There are
many things worse to do on a hot summer’s eve, than walk around a peaceful lake
and parkland, drinking wine and eating home-made foods. Better still is when
you are waking around being shown where to forage the items to make your own
version of the foods you are making!
Junes’
foraging workshop saw Claire Hanley-Opik taking our lovely ladies for a stroll
around Roundhay Park while teaching us all about the free foods all around us
with a handy hand out recipe guide to help us on our way. The below is by no
way, a comprehensive list of what we saw as the choices were indeed fine.
A few paces
into the park sees you greeted by cherry, walnut and lime trees (not the green
citrus, the UK flowering tree from which cordials can be made).
She was
also able to identify for us mustard garlic herb, hiding behind some nettles
with its dainty leaves and white flowers..which is the less overpowering salad
add in for those wanting just a hint of garlic, alongside a few items that were
edible but were “an acquired taste” which it turns out, means it tastes
dreadful and may be one for the true survivalists. Thus I chose not to
remember that they could be eaten less I try again!
A short
walk further and we reached the lake, which has overgrown areas on the teahouse
side filled with blackberry bushes, sorrel and more surprisingly as Claire
pointed out, wild raspberry canes….and yes I did manage to get back and get
some when they came into season!! Further around the lake and there was a stop
and gather moment on the wild garlic front while sampling some lovely home-made
blackberry wine, just in case you get fed up with pies, jam and strudels! Very
tasty.
The walk
ended with a traditional classic at a Sloe berry bush, giving the ladies a
chance on how to spot this classic wild fruiter, ready to start raiding
their local trees when they fruit in autumn to make that classic, Sloe Gin!
All in all
a fabulous fivers worth of foraging food frolics! Claire also has a blog and has written about this outing, find out more here:
