THE FEASTING FORAGER
We speak to Liz Knight, wild-food chef and author of beautiful new book Forage, about her culinary influences and the tastiest wild plants to look for in springtime
Tell us a bit about where you live.
I live in the Black Mountains, the hills that straddle England and Wales; a sparsely populated area of the country with lots of small farms and even more hedgerows.
What’s different about Forage from other foraging guides? What can readers expect?
Forage is a modern-day guide to 50 of the most easy to identify and globally used plants. It includes 150 recipes designed for how we eat today. Just as our modern diets are globally influenced, many of the recipes in the book reflect how wild plants are cooked and eaten across the world.
What is your favourite thing to find and eat from the wild?
Wild food provides a changing feast of flavours and most foragers hanker for the thing newly in season. Right now, I’m longing for the moment tree sap starts rising for a thirstquenching drink of birch sap.
What are the best things to gather in early spring (March and April)?
From early spring, wild food grows in abundance. Popular plants to gather are nettles and wild garlic but there are many more to discover. Try adding garlic mustard leaves into a sauce, stir spruce tips through rhubarb, or earthy cleavers in a carrot salad. Don’t just gather from plants; trees such as blackthorn and hawthorn have edible blossoms and leaves you can gather in spring.
What is the most amazing discovery you’ve made on a walk?
Years ago, I stumbled across an ancient, fallen crab apple tree that was attached to the ground by a single root. Each year I expect it to die but, without fail, each year it is laden with fruit; its resilience (and fruit) continually amazes me.
What advice would you give parents trying to get children to explore the countryside and try new tastes?
I asked my children this question and they answered, with “bribery and threats” – I think they were joking but I can’t be sure. If you want your child to enjoy nature, all they need is adult reassurance that they will enjoy it. Lead by example, play with them and show them how much you enjoy being outside and in nature.
Which rural issue needs to be addressed most urgently?
Sustainable farming practices are vital in the fight to reverse soil degradation and biodiversity decline, and ultimately to slow climate change. I’m evangelical about foraging because eating the plants most people regard as weeds is the most sustainable way to eat.