18 | Free Guide Springtime’s foraging treats

Inspired to seek out the rich array of free foods in our countryside? Here’s a rundown of what to look for in the months to come

Balm hedges, pastures and woodlands. Woods How to recognise it Good for Close relative to chervil, Hairy little plant with its fresh spicy flavour is great in and hedgerows furry leaves and white and omelettes. flowers. Warning! Do not confuse with Hawthorn leaves Found in Hedgebanks fool’s (thin stem, hairless, How to recognise them and shady places, mainly ribbed, hollow) or hemlock (thick Glossy green in southern England. stem, smooth, purple-spotted), leaves on tree Good for Lemon-scented leaves which can be seriously poisonous. with abundant and stalks can also be infused to and richly scented make tea. Hairy bittercress white blossom. How to recognise it Found in Woods, hedges and Ramsons/wild Cress-like compound scrubland, on heaths and downs. How to recognise it leaves, small white Good for A pleasantly nutty taste Knee-height white, flowers. makes the leaves a good addition star-like flowers Found in Gardens,waste to bread and cheese sandwiches. with broad and ground, paths and walls. Also chop them into a cold potato spear-like leaves. Good for Leaves are or with diced beetroot. Found in Woods pleasantly sweet and peppery, and hedgebanks. good in salads and sandwiches. Jack-by-the-hedge/ Good for Use the leaves cut cross- hedge garlic wise in salads (especially Stinging nettle How to recognise it salad), added to mayonnaise, or How to recognise it Knee-high white in tomato sauce instead of basil. Familiar heart-shaped flowers, toothed leaves covered with leaves. Morel stinging hairs. Found in Waysides, How to recognise it Found in Waste and on hedgebanks Type of fungi with a cap cultivated ground, wet and open woods. covered in honeycomb woods, hedgebanks, river valleys. Good for Leaves have a very light pits; light to deep brown. Good for Nettle soup is very garlicky aroma and taste wonderful Found in Woodland straightforward — cooking in salads or as sauce for spring lamb. clearings, old orchards removes the sting. and pastures, especially those Wood sorrel with sandy soils. Good King Henry How to recognise it Good for Soups, stew, risottos How to recognise it Low, creeping plant and omelettes. Upstanding plant with trian- with shamrock-shaped Warning! Wash carefully to gular leaves and little flowers. leaves and white clean insects out of honeycomb. Found in Roadsides and flowers. cultivated ground. Found in Woods and shady places. Good for Leaves can be Good for Leaves have sharp, fruity Roadsides cooked as spinach and the stem as taste; use in salad or as a fish sauce. and gardens inferior asparagus. Ground ivy How to recognise it Cow parsley Seaside Kidney-shaped leaves How to recognise it and purple flowers. Spray of white flowers, and marshland Found in Woods, hedges. ferny leaves, thick Good for Leaves can slightly hairy stem. Sea beet/sea spinach make herbal tea. Found in Roadsides, How to recognise it Shiny, fleshy Food | 19 leaves, tiny green flowers. lemony addition to salads or tangy Found in Coastlines, soup. The French like to cook ... and targets for dunes and sea-walls. sorrel omelette. Good for Small leaves can later in the year be used for salads, larger Chickweed ones steamed or boiled. How to recognise it SUMMER Warning! Wash carefully. Creeping plant with Woods and hedgerows soft, green leaves Wild rose or dog rose, Sea lettuce and tiny, white, star- raspberries, wild strawberries How to recognise it shaped flowers. redcurrants, blackberries Seaweed that looks like Found in Gardens, gooseberries, water mint, wet lettuce, attached cultivated and waste ground. chanterelle fungi to stones and rocks. Good for Its mild flavour works Roadsides, gardens and Found Between the well in salads that include other, cultivated land high- and low-tide stronger flavours. Common lime blossoms, marks on beaches. common mallow, Good for Can be served raw, Common comfrey sweet cicely, horseradish chopped up with soy sauce and How to recognise it horse mushrooms. rice vinegar. Dark green, hairy Seaside and marshland leaves with creamy Cranberries, sea kale Bladderwrack/popweed or pinkish flowers marsh samphire or glasswort How to recognise it that form in clusters. Meadows, heathland and Seaweed with small A bushy plant up wasteground bladders that children to one metre high. Meadowsweet, salad burnet, like popping; dark Found in Waste ground and bitter vetch, chicory, olive brown. river banks. wild asparagus, coriander, Found In the middle Good for Boil the leaves like heather, bilberries, borage, shore of beaches and estuaries. spinach or cook in a fritter. marjoram, wild , Good for Wash it and simmer, common chamomile then serve as a side vegetable. Tansy How to recognise it AUTUMN Carragheen/Irish moss Upright with toothed, Woods and hedgerows How to recognise it pinnate leaves , sweet , Seaweed with clusters and bright yellow, rowan berries, sloes, of purple-brown fronds; button-like flowers. wild plums, medlars, a flat stalk branching Found in Grassy wild cherries, elderberries, into a fan shape. and waste places. rose-hips, blackberries, Found in Stones and Good for Hot, bitter, and really many types of fungi. rocks on Atlantic shores. quite an acquired taste, possibly Roadsides, gardens Good for Making carragheen with omelettes. blancmange or jelly. Seaside and marshland St George’s mushroom Fennel Purple laver How to recognise it Meadows, heathland and How to recognise it A creamy-white wasteground Seaweed with mushroom with Juniper berries, poppy seeds, irregular purple a fleshy cap that black mustard seeds, fronds, green has wavy edges. cloudberries when young. Found in Open Found in Rocks and stones pasture, roadsides, lawns AND IN THE DEPTHS OF WINTER on beaches all around Britain, and woodland margins. Watercress, goosegrass especially the west coast. Good for Strong, almost yeasty oyster mushrooms Good for Laverbread puree is a smell; best with other strong ingre- dandelion Welsh delicacy, rolled in oatmeal dients like cheese or spring greens. and fried in bacon fat. The plant illustrations are taken Fairy-ring champignon with kind permission from Richard How to recognise it Mabey’s definitive foraging guide Meadows Cream-beige Food For Free. A revised edition 2cm-5cm cap featuring 240 food types will be and heathland with a slight published by Collins in April. bump in Common sorrel its centre. How to recognise it Found in Red and green flowers, Lawns, short arrow-shaped leaves; grassland. up to one metre high. Good for fragrance and Found in Grassy places, nutty texture is excellent in stews meadows, pastures, and casseroles, easy to dry too. roadsides and heaths. Warning! Don’t confuse with Good for Leaves are a lovely, the poisonous clitocybe species.