A Yorkshire Dales estate are inviting food lovers to gain a fascinating insight into the abundance of edible wild plants during a week of foraging this June.
Accompanied by expert forager Matt Normansell of Eden Wild Food, visitors to Kilnsey Park near Skipton can learn about the array of forna on the estate and its uses for both cooking and traditional remedies as part of their Wild Food Foraging course on Saturday 3rd June.
The family run estate, is home to a nationally important reserve and a paradise for wildflowers, with over 150 different species of flowers and grasses, including the UK’s rarest orchid.
Based in the heart of spectacular Wharfedale, the estate already offers visitors fishing and a family friendly programme of activities throughout the year including walking trails, bushcraft, pony trekking, farm animals as well as an on-site café serving local food, is already a mecca for foodies thanks to its own award winning smokehouse.
Visitors will be taught to spot up to 30 edible species during the three-hour sessions, where foragers will discover micro greens and succulent shoots as well as learning about uses for well-known species like ground elder, elderflower, hogweed and cleavers – in both food and medicine.
Importantly visitors will also learn how to differentiate between poisonous plants that resemble harmless counterparts, as well as being shown how to forage responsibly and sustainably.
Jamie Roberts, managing partner of Kilnsey Park said: “This is our first foraging event and is another way we’re aiming to reconnect people with nature.
“At this time of year the meadows and woodland on the estate are thriving with plants that can have a place at the dinner table or help treat minor ailments. As long as foraging is done ethically and people show respect, there is something very satisfying about supplementing our meals with ingredients from nature’s larder.”
The Spring Wild Food Foraging Course runs from 1.30-4.30pm on Saturday 3 June and costs £28.50 per person including tea and foraged snacks. For more details and to book online go to www.kilnseypark.co.uk and click on the events page.