Best foraging courses in the UK

Foraging has been popular for some years now, with enthusiasm for gathering food from wild and natural places only increasing as we look to reduce our plastic waste and live more sustainably.

Like all activities in the countryside, it is important that those participating in foraging do it safely, sustainably and respectively. That's where foraging course come into their own; a chance to get outside with an expert who really knows their stuff, teaching you what to forage, where to find it and how to do it safely and sustainably.

What is foraging?

Foraging is the activity of finding, gathering and harvesting wild foods – for free. It's a great way to stay active and spend time outdoors connecting with nature and learning more about where your food comes from.

There is a wide variety of food you can forage for in Britain, including nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables and more - read our monthly foraging guide to find out what's in season each month.

Best foraging courses across Britain

Foraging courses with Robin Harford, various locations

Robin Harford has often been in the foraging spotlight, and he is creator of the UK’s leading wild food site Eatweeds.co.uk. He runs courses countrywide, with varying accommodating prices.

The courses teach people how to identify a minimum of 20 edible plants, how to cook and prepare them, how to forage sustainably, as well as learning different plant stories, their nutritional values, their folklore, mystery and history. foragingcourses.com

More related content:

• Guide to British fungi: where to find and how to identify
• Wild garlic guide: where to find, how to cook it and recipe ideas
• November foraging guide: best foods to find and cooking ideas

Wild Food UK, various locations

Wild Food UK travel all around the country to hold their foraging courses, and can even tailor trips to suit you. Courses take place in a range of places, including Edinburgh, Cardiff, Kent, Devon, Worcestershire and Herefordshire. Wild Food UK claim that their best courses take place in the Autumn, as it is then that the biggest variety of species are in season. wildfooduk.com/foraging-trips

Taste the Wild, Yorkshire

Taste the Wild offers one and two day Coastal Foraging & Fishing Courses that scour the rocky coast of North Yorkshire or the shores of Cumbria. The course helps foragers to find edible plants, seaweed and shellfish, searching in pools and gullies. They also offer Wild Food, Foraging & Cooking Courses to suit the landlubber. tastethewild.co.uk

Healing Weeds, Bristol and Somerset

Based in Bristol, these walks and workshops provide a practical opportunity to learn how to identify and use local flora and fauna. Although there is a focus on the medicinal properties of plants, professional forager Maria Fernandez Garcia shares edible (and non-edible) plant, fungi and lichen species with you on these seasonal walks through the city’s green spaces. healingweeds.co.uk

Fat Hen, Cornwall

Professional forager, ecologist and cook, Caroline Davey runs cookery courses known for indulgence. Their Wild Food Cycling Days sound particularly exciting, with on and off-road terrain providing the harvesting site and cycle trail. A three course wild lunch is offered on the beach if the weather is good, or under shelter if not. fathen.org

Welsh Bass Guide, Wales

Fishing and foraging Wales offers the opportunity to fish and forage, with guided bass lure angling, foraging and accommodation on the Welsh coast . You are then given a chance to enjoy what you have foraged by having the goods cooked for you, which are paired with fresh local produce. welshbassguide.co.uk

Truffle hunting, Dorset

This course is a bit more expensive than some, but then its treasures are more highly prized. Learn about truffles with an introductory talk before hunting with trained truffle-hunting dogs in a secret location in Dorset woodland. Hunters then sample their finds over afternoon tea. englishtruffles.co.uk

The Secret Sunday Mushroom Club, various

The Secret Sunday Mushroom Club provides the forager with an organised hunt for mushrooms, over five Sundays during the peak of the autumn mushroom season. You have to be a member to find out each location, details of which are only released a couple of days beforehand, so that the organisers can determine which ground has the richest pickings. thewildsideoflife.co.uk

Tasty recipes to make using foraging finds: 

• How to make perfect sloe gin
• Apple bread and butter pudding with butterscotch sauce
• Blackberry guide: where to find, how to cook and recipe ideas

Woodland Ways Bushcraft & Survival, various

Held near Appleton in Oxford, these seasonal hands-on courses teach flora identification, how to harvest sustainably and then how to prepare the ingredients. There are regular tasting sessions and the opportunity to cook the ingredients yourself – including cooking game around the camp fire – a choice usually from rabbit, pigeon, partridge, pheasant and trout. woodland-ways.co.uk

Original Outdoors, North Wales

Original Outdoors run foraging courses as well as food walks, which follows a walk through fields, woodlands and along tracks, depending on what's in season. Most courses will consist of a short walk with an instructor, who will point out interesting plants along the way. You will also be shown how to prepare the food that you gather, and how to spot the same foods near your home. originaloutdoors.co.uk/foraging-course-north-wales