Open courses
My courses typically run between March and November. These dates are for scheduled wild food workshops and foraging walks, open to all.
You can also book a bespoke, corporate or private session with me for a larger group (usually min 6 adults), tailored to your requirements, subject to my availability. I don’t usually do private courses for individuals or couples, as my day rate is the same for one person as it is for many.
I’m also planning some more online foraging sessions, building on the ‘follow along’ live foraging events we enjoyed in previous years. Follow me on instagram to hear more about those in the coming weeks!
Spring 2022
Courses usually book up quickly, and are secured on payment. When a course is full, you can join the waiting list for any you would like to attend should any places become available later. Some courses are pure teaching (no food), others include foraged tasters, or even a wild meal! These are priced accordingly, check listing for details. See my updated full course terms too for COVID-safe events.
Gift vouchers
I can do gift vouchers for specific published dates (listed on this page) or I can do an open voucher valid for up to a year from the date of purchase. See my terms for info on vouchers and my courses.
Workshops, events and course dates
Autumn courses
Summer foraging course : Leeds, Yorkshire
Sat 25 June | 10:30-15:30 | £60
Join us for an introduction to summer greens, flowers, pods, trees & fungi in one of Leeds’ beautiful green spaces. We’ll go over robust ID skills and features of edibles (and how to tell them apart from any lookalikes) and go into fascinating folklore, flavours, recipes and uses for foraged wonders.
We’ll certainly be focused on plants for this course, although we may be lucky enough to spot some fab fungi too, plus you’re also bound to discover many of the ‘weeds’ in your garden are edible and tasty wild plants!
We’ll also discuss and learn to identify useful edible trees as well as ones that partner with certain mushrooms (either for now or to look for those mushroom on or near those trees later in the year!).
I’ll bring a few wild goodies for you to sample and to hopefully inspire about what wonderful treats we can make with foraged ingredients.
There is parking, and public transport also stops nearby.
Adults £60 | children (age 5-15) £15
Email me to book or for more information
Eat (and drink!) trees! : edible, useful & fungi-related tree ID workshop : Leeds, Yorkshire
Sun 26 June | 10:30-15:30 | £50
Join us for an introduction to edible & useful trees and all their myriad uses and benefits for the adventurous forager! We’ll be in one of Leeds’ beautiful green spaces for this workshop.
Tree ID is a vital segment of knowledge for avid wild foodies. Not only can we eat leaves, drink sap, infuse needles and munch on nutritious fruits & nuts, knowing our trees also opens up pathways to more targeted and successful mushroom hunting, as many delicious and sought-after fungi each only partner with or grow certain trees.
We’ll go over robust ID skills and features of some of the key British trees (and how to tell them apart from any lookalikes) and we’ll also go into fascinating folklore, flavours, recipes and uses for foraged wonders, from teas and cocktails, to medicine, to food & bushcraft uses.
We’ll also discuss any fungi we meet along the way as well as learning to identify trees that partner with certain desirable mushrooms (either for now or know to look for mushrooms on or near those trees later in the year!) even if some of those trees aren’t edible in themselves.
There is parking, and public transport also stops nearby.
Adults £50 | children (age 5-15) £10
Email me to book or for more information
Spring foraging course : Leeds, Yorkshire
Sun 3 April | 10:30-15:30ish | £50
Join us for an introduction to spring greens, buds, flowers, trees & fungi in one of Leeds’ beautiful green spaces.
This workshop is purely focused on teaching, giving maximum time to learning and a more relaxed pace to cover all the information in one day as we’re not stopping to cook this time. Suitable for beginners and more advanced folk, make the most of having me there to show more species and to reinforce our learning. There may still be some cheeky tasters nonetheless!
We’ll go over robust ID skills and features of edibles (and how to tell them apart from any lookalikes) and go into fascinating folklore, flavours, recipes and uses for foraged wonders.
We’ll focus mostly on plants for this course, although we may be lucky enough to spot some spring fungi too, plus you’re also bound to discover many of the ‘weeds’ in your garden are edible, nutritious and tasty! We’ll also discuss and learn to identify useful edible trees as well as ones that partner with certain mushrooms.
There is parking, and public transport also stops nearby.
Adults £50 | children (age 5-15) £15 (email to check suitability, it’s a long day for kids, a lot of it is down to their interests and personality rather than age as to whether they’ll enjoy it!)
