What inspires meWe are always forgetting this world
though each day it kisses us
with its lavish steaming breath
though the earth drums in our ears
though the flowers turn as we walk by
amazed at our forgetfulness (Daverick Leggett)
Drawing on a 30-year wealth of experiential knowledge, wild food expert Fergus Drennan will take you on a 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 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 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.
ReviewsThis is a new course, hence no reviews yet. However, the course follows the same engaging format as my London Parks courses, so the lovely reviews I've received for those I hope and anticipate will be similar for this course. Her's a selection:
Even after almost a lifetime spent experimenting with, cooking and writing about food I learnt so much more in a few hours of foraging with Fergus. He is immensely knowledgeable as well as inventive, with a humorous touch.
Josceline Dimbleby 1st Sept 2019
Fergus was extremely knowledgeable, personable and kept the entire group captivated with stories and information throughout the entire course. He knew how to educate us without bombarding us all with too much information. his enthusiasm is infectious and I came away totally inspired!
Charlotte October 2019
Fergus was a brilliant guide and gave a really interesting intro to wild food. We were amazed at how much is around us. Fergus kept us interested and entertained throughout. His passion for wild food and his desire to have fun and be creative with it was evident during the entire session. We'd recommend this experience to anyone who's interested in foraging or just fancies learning something new / doing something different in London.
Thanks Fergus!
Joanna November 2019
A really great way to take a 'more observant' meander around one of London's beautiful woodland parks. Fergus retained the group's attention with wit, charm and invaluable wisdom on all manner of wild foods. A genuine guy, imparting expert' forager's knowledge about how to identify, prepare, store and eat foods with samples on the ready, made this 3+ hour stroll absolutely fly by! My second forage adventure with Fergus and already looking forward to doing another one! Highly recommend for inquisitive youngsters and grown-up kids alike. :)
Chris November 2019
Fergus' walks are like a city food tour but 10x better! You'll taste more than you could ever fit in a city food tour (I didn't count, but it felt like we were tasting something new every couple of minutes and in 3.5h that's a lot!), you will use your five senses, listen to funny stories, and pick up lots of tips and memorable facts along the way. And they are great for kids and dogs as they can run around outside without the risk of getting lost of run over!
These walks are really one of a kind. They bring together Fergus' passion (his excitement is contagious), patience (you can ask him hundreds of questions including 'whats this?' repeatedly and he doesn't seem to mind, on the contrary!) and his culinary and experimental talents (going beyond what you will read in books), such that it would be difficult for anyone else to top these walks.
Maria November 2019