Forager’s Cookbook by WILDFOODUK
When I picked up this book and started to flick through the beautiful pictures of the recipes, my mind flashed back to childhood memories of foraging for wild blackberries and raspberries on disused railway paths, or tramping through woodland areas looking for wild elderberries. Simple pleasures!
Foraging has made a revival in recent times – from making sloe gin and jam to baking with crab apples. Inspirational chefs have taken the lead in using wild foraged food in their recipes to add new tastes and flavours to their dishes.
With more than 180 recipes celebrating the best of Britain’s wild food, Forager’s Cookbook is a very well-presented, non-intimidating cookbook with very well-written recipes for every level of cook, from highly advanced to introducing a complete beginner to foraged ingredients.
The recipes are organised by seasons, capturing the joys of foraging for food outdoors at different times of year. The book gives the reader an understanding of finding foods that are fresher, more natural and healthier than the supermarket counterparts.
Foraged food to use in everyday cooking does have a legitimate place in our kitchens, whether you search for ingredients in wild places or you try growing wild foods in your own garden. This style of cooking has been a staple in the human diet since the days of hunter gatherers and is now enjoying a well-deserved revival.
Here are just a few examples of my favourite recipe choices from the book:
Nettle soup – a very nutritious soup (made with young nettle tips).
Wild garlic and cheese scones – excellent with soups.
Elderflower Fritters – flower heads coated in a tempura-style batter, dredged in icing sugar. So moreish!
Wild Strawberry and Elderflower Meringues – you could use shop bought meringues if you are pushed for time. This makes a very impressive summer dessert.
The Forager’s Cookbook is not a book to be used to indentify plants but rather a unique recipe book to add to your kitchen bookshelf plus an ideal gift for foodies or anyone interested in taking up foraging as a new hobby.
Forager’s cookbook is compiled by and photographed by Simon Daley in collaboration with Marlow Renton, Eric Biggane and the WildfoodUk Team in association with otherwise-publishing.co.uk. Forager’s Cookbook is available from all the usual book outlets.
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