Email me to book or for more information
Coastal seashore & cliff-top foraging course : east Yorkshire
Sat 16 April 2022 | 10:00-17:00 | £80 (Easter Saturday)
Join us for an introduction to the edible seashore, including seaweeds, cliff-dwelling plants, a few hedgerow species and we’ll also learn about shellfish, crustaceans & other seafood (though we won’t be harvesting any animals on this course).
After our wild food walk and seashore learning session, we’ll have an al fresco cook-up overlooking the beach as the tide comes back in, and though I will do my best to cater for all dietary needs, please note that the main food menu for this course will include cooking seafood / fish as well. If you wish to attend this course but not partake in the food, let me know as I can discount it accordingly.
We’ll go over robust ID skills and features of edibles (and how to tell them apart from any lookalikes) and go into fascinating folklore, flavours, recipes and uses for foraged inland & seashore wonders. You’re bound to discover many of the ‘weeds’ in your garden are edible and tasty, as well as the incredible nutrition & flavour seaweeds offer us!
There is parking, and there are public transport options available, though this may be tricky if you’re coming a longer distance, so you may wish to consider staying over the night before.
It’s a relatively early start due to the tide times (low tide is at 10:44am) so we’ll be doing the seaweed lesson first. Please also note this is easter weekend so everywhere will be quite busy, so arrive early if you can to park and find us 🙂
Adults £80 | children (age 5-15) £20
Email me to book or for more information
Forage & Feast with Lisa Cutcliffe (Edulis) and Jess Liddle (North & Wild) : Otley, Leeds, West Yorkshire
Sat 30 April | 11:00-20:00ish | £90 (all day) or £45 (river foray) £60 (chevin foray/dinner)
Join us for a special day foraging & feasting!
Beginning with an intensive and comprehensive introduction to spring edibles, in two separate locations in beautiful Otley, the forays will be followed by a wild feast and foraged drinks at a stunning house on the Chevin with outdoor ovens and cosy firepits!
About Jess Liddle, North & Wild
Jess has been running gorgeous supper clubs and private catering on Otley Chevin for years and is also an avid forager! I’m really excited to be teaming up with her to bring you this immersive day of wild food foraging and feasting in such a wonderful setting! You can find out more about North & Wild on Instagram
Riverside foray 11:00-14:00pm
The day starts with a riverside foray with experienced forager Lisa Cutcliffe (Edulis) learning about nature’s larder and all she can offer us to eat in late April. Suitable for beginners and more advanced folk, we’ll study and taste all sorts of greens, buds, flowers as we walk, as well as learning about edible trees & fungi, it’s an excellent intro to foraging for food.
Chevin foray 15:00-18:00
After a short break, we’ll then head to a beautiful spot on the side of Otley Chevin (a ridge overlooking the village, for those unfamiliar!) to learn about a second set of species and to gather ingredients for our foraged dinner. We’ll definitely hunt for St George’s mushrooms as it’s the perfect time for finding them. As this is private land, we’ll also have a go at excavating some edible roots which will be great fun!
Wild feast supper club dinner 18:00-20:00 (ish!)
As dusk falls, we’ll return to the terrace for drinks and to fire to the outdoor ovens, to prepare our wild salads and to relax around the firepits. Jess Liddle (North & Wild) will serve us a sumptuous meal packed with foraged flavours to accompany our own pickings from the day, a fantastic opportunity to see what delights you can make with wild ingredients in spring! The meal will cover all wild foods, including meats and seafood potentially, however there will be plenty of options to suit all dietary requirements. Lisa and Jess will be raiding their year-round wild stores for this so you’re in for a right treat, including umamified seaweeds and gourmet wild mushrooms in the mix, along with the fresh goodies we’ll collect on the day. We simply can’t wait!
Learning aims
We’ll go over robust ID skills and features of edibles (and how to tell them apart from any lookalikes) and go into fascinating folklore, flavours, recipes and uses for foraged wonders.
We’ll focus mostly on plants for this course, although we may be lucky enough to spot some spring fungi too, plus you’re also bound to discover many of the ‘weeds’ in your garden are edible, nutritious and tasty! We’ll also discuss and learn to identify useful edible trees as well as ones that partner with certain mushrooms.
Getting there
There is parking for both locations, and it would be helpful if you have your own transport for your party. Public transport also stops nearby to the first meeting place if necessary. This event is for adults only as it’s a long day. You can come for the full day (recommended!) or choose a half to join. Places are limited so don’t delay in booking.
