Wild Food UK Autumn Foraging Course (Shropshire)

*** THIS EVENT IS NOW FULLY BOOKED ***

There is an abundance of edible plants & mushrooms that grow in the UK! Knowing what you can & cannot eat from your local woods will enhance your walks as well as your diet. So why not learn how to find it on this half-day course run by the knowledgeable & experienced staff at Wild Food UK.

This course costs £60 per person - payable directly to Wild Food UK via its booking system

Wild Food UK aim to educate people about tasty edible wild plants, mushrooms, fruits, roots & flowers that they think everyone should be able to identify, pick & eat with confidence. This mid-October course is at the height of the mushroom foraging season & so the course is highly likely to be more focused around mushrooms.

Comer Woods is part of the beautiful Dudmaston Estate on the outskirts of Bridgnorth. This woodland’s mixture of pine, beech, ancient trees & well established meadow allows for a diverse range of plants & mushrooms to grow throughout the year.

This well situated venue is within easy reach of the West Midlands, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire & beyond.

I will meet you, our Wild Food UK expert guide & any other [non-Outdoorlads] attendees at the Comer Woods car park at 12pm promptly - please arrive in plenty of time to find & pay for parking etc.

• The course will start with a short introductory talk on the FORAGING CODE, what to look for & some general countryside codes as they relate to foragers.

• Then we’ll set off on a roughly 2.5 hour walk around the area; the guide will teach us how to identify different edible & poisonous plant, flower, fruit, nut & mushroom species that we find. We will also pick some edible foods for the meal at the end of the course.

• We will stop along the way for some seasonal homemade/pre-prepared refreshments and/or wild food treats such as our lovely hogweed & wild garlic soup, elderflower champagne or fruit leather.

• We will finish the day off with a lovely wild food meal based upon what we have found. All of the food is seasonal so what we make & eat depends upon recent weather & what is around at that time of year. This might range from fresh wild greens to wild berries or mushrooms.

• After the course, Wild Food UK will email you some course notes containing a list of everything spoken about on the day; to help you remember everything that you have learnt.

THIS COURSE IS SCHEDULED TO RUN FROM 12PM UNTIL 3:30PM (Note: 3:30pm is only an approximate finish time & depending on certain factors, the course could run until 4pm).

The course provider allows under 12 year olds to attend the course for free (a rare opportunity for Outdoorlads members with children to attend an event as a family). But, please do let Wild Food UK know how many will be coming in advance when you make your booking on their website.

Please check with Wild Food UK directly whether or not you can bring a well-behaved dog on a lead to this event.

Please remember to bring your own CUP for drinks during the walk as well as a PLATE & CUTLERY for the meal at the end of the course.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This course is open to the general public on a first-come-first-served basis. I, the leader, am booked on to the course myself & wanted to give Outdoorlads members the opportunity to join me in my interest in foraging. It is highly likely there will be adults [and perhaps children] who are not members of Outdoorlads on the course too; so keep in mind whether you are comfortable with this before making your booking with Wild Food UK. You can find Wild Food UK's Company Policies (including Equality & Diversity) HERE.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO TO BOOK THIS COURSE?

1. Explore the WILD FOOD UK website for further information on the course HERE

2. Book your place on the SHROPSHIRE - BRIDGNORTH - COMER WOODS - SUNDAY 15TH OCTOBER 2023 course HERE. (NOTE: THIS COURSE COSTS £60 PER PERSON - PAYABLE DIRECTLY TO WILD FOOD UK VIA THEIR BOOKING SYSTEM!)

3. Register for this ODL event only after your place on the course has been booked & paid for with WILD FOOD UK so that the leader knows you are booked on & attending.

4. PLACES ARE LIMITED ON THIS COURSE & THE NUMBER WHO CAN ATTEND MAY SUDDENLY INCREASE OR DECREASE DEPENDING UPON WHEN YOU BOOK ONTO THE COURSE. I STRONGLY ADVISE BOOKING SOONER RATHER THAN LATER AS THIS IS A POPULAR TIME OF YEAR FOR FORAGING COURSES!!!

IS THE EVENT FULLY BOOKED ALREADY?

IF THERE IS ENOUGH INTEREST WE CAN EXPLORE THE POSSIBILITY OF LEADING ADDITIONAL COURSES IN LOCATIONS AROUND THE UK IN THE FUTURE - PLEASE LET THE LEADER AND/OR OUTDOORLADS HEAD OFFICE KNOW IF THERE ARE A GROUP OF YOU IN A CERTAIN LOCATION INTERESTED IN SIMILAR COURSES.

It is essential that all members sign up through the event page to make sure the event leader has all information of the members attending.

If you have any questions or need any more information just get in touch with the event leader by clicking on their profile below, or take a look at the My First Event Page for more information.

PLEASE NOTE: Every person participating should be aware of & accept that those members perceived as ‘in charge’ or leading the event are not necessarily qualified, do not need to be qualified & are not regarded by Outdoorlads, or themselves, as ‘technical experts’ in wild food foraging.

***** THE FIRST RULE OF FORAGING IS NEVER EAT ANYTHING UNLESS YOU ARE 100% SURE IT IS SAFE - REMEMBER THE SAYING "NEVER MUNCH ON A HUNCH"!!! *****

All those attending the event must also be aware of Wild Food UK's own terms & conditions of participation & abide by them, along with any instructions given by the Wild Food UK staff.

Photos: Photos taken by Kevin Jones, & used with permission.

IMPORTANT! - Participation Statement

You MUST complete a Participation Statement, in addition to booking your event space before attending an OutdoorLads event. You only need to complete this Participation Statement once, not for each event you attend.