Curious about wild plants?
Worried about poisoning your loved ones?
Feeling a pull to reconnect with nature but not sure where to start?
Join me, a passionate forager and wild food lover, on a small group foraging walk designed for those at the start of their wild food journey who crave a deeper connection with nature. These walks will feed your soul, spark your curiosity and kindle a love affair with wild plants.
Using all your senses, we'll learn to identify fascinating species together. These walks are perfect for beginners - I'll guide you and help you gain the confidence to recognise and avoid common poisonous plants.
We'll also discuss best practices in foraging and explore how to reconnect with the wonders that nature has to offer. As a member of the Association of Foragers, my approach is in line with their desire to 'restore vital connection'.
By the end of our walk, you'll be brimming with inspiration and armed with many ideas on how to use nature's abundance of wild greens.
Please note that these aren't mushroom or herbal medicine walks.
Please contact me to discuss your requirements.
"Great event, Elspeth is so lovely and super passionate about working with nature. I can’t recommend highly enough, thank you. xxx"
Holly D
" Elspeth communicates her love and knowledge of plants really well and we discovered a beautiful corner of the Surrey Hills. We will come back!"
Sofia L
"What a wonderful experience, we loved it. There’s so much great stuff out there just waiting to be eaten....! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with us in such a clear and interesting way. PS. Great shortbreads."
Cheryl K
"Wonderful, immersing, fascinating! I will definitely be back to join Elspeth at Joyful Outdoors again in the near future or organise an event locally with her..... I love how passionate and knowledgeable Elspeth is."
Hannah M
"Elspeth is a very fun and knowledgeable foraging teacher. We had a fab Saturday morning with her end of March.....Definitely recommend this session to anyone who is interested in getting back to nature a bit in today's consumer-crazy world...."
Andrea R
" We had the most wonderful walk with lovely Elspeth yesterday. It was just what we wanted. Elspeth was so welcoming, so passionate about what she does and such a happy person! Highly recommend!! We had no idea that such edibles lie on our doorstep!"
Kelly W
"Attended a brilliant and social foraging walk with Elspeth and left feeling well informed, energised and keen to learn more about the edible plants all around us. Elspeth is knowledgeable and infectiously passionate about nature and the outdoors. I loved sampling the delicious foraged greens pesto too! Highly recommend."
Lisa F
"Elspeth's knowledge and enthusiasm made this such an enjoyable and educational experience. Plus you get to taste the foods she's made from foraged plants - the cake was AMAZING ."
Ruth S
Please email elspeth@joyfuloutdoors.co.uk if you can't find the answer to your question.
There are generally a lot of wild plants to talk about in a very small area! We'll normally cover 1 - 2km on a 2.5 hour walk. The wild garlic walks are the longest as we have to ascend a short hill to get into the woods.
This is a real question by the way! Learning about wild plants is for everyone, and is a brilliant way of engaging with nature. It's great for helping us to slow down, really stop and notice nature, for better wellbeing and to add interest to walks. And who knows, you might even be convinced to start using the occasional wild plant in your diet, which is great for your gut health.
I think some people think that foraging is a really niche way of life, but it doesn't have to be....joining a foraging walk could be the start of a lifelong adventure! And yes, you can still feed your children fish fingers!
I encourage people to use their senses when learning about wild plants. We crush plants to release their aroma, use high magnification hand lens to really observe the details, and yes where possible and appropriate we taste the wild plants. Of course, that is up to each individual if they want to do that, and depending on individual tolerance and allergies eg anyone with serious allergies may choose to be more cautious. You may wish to bring a bottle of water to wash any plants before you taste them.
It's important that you don't use taste to ID plants, especially as a beginner forager. You must be 150% certain that you have correctly identified a plant and certain that it's edible, before putting it in your mouth.
On all walks of 2.5 hours +, I will bring delicious tasters for you to enjoy, made using wild ingredients.
On my foraging walks you will get to know many amazing plants and the focus is on learning, not harvesting to take home. If you'd like to be gathering and processing, please either book a private session, or book onto to a Sunday Soul Session.
I love dogs, but these walks aren't suitable for energetic dogs due to the slow pace.
Please see the full cancellation and refund conditions here. Essentially, no refunds are given with 14 days or less notice from the date of the event.
Common Spring species that we may find, depending on the site, can include chickweed, Scots Pine, cleavers, red dead nettle, white dead nettle, cuckoo flowers, ribwort plantain, water mint, hawthorn blossom & leaves, yarrow, dandelions, red clover, ground ivy, wood sorrel, common sorrel, herb robert, wood avens, common hogweed, bramble, garlic mustard, nettles, daisy, linden leaves, primrose, sweet violet, hairy bittercress, golden saxifrage, greater stitchwort as well as many species of native trees.
Of course these can't be guaranteed and depend on what nature decides to present to us on the day!
Copyright © 2024 Joyful Outdoors - All Rights Reserved.