Bespoke Private Group Bookings

Go Wild! Choose when, where, + for how long!

Organisation links
Location address: All Streets, Every Town
Chosen age group:

Ages: children 1 - 18 · adults 18+ years

Available tickets:
Standard £65
Next date: None - Register your interest
A summary
On this bespoke course you can decide where, when, and for how long we forage. Having run wild food courses for almost 20 years, I can give you guidance as to the wheres, whats and whens, if you need it. Typically, to really get value from a wild food experience, I feel that 3 hours is the minimum time. Half days (5-6 hours are also very good), as is a full day of up to 12 hours. Weekends or longer excursions are also possible. The price of £65 per person is given as a very rough guide. The actual fee will depend on the number of participants, length of course, specific course content, including whether we cook. Indeed food could be as simple as bring-your-own-sandwiches to a 3-4 course wild food-based lunch and/or dinner. £65 per person is a typical price for a private group of 6 people for a 4 hour course such as that described below. For the actual price, please get in touch and we can hatch a plan for the day. Once we agree a programme and fee I can send a bespoke invoice that can be paid with a click of a button. Drawing on a 30-year wealth of experiential knowledge, wild food expert Fergus Drennan will take you on a 4-hr (3.5 in Dec/Jan) foraging journey that reveals the secret potential in even the most familiar of wild plants, the very plants you walk by every day. The humble bramble or blackberry will be revealed to be, on the contrary, a majestic beast of endless possibilities, native trees will be enticed to deliver up the sweetly nuanced complexity of molasses without a sugar cane plant in sight, and in one unexpected bite of crunchy and savoury abundance, you will experience the genuinely unique opportunity to eat 150 different wild greens all at once. On this wild food walk in Forest Row in East Sussex (or any location of your choosing), participants will be provided with clear information on the foraging basics, while simultaneously looking deeply into the skills required to get the maximum benefit from wild plants. This includes precise tips and guidance for working with the 20-30 specific plants and fungi (when present) encountered on location, as well as detailed instruction regarding processes and techniques, for example, salt pickling, vinegar pickling, lacto-fermenting, cordial making, wine and spirit making, dehydrating, fruit leather creation, seasonings, and other preserving and food preparation techniques. In many instances those techniques will be brought to life by tasting the fruits of such labour. On this fun, informative, and engaging course, expect to taste 5-15 different wild food creations, including, perhaps, my soon to be world famous 150-different-plants-all-at-once biscuits! Most tasters suitable for vegan, gluten free, and nut-free diets. Please note that, generally speaking (there are exceptions), we will be gathering or picking plants or fungi primarily for identification purposes, rather than large baskets of wildings for eating (unless that's the plan). Many of the plants we encounter can simply be touched, smelt, and important visual characteristics observed where they are, in situ.
About your mentor
Fergus The Forager
Fergus the Forager
Foraging is a life-long learning process, and Fergus has been at it for 30 years. Not only does he have great depths of knowledge in all the key aspects of identification, processing, use and best sustainable practice, but he combines it with a fun and engaging manner that brings the craft to life and makes it accessible to all. He has been described by his foraging instructor peers as "the Starship Enterprise of foraging". Forager Mark Williams enthused: "We need gastronauts like Star Fleet Commander Drennan to chart new worlds..." His favourite was when he was described as "Heston Blumenthal, Rene Redzepi, and Pascal Bauder, rolled into one.” He is inspired to offer this string of courses because there is often the misconception that, in order to really get to know wild plants, you need to visit wild places, or at least the countryside. Certainly that is good to do, but it doesn't fully appreciate the incredible biodiversity to be found in cities, and London parks and green spaces in particular. Here biodiversity simply means a unique wealth of plants. Many will be generally wild, others more feral or ornamental, yet from a foraging perspective, whatever their pedigree, they offer unique learning experiences. And, wild food knowledge is usually best developed near to where you live, and in places it is convenient to visit regularly throughout the year.
Pricing information
Ticket nameStandard
Price£65
InformationTypically I find that the best foraging experiences are from 3-12 hrs. This can be with or without food. That food can be a 3-4 course lunch an dinner, or sandwiches. It is all up for discussion, Iand with almost 20 years running both private and public courses I can offer great suggestions and ideas to meet your individual and group needs. The standard £65 per person is just a very rough guide, as the actual price will depend on course length, number of participants, location, cooking requirements. Register interest, give me a call, we agree a plan an fee, then I send a bespoke invoice that you can pay with just one click. Fergus 07904801047
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Where we'll be
All Streets, Here, there, and everywhere!, Every Town, All Counties, W3 L0v32 4AGE
WHAT’S PROVIDED
Snacks
Equipment
Safety
Enhanced DBS
Risk Assessment
Public Liability Insurance
First Aid Training
First Aid Kit

Please note

Please note, it is the responsibility of the booker to satisfy themselves about the adequacy of the safety measures. This platform is merely an introducer and does not verify the items listed here.

Cancellation Policy
Cancel more than two weeks before the start to receive a full refund.

My experience consists of a leisure activity, on a specific date(s), and therefore the 14-day ‘cooling off period’ under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 does not apply.

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