All day ticket: £90
Riverside forage only: £45
Chevin foray & dinner only: £60
Email Lisa to book or for more information
Coastal seashore & cliff-top foraging course : north Yorkshire
Sat 21 May 2022 | 11:00-16:30 | £60
Join us just after the full moon for an introduction to the edible seashore, including seaweeds, cliff-dwelling plants, a few hedgerow species and we’ll also learn about shellfish, crustaceans & other seafood (though we won’t be harvesting any animals on this course). We’ll also have a cheeky look for jet and fossils on the beach!
We’ll go over robust ID skills and features of edibles (and how to tell them apart from any lookalikes) and go into fascinating folklore, flavours, recipes and uses for foraged inland & seashore wonders. You’re bound to discover many of the ‘weeds’ in your garden are edible and tasty, as well as the incredible nutrition & flavour seaweeds offer us! Low tide is at 15:00, hence the course duration being shifted a little later that day. This session is an intensive teaching session focused on the learning time. I will also bring some little tasters to enjoy alongside our own packed lunch on the beach!
There is parking, and there are public transport options available, though this may be tricky if you’re coming a longer distance, so in that case you may wish to consider staying over the night before.
Adults £60 | children (age 5-15) £15
Email me to book or for more information
Future dates
Plenty more course and event dates for 2022 will be going up in the next few weeks for this spring, and later on for the autumn events. I don’t have a mailing list but will always publicise new dates on my social media channels when announced, so do follow me!
COVID-safe events
Please note that in attending a course with me you’ll be expected to fully abide by current govt COVID rules, if any are still in place on the day, including keeping at least 2m distance from people not in your bubble etc. We won’t be doing communal food etc for the time being unless stated on the event listing. We’ll be focusing on teaching and learning, which is really what it’s all about anyway! We’ll get back to feasting as the restrictions around distancing relax : )
Reviews
Cooking courses
Freelance writer and blogger Jen Chillingsworth at little birdie joined my July ‘forage & cook’ day at the Get Cooking! kitchens in Leeds and reviewed her experiences of the day along with her beautiful photos:
Foraging & wild cooking day – Jen, little birdie
Spring courses
Food writer and photographer Joan Ransley joined my May wild food walk in Leeds and wrote about her experiences of the day for the Yorkshire Post and i-Paper, along with some of her gorgeous photos:
Urban foraging: how to find your dinner in a local park – Joan Ransley
Summer courses
Writer and blogger Dawn Nelson came to my riverside foraging walk through the Winchester water meadows in July 2015 and posted a review of the day, along with her lovely photos:
Foraging with Edulis : wild food – Dawn Nelson
Autumn courses
Photographer Mat Smith writes an account of his first foraging experience on my New Forest foray in September 2015, including some of his beautiful images from the day:
Fungi foray in the New Forest – Mat Smith
What to expect
My scheduled wild food courses are open to all.
The walk itself
The walks are usually a full day’s workshop, and you you needn’t be super-fit, with around 4-5 hours of very slow, easy walking with frequent stops to introduce you to interesting wild edibles & medicinals as we go along, with opportunities to taste things. Most walks are only a mile or so in length over the whole day. If a particular route is longer or more moderate in nature I will specifically state this on the listing. Sometimes we’ll all bring a packed lunch and have a rest to eat on the way round, sometimes we’ll cook our own wild lunch as part of the course.
Foraged tasters & cook-up (COVID permitting)
Some of my longer courses include an outdoor cook-up at the end (reflected the ticket price). For courses that include this, at the end of the walk we gather round to enjoy some foraged tasters together. We’ll be able to sample some plants and flowers raw as we go along, but the vast majority of wild mushrooms and some other plants should be cooked before eating so we’ll take the opportunity to have a cook-up of our finds and see what they’re like, along with wild teas, usually from plants we collected on the walk, homemade cheeses, chutneys & bread and maybe a wild salad or cake, it changes every time! I’ll also bring my homemade wild pickles, vinegars, syrups and infused booze for you to sample.
This usually takes another hour or so, allowing for chatting and questions and to have a look in my books and to sample other wild concoctions and things I’ve brought along for you try. I ask about dietary requirements as part of booking.
Weather
Come prepared for anything the great British weather might throw at us, I never cancel for a bit of rain or cold! We forage in all normal UK weathers. I would only cancel a course if the weather conditions are deemed unsafe rather than just inclement. Suitable clothing for the season is essential, waterproofs/warm clothing for the colder months, suncream/hat etc for the sunny days, and always come wearing good sturdy footwear to go foraging, wellies/waterproof boots if it’s likely to be muddy or if we’re going to look at seaweeds in the rockpools.
Prices
Prices vary depending on course length, venue and whether or not any food is included. Prices are specified on each listing further up this page. There’s usually a limited number of child and student places on each walk. You can redeem gift vouchers for open courses and you can pay the difference to top up your voucher value on more expensive special events if you like too.
How to book
Please email me at eduliswildfood@gmail.com telling me which course you’d like to book and for how many people and I’ll send you the payment details, payable by bank transfer.
Courses must be paid for in full in advance to secure your booking. For my refund and cancellation polices, have a look at my terms & conditions for foraging courses before booking on.
If you wish to redeem a gift voucher, please let me know this at the time of booking. If the course you wish to book is more than your voucher I’ll send you the payment details for top-up and booking. Any queries just get in touch!
Children
Children are most welcome and I love having them on my walks, their enthusiasm is wonderful and they are fantastic at spotting things!
All children must be accompanied by a parent or other responsible adult and will be in their care throughout the walk. There isn’t a lower age limit (unless specifically stated on the listing, most courses are open to all but very occasionally it’s adults only or not suitable for littlies). I leave it up to parents to judge whether their child can walk for a mile or so (or 3 miles for a couple of the Cumbria courses) over the 4-5 hours of the course and will follow safety instruction. I do sometimes do family foraging sessions which are 2 hours which are very suitable for children.
The terrain is mainly flat for Leeds courses but you might struggle with a pushchair in some locations, so please contact me first if you plan to bring one. A carrier might be more suitable for very young children. For the Cumbria and coastal courses and some others, the terrain can be steeper or more challenging and absolutely isn’t suitable for pushchairs or very young children. I do put this in the course information for the ones it’s relevant to, but if you’d like more detail on what to expect on the day for any particular course I’ve listed on my event calendar, then please do get in touch, I’m happy to tell you whatever I can about the route and plan for the day at that location!
Locations
I run courses all over the UK, predominantly in Yorkshire and Cumbria, also North Wales and Scotland, and sometimes Hampshire and the south coast too. I will also teach wherever I’m invited, even abroad! I do love to travel for foraging.
The exact timings, content and locations for my courses are confirmed on booking (or you can email me any time to ask) and I send out detailed joining instructions the week or two before the day of the course.
Wild food is incredibly seasonal and weather-dependant, so sometimes I may elect to change to a different location a few days before the course so that I will have more to show you, especially on the Leeds courses. This is very unusual but can happen! So I don’t usually specify exact locations when I first post up the course dates on my website as they may change.
Seasonality
I can find something edible to forage all year round, however I prefer to run courses in the months when nature’s larder is most bountiful and varied! I typically run courses March/April to October/November, depending on frosts.
Spring is great for fresh new greens, roots, flowers and tree ID. Crunchy common hogweed shoots, garlicy ramson buds, sweet-and-sour darwin’s barberry flowers and earthy-green nettle tops are abundant. If we’re lucky we may also find some of the first good edible fungi of the year such as st george’s mushrooms, morels and scarlet elf cups! Spring is also a rich time for seaweeds like pepper dulse and kelps before the relentless summer sun de-colours them, as well as gifting us super-low tides for shellfish such as cockles and razorclams (‘spoots’) on the sandy shores and mussels on the rocks.
Summer boasts greens, flowers and also the first fruits start to appear. Colourful cherry-plums, creamy pollen-covered elderflowers and fragrant beach-rose petals abound. With rain comes flushes of warm-loving fungi such as chicken of the woods, chanterelles and summer ceps. A few spring species are already turning to seed for us to enjoy, like wild garlic and alexanders. Saltmarshes on the coastal estuary mudflats are at their most perfect in mid-summer for marsh samphire, sea arrowgrass and other ready-salted succulents for us to sample.
Autumn is the best time for a wealth and variety of fungi and fruits, as well as seeds, roots and foliage, some of which can persist long into the winter, especially if it stays mild. Biennial plants such as burdock and wild carrot with their starchy roots are best harvested in the autumn of their first year. Rosehips, elderberries, hazelnuts, sloes and haws line every hedgerow like bright jewels. Annual seaweeds such as dulse and sea lettuce are fully grown in late summer/early autumn so it’s a great time to harvest those, plus game & shellfish return to the wild foodie’s menu.
Check out my Instagram feed, my Facebook page, and my blog to see what I’m finding right now and what’s coming into season shortly for you to look out for!
Terms and conditions
For further detail about the basis on which I offer my foraging courses, gift vouchers and other services, please see my terms and conditions page.
