Main description:

Discover the wonders of wild food, from berries to mushrooms to fresh herbs -- all of which are wonderful foods free on our doorstep. The author Jane Eastoe shows you how to find, identify and cook a range of wild food, including nuts, seeds, roots, fruit, flowers, seaweed, fungi and plant leaves. Elderberry flowers can be used for making cordial, nettles make delicious soup and sloe gin and horseradish sauce are just two great traditional recipes that can be made from the hedgerow larder. There are dangers in some wild plants and the author gives guidance on how to pick safely (for example cooking elderberries destroys the toxins present but the leaves, bark or roots of the elder should never be eaten). Mushrooms are notoriously difficult to get right so Jane Eastoe gives you the key dos and don'ts on mushroom picking. What to take on a culinary walk in the countryside? What foods are available in what season? What's the nutritional value of certain wild foods? All these questions and many more are answered by the author to ensure you make the most of every culinary walk through the countryside.