Spring Woods, Coast and Hedgerow Foraging, Loch Fyne, Argyll

£30.00£60.00

Thursday, 2 April 2020
13.00 - 17.30

A guided foray exploring the delicious, healthy and surprising wealth edible spring plants around the beautiful woods, coast and hedgerows of Ardkinglas Estate on Loch Fyne, Argyll. Enjoy a wild cook-in  and foraged cocktail afterwards.

Clear
£60.00


Fully Booked - Join the waiting list

Note: I sometimes have cancellations. To be added to the waiting list for this event please click the link above or if that doesn't work email me at mark@gallowaywildfoods.com using the title “Waiting List” followed by the full url of this page. State in the text how many places you are looking for.

SKU: N/A

Description

CORONA VIRUS: THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED

If you are a ticket holder, please see advice on this page about refunds, rescheduling etc.

The reasons that this event has been postponed is:

  • In line with government advice on unnecessary travel and social isolation measures

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A guided foray exploring the delicious, healthy and surprising range of edible spring plants (and perhaps a few fungi) around the beautiful woods, coast and hedgerows of Ardkinglas Estate on Loch Fyne, Argyll. Enjoy a wild cook-in of our finds afterwards.

Spring wild foods

March is a thrilling time for foragers, with the sap rising in trees and springs shoots at their vibrant best. Highlights of the day will include birch tapping, spring fungi, early shoots, an introduction to fermenting wild greens, and a cook-in of our finds.

Meet: For a 1pm start, Thursday 2nd April 2020, Ardkinglas House, Cairndow, Argyll, PA26 8BG (See map tab). Event ends around 17.30. Ticket holders will be emailed detailed instructions of our meeting place in the week before the event.

Expect: Gentle walking on well made paths over 3 hours (maximum 1.5 miles easy walking), followed by and informal al-fresco cook-in of our finds, or in the Edwardian kitchens of Ardkinglas House if the weather is poor. There will be wild treats and tasters to enjoy throughout. Led by Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods.

Learn: Early Spring woodland, hedgerow and coastal plants, and some spring fungi if we get lucky. How to sustainably tap birch and sycamore trees for sap. Finding, identification, poisonous lookalikes, mindful harvesting, expert tips, folklore/traditional uses, modern gourmet/medicinal uses, nutrition, processing, recipes, cooking tips for a wide range of spring shoots and blossoms. Inevitably, the wider politics around foraging and food will come up too. When time and weather allow, we lay out and label our finds to serve as a souvenir and aide-memoire of the afternoon’s discoveries. Please note, although part of this walk is coastal with lots of fascinating maritime plants, Argyll’s sea lochs don’t tend to offer a big range of tasty seaweeds. We will explore what seaweeds are on show, and I will bring along some more for us to taste and learn from.

Read/watch/listen to reviews/films/radio programmes featuring Mark

Eat/drink: I think it is important to bring the wild foods we encounter to life by not just talking about them, but by eating and drinking them. To this end, in addition to the cook-in after the walk, I carry a very hefty bagful of lovingly prepared treats, tasters and tipples to share during the walk. These are both  delicious and educational, and the walk is more like guided grazing, a gentle imbibing of the landscape, than a route march! Often we will make a cocktail of the plants we encounter and drink it in a beautiful spot. The cook-in afterwards serves as both an al-fresco cookery demonstration and a social time to eat together and digest the afternoon’s discoveries with new friends. While I don’t bill this as a full meal, we usually share several dishes and most people leave well filled. All dietary requirements can be catered for, provided you let me know when you book. If the weather isn’t great, we will cook and eat in Ardkinglas House’s splendid Edwardian kitchens.

Scarlet elf cup stuffed with wild garlic pesto.

Bring: Stout footwear, waterproofs, water. Your learning and enjoyment may also benefit from bringing camera, notebook, field guide (plants), small basket/cloth bag. If you make any foraged delights you wish to share with the group, please bring them along!

Places are limited and events usually sell out fast – booking is essential.

Gift vouchers are available here

If you already have a gift voucher it can be used to pay for this event (in whole or in part) at the checkout.

The Triffid Sour – Gin, sweet cicely syrup, clarified Japanese Knotweed juice

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