Food and Recipes
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Wood sorrel: how to identify, forage and use this zingy herb
This resilient wildflower has captivated us for centuries, sparking folktales and finding its way onto plates.
Nettle guide: where to find it, how to pick safely and recipe ideas
Your beginner's guide to foraging for nutritious nettles, with tips on how to pick to avoid the sting, plus some delicious recipes you'll want to try today.
April foraging: Best plants to find and how to use them
Spring is finally here – and with it comes longer days, warmer temperatures and blooming flowers. It's a great month to be outside, not only for spotting wild things but for gathering them, too. Find out what to forage in the UK this month how to do it responsibly.
Hot cross buns: A brief history of our favourite Easter bake – and the perfect recipe
Easter wouldn’t be the same without hot cross buns. Their history can be traced back to the Hertfordshire countryside, where an old mill still bakes buns to an ancient recipe. Learn all about the origins of the hot cross bun, why they are eaten at Easter and the best recipe to make your own.
What's new?
Best camping chairs in 2024 – tested and reviewed
A comfortable and portable seat is an essential piece of kit for camping, festivals, picnics, relaxing on the beach or fishing on riverbanks. Here's our pick of the best collapsible and folding chairs around in 2024
Wild garlic guide: where to find, how to use and recipe ideas
Spring is the perfect time to go foraging for this versatile and pungent plant, which can be whipped up into a delicious soup or pesto. BBC Countryfile Magazine's expert guide explains where to find it, how to forage it responsibly and how to cook it, before revealing some of our favourite wild garlic recipe ideas.
Best camping kitchen units in 2024: upgrade your al fresco menu
Store your camping food essentials, and cook up a storm at your campsite with a trusty camping kitchen unit
Christmas recipes: Festive vegetables
Delectable dishes of carrots, parsnips and sprouts add colour, flavour and texture to make your Christmas feast sparkle. Claire Thomson presents six seasonal recipes
Best foraging courses in the UK
Interested in learning how to forage for plants, mushrooms and berries in the British countryside? Here is our pick of the best foraging courses from across Britain to help you learn the skills you need to get started safely.
Baking
Spiced toffee apple cake
This autumn, why not make this Bonfire Night-inspired cake? A great twist on traditional toffee apples, enjoy with a cuppa, or warm with cream and extra toffee sauce – yummy!
How to make homemade dog treats
This dog treat recipe is quick and easy to make, and a safe, natural and healthy alternative for your pets.
Gingerbread Easter bunnies
Children will love baking these easy gingerbread bunnies as a treat for Easter – perfect with a cuppa for adults too!
Camping
A quest for one of Britain's rarest birds in the Cairngorm mountains
Join naturalist and author James MacDonald Lockhart walking and camping deep in the Cairngorm Mountains in search of the dotterel, a bird that breeds on remote peaks – in episode 14, season 16 of the Countryfile Magazine Plodcast
Best camping hammocks for outdoor relaxation in 2024
Take your camping to the next level with a hammock designed for the wild
Head to Dartmoor for one of the most controversial countryside stories of recent years
Back in January, the High Court ruled that wild camping was not a legal right in Dartmoor National Park. A huge protest ensued so the Plodcast went along to hear the arguments – in episode 6, season 15 of the Countryfile Magazine Podcast
Foraging
The perfect elderberry cordial recipe
This simple elderberry cordial recipe is the perfect way to use your foraged elderberries, says forager and chef Rachel Lambert
Elderberry wine
Try your hand at winemaking this autumn using one of the UK's most bountiful hedgerow fruits. This light but rich elderberry wine is perfect for the cooler months
The perfect sloe gin recipe
Try making this delicious sloe gin recipe in the autumn months and enjoy a warming sup when the weather cools. It also makes the ideal unique gift for any gin lover.
Seasonal recipes
Seasonal recipes from warming soups to foraged fodder.
Blackberry and apple sorbet
This fruity sorbet is perfect for using up hand picked blackberries and makes a light and fruity desert.
Courgette chutney
Courgettes shadowing the house? Use up a glut by making this easy courgette chutney – perfect with blue cheese or cheddar.
Homemade apple swirls recipe
This homemade apple swirls recipe is easy to make and is a perfect treat on chilly autumn days.
Vegan
Mulled spiced cider
This delicious, festive spiced cider recipe is perfect for warming you up in autumn and winter – and if you have any left over, it’s wonderful as a poaching liquid for pears, says chef and food writer Gill Meller.
The perfect oat milk recipe
Fed up with the packaging and expense of plant-based milks? Make some yourself with this tried-and-tested recipe for homemade oat milk.
The perfect crab apple jelly recipe
Learn how to make crab apple jelly with this simple recipe by forager and chef Rachel Lambert.
Vegetarian
Wild garlic pesto
Turn your foraged finds into a delicious, vibrant pesto to enjoy this spring. Here is our easy recipe for wild garlic pesto which can be added to pasta or soups.
Cherry gin
Gin fans will love this festive alternative to your classic G&T by chef and food writer Claire Thomson.
Crunchy ‘Biscotti’ biscuits
These sturdy biscotti by chef and food writer Claire Thomson can be dunked into a cup of tea or coffee, or better still, into a glass of sweet wine or fizz as they do in Italy.