) A FEW THREE-CORNERED LEEK FLOWERS (AVAILABLE JANUARY TO MAY) 1 Create a bed of charcoal by burning wood down to embers (cherrywoodworkswellwithpigeon).Whenit’ sready,fanoffthe ash,seasonthepigeonbreastswithsaltandputthemdirectlyonthe red-hotembers,skin-sidedown.Cookfor2-3minutesoneachside, thenwrapinfoilandleavetorestnexttothefirefor7-8minutes. 2Meanwhile,bringasaucepanofwatertotheboil,addthe frozenpeasandcook,covered,overamedium-lowheatfor 2minutes,thendrain. 3Whilethepeasarecooking,heatafryingpanandaddthe butter,thenthehogweedbudsandcookfor1minute.They willsuckupthebutter,soaddalittlemoreifnecessary. 4Stirinthepeasandmintandseasonwellwithsaltandpepper. Cookforafurther1minute,thenremovefromtheheat. 5 Unwrap the pigeon breasts and slice them in half through each breast at a slight angle. Serve with the peas, sprinkled with the vetch and three-cornered leek flowers.

HUEVOS RANCHEROS

There’snobetterwaytostartoff thedaythanwith this‘fullEnglish’interpretationof huevosrancheros. Thevenisonchillicanbecookedahead.Thenit’sjust acaseof assemblingitall. Serves4

2 TBSP BUTTER 1 TBSP VEGETABLE OIL 1 LARGE ONION, PEELED AND FINELY DICED 1 HANDFUL OF WILD GARLIC OR 4 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND FINELY CHOPPED 1 RED PEPPER, DESEEDED AND FINELY CHOPPED 2 DRIED ANCHO CHILLIES, REHYDRATED IN HOT WATER AND FINELY CHOPPED 1 HANDFUL OF CORIANDER, LEAVES AND STEMS SEPARATED AND FINELY CHOPPED 500G MINCED VENISON, PREFERABLY A MIX OF FLANK AND SHOULDER 4 LARGE TOMATOES, FINELY CHOPPED 1 X 400G CAN KIDNEY BEANS, DRAINED AND RINSED 1 TBSP WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE 1 TBSP GROUND CUMIN 2 BAY LEAVES 1 BEEF STOCK CUBE 4 CORN TORTILLAS, CUT IN HALF 4 EGGS 4-5 TBSP SALSA, PLUS EXTRA TO SERVE 150G FETA CHEESE, DRAINED AND RINSED, BROKEN INTO SMALL PIECES SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER 1 GREEN CHILLI, FINELY SLICED, TO SERVE FOR THE GUACAMOLE 2 LARGE AVOCADOS, HALVED AND STONES REMOVED JUICE OF 1 LIME

1 To make the chilli, heat a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the butter and oil, then add the diced onion, chopped wild garlic, red pepper, ancho chillies and coriander stems. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until the onions take on a bit of colour. 2 Add the venison mince and cook, moving it around the pan for about 5 minutes until it gets a bit of colour on it. 3 Add the tomatoes, kidney beans, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, bay leaves and stock cube and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and drop the heat down to a gentle simmer. 4 Stir every 5-10 minutes and season to taste, then cook gently for at least 1 hour, until it has reduced nicely and taken on a rich, dark colour. 5 Shortly before the chilli is done cooking and you are ready to eat, make the guacamole: using a spoon, scoop out the avocado flesh and put it in a medium-sized bowl. Add the lime juice and season with salt. Mash together with a fork until you have a nice chunky texture. 6 When you are ready to assemble the huevos rancheros, preheat the oven to 180˚C (160°C fan oven) gas mark 4. 7 Arrange the tortilla halves in a cast-iron pan or baking dish, overlapping them slightly, and ladle in the venison chilli. 8 Crack the eggs into a small bowl, then pour them over the top of the chilli. Add 4-5 tbsp of the salsa and sprinkle the feta cheese over the top. 9 Put the pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes until the eggs have nearly cooked through but the yolks are still soft. Remove from the oven and top with the guacamole. Sprinkle with the coriander leaves and green chilli, and serve with extra salsa.

WILD SALAD

Springistheperfecttimetoconstructawildsalad.The hedgerowsareburstingwithfreshleavesandflowers.Any combinationof wildfoliage–dandelions,cuckooflowers, ox-eyedaisies,primroses,sorrelandyarrow–workwell. Serves 4

4 HANDFULS OF MIXED SEASONAL WILD LEAVES 3 TBSP OLIVE OIL 1 TBSP APPLE CIDER VINEGAR 1 TSP COARSE SEA SALT 1 TSP SUGAR 1 TSP FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

1 Put the wild leaves in a bowl and set aside. 2 In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sea salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper until it’ s all well combined. 3Drizzlethedressingoverthewildleaves,tossgently andserve.

Springistheperfecttimeto constructawildsalad