Pick to Picnic Foraging Walk

On this pick to picnic foraging walk you will explore the area of Benbow pond, Oaters hill and Broomhilll plantation and the surrounding hills and forests to discover the wonderful world of wild food we have all around us. This will be a 2-3 hour walk.

George will guide you through these different habitats and you will share the experience of seeing the world through the eyes of a forager. You will learn the what, where, how and when of each species to give you an idea of the seasonal variables as well as what to look out for when foraging for any individual examples. George hopes to show you that every living thing has a story to tell, and the beauty of foraging is understanding these in order to be a thoughtful forager with the knowledge to sustainably pick a range of seasonal wild edibles.

Once you have walked up an appetite George will guide you to a wild spot where you will be given a moment to rest, reflect and the opportunity to prepare and cook the wild foods you picked. The aim of this exercise is to show how accessible foraging is to everyone and how to best balance and showcase the fantastic, often complex, flavours within our native landscape.

Note: To keep the picnic spots we use pristine and to minimise impact, cooked food will be prepared on a small gas stove and we will just use what the surroundings have to offer for seating.

Difficulty of terrain: Easy, flat public pathways, accessible for everyone

Length of walk: 2 – 3 hours, followed by a 1 hour picnic

Please wear footwear that is suitable for undulating terrain. Click here to find out more about Foraging at Cowdray.

George will vary walk locations around the Estate to give you the best walk which encapsulates the season. Please see the reminder email sent out before the event to get exact start location to your walk. 

Meet George, Cowdray’s Forager:

George has been foraging and using wild foods for some years, supplying the freshest foraged wild edibles to some of the country’s top restaurants, chefs and food establishments.

After years of being immersed in the ‘wild’ himself, George now focuses on encouraging others to appreciate the significance of our native countryside, and how we can enjoy and protect it for future generations.

Over his years of foraging George has accrued an in-depth knowledge of our countryside, its diverse habitats and the variety of plants and fungi each contains. He has covered the length and breadth of the country from the Scottish Highlands to the moors and coasts of Cornwall, in search of new native edibles as well as sustainable sources to pick them. Working closely with chefs consulting on what, when and how to use each ingredient to best showcase them has led George to be featured on programmes like BBC’s Saturday Kitchen, following the journey from the forests and fields to fork. George now hopes to inspire you on your own adventure of discovery.