Foraging: The Rewards of Nature’s Harvest

Experience around the UK, and now At Home

Despite its many challenges, this past year has been one in which we’ve learned to truly appreciate nature.

Social distancing and a growing focus on maintaining our health and wellbeing has led us to rediscover our relationship with the land around us by exploring the meadows, woodlands, hills and coasts of Britain’s countryside.

As we adapt to the changes the year has brought, there’s also a deep need to go back to our roots, simplify our lives, develop our survival instincts and become more self-sufficient.

The British countryside offers us a bountiful harvest in every season, every weather and every region, and a growing number of people are looking for ways to reap these rewards by learning how to safely forage for ingredients.

These are the skills taught up and down the country by renowned wild food forager and author of The Foragers’ Cookbook, James Wood (pictured above). James runs Totally Wild UK, an organisation that hosts foraging and cookery courses nationwide.

“Most people tend to get a bit glum as Summer comes to an end, but although we all love the sun, Autumn is the season that really gets us going,” says James. “We especially look forward to rainy days at the beginning of September, because that’s when we forage for the tastiest mushrooms, which grow in abundance with the help of a few good showers.

“But winter has lots to offer us, too. Most plants have become dormant, pulling their energy into their roots to

use when spring comes along – which makes it an ideal time to harvest roots and tubers.”

James’s courses inspire people to explore the amazingly diverse flavours that can be found in the wild. A typical Totally Wild ‘Forage and Cook’ experience includes an introduction to foraging and the opportunity to head out into the countryside with a professional forager to discover the exciting wild foods growing nearby.

Participants also get to sample a feast of pre-made wild food tasters, from pickles and chutneys to flavoured salts and alcoholic infusions, before cooking up a two-course lunch using ingredients they have foraged – whether it’s an elderflower cheesecake, dandelion pancakes or wild noodle salad.

Those who take these courses learn that wild food is everywhere, from London to Scotland, and that understanding what each season and climate can offer is the key to making the most of nature’s rich variety of ingredients. Mushrooms, however, remain the most popular foraged ingredient.

“Autumn is peak season, when thousands of species come into fruit, but mushrooms are available all year round if you know what to look for,” says James.

“In spring and summer, we find most of our edible mushrooms in meadows or on trees and stumps. In August, for example, we can find chanterelles in the Peak District, while Group Foraging Experiences: Gourmet-experiences.co.uk

ceps can be found regularly in Scotland from June onwards.

“In the south, however, we generally have to wait while in September when the moisture levels change; it’s after the first good rain that we start to find all sorts of wonderful prizes.”

For those who can’t wait to sample freshly foraged wild ingredients, James has recently launched a new range of wild food boxes, which can be delivered to your home as a one-off treat or even as a weekly subscription.

These chef-grade ingredients range from seasonal coastal vegetables and seaweeds to edible flowers, wild mushrooms and inland greens.

These boxes, as well as The Foragers’ Cookbook, are available to buy online:

totallywild.co.uk

Visit Gourmet-experiences.co.uk for exclusive savings on ‘At-Home Experiences’ including Totally Wild Food Boxes and The Foragers Cook Book.

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A Partnership Rooted in Quality and Passion

As one of Britain’s best loved kitchenware retailers, is a natural partner for the GourmetXperiences brand.

With a range of over 3,700 kitchen and home products – from everyday utensils and cookware to chore-busting home items – Lakeland is usually the first port of call for houseproud home chefs and aspiring gourmands. Their rich history began over 50 years ago in the Lake District, when three enterprising brothers – Sam, Martin and Julian Rayner – began helping their father to count polythene bags into packs to make a little extra pocket money.

During the 1960s, Alan, their father, had begun buying and preparing chickens from local farms in Kendal, packaging them carefully into the bags and selling them at weekly markets. Business boomed into the 1970s as the trend for home freezing grew, and before long the three brothers took over the family business and expanded the range to include kitchenware.

Throughout the 1980s, Lakeland pioneered the mail order trend, producing a full colour catalogue that became a mainstay of households across the Lake District and beyond.

But it was during the 1990s when the brand really took off. The brothers set up a new distribution centre in Kendal and opened their first retail outlet in nearby Windermere, quickly followed by the opening of multiple Lakeland stores throughout the UK.

The advent of the online marketplace led the brand to expand online, and by 2015, Lakeland were operating over 60 stores up and down the country – stretching from Aberdeen all the way down to Truro.

Throughout its illustrious history, Lakeland has maintained its original ethos, installed in the boys by their father back in the 1960s; always look after the customer.

This passion for customer service is complemented by an unflinching focus on quality, carefully sourcing and stocking only the most long-lasting and exceptionally crafted items for their range. In fact, every item from Lakeland even comes with a three-year guarantee to ensure complete customer satisfaction.

It’s this dedication to quality and service that has inspired a deep loyalty in their customer base, and it’s what led the trusted partnership between Lakeland and GourmetXperiences. For many years, Lakeland lovers have been asking for a customer club, and in early 2020, that wish was granted when the brand launched their very own myLakeland members’ club.

Through myLakeland, which has already amassed a membership of over 800,000, members can enjoy frequent discounts, competitions and special events – both from Lakeland and from their carefully selected partners, like us. Club members get 10% off our ‘EAT BRITISH’ Gift Cards, which are redeemable at over 30 UK cookery schools, restaurants, hotels and experience providers, plus exclusive content from GourmetXperiences to inspire your next dish, with donations made to charity.

The club also has a Charity Pot which has raised over £70,000 for deserving causes, including our own #GiftToShareExperiences campaign to support industry charity, Hospitality Action.

If you’re new to Lakeland, we heartily recommend a trip to their website at lakeland.co.uk – but be warned... Like many Lakeland customers, you may well end up with a basket full of clever tried and tested kitchen items that you never knew you needed – or how you lived without!

To join the myLakeland members’ club and start enjoying a host of little perks, simply head over to lakeland.co.uk/mylakeland to sign up. You can also join by calling 015394 88100, or by popping into one of their stores. Happy cooking – and eating!

For more information:

lakeland.co.uk