Wild food Sybil Kapoor Taking a walk on the wild side and foraging for food is a great way to enjoy nature's bounty - and get some fresh air at the same time. Here's how to forage without living dangerously.

In this article

Be prepared Picking safely Staying within the law

Spring shoots Summer flowers

Autumn berries Recipes

Many rural cooks regard the British countryside as an extension of their larder. These days they're being joined by an enthusiastic band of urban cooks who derive intense pleasure from gathering food for free.

David Thorp, Recreation and Public Affairs Officer for the Forestry Commission in England, has noticed the increase in wild food-related events in recent years. "People have become far more interested in foraging for food" he says. "They see wild food being routinely used by television chefs such as Rick Stein, but people also enjoy foraging out of sense of nostalgia for the past. It allows them to have a direct link with nature."

Keen foragers should take to the woods with the right equipment: a bag or two (plastic is best) and a stout walking stick that can be used to pull down laden branches or to fight off brambles, plus tough gloves for picking nettles or sloes.

Novices should carry a plant guide, and if possible, find a more knowledgeable fellow enthusiast. A poisonous plant guide is also useful for double-checking food before cooking. Remember that not all parts of the same plant are safe to eat.

If you want to go on an organised plant or fungi forage, the Forestry Commission website should be your first port of call.

As the boundaries between town and country become increasingly blurred it's important to follow basic guidelines:

• Never pick wild food from heavily polluted areas or old industrial sites.
• Avoid hedgerows near heavy traffic or boundaries that may have been inadvertently sprayed by drifting pesticide.
• Wash foraged food thoroughly before eating it, regardless of where it's grown.

It's also sensible not to pick low-growing plants along paths popular with dog walkers, for obvious reasons; young nettle tops from along a busy canal path are best ignored, but high-growing elderflowers are perfectly safe.

If you're not 100 per cent certain that you've identified the plant you're picking as one that's safe to eat, don't pick it.

It's important to show respect for landowners, other foragers and the land itself. Never uproot a wild plant without permission from the landowner (to do so is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981).

Only pick as much as you need or can use and make sure you're not preventing the plant from reproducing by taking too much at one time. Be certain not to disturb the habitat of birds or other animals while foraging.

For rules and further tips on picking safely see The Food Standards Agency's website. A list of plants protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 can be found on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee website and there’s useful advice on the Code of Conduct on the Wildflower Society's website.

• Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) loves damp woods and shady hedgerows. Pick leaves and flowers while young and tender in March. The torn leaves can be eaten in salads or cooked in soups and sauces. The flowers can be added to salads or deep fried in a tempura batter.
• Nettles (Urtica dioica) usually appear in March. Wear rubber gloves and pick the young sprouts and tender tops until about mid-May. By June nettles are too bitter and fibrous to be palatable. Their spinach-like taste is delicious in spring soups or stuffed in ravioli with ricotta.
• Wood sorrel (Oxalis acetosella) grows throughout Britain in woods and shady places. Its pretty lime-green leaves contain oxalic acid and oxalates. These give them a sharp lemony taste that's good in salads, but eat in moderation - they can have toxic effects in large quantities. It's normally picked in the spring.
• Marsh samphire (Salicornia europaea) turns the tidal mud flats around the coast green in spring. It's usually picked from June until August. After thorough washing, it can be eaten raw or briefly blanched in unsalted boiling water. Use in salads or as a vegetable, particularly with fish.

• Elder (Sambucus nigra) shrubs flower in June and July depending on how far north it's growing. Pick the flowers early in the morning when fragrant and fresh. Dip in cool water to remove insects and leave to dry on kitchen paper. Cook with fruit or infuse into custards and syrups. Their Muscat flavour is wonderful with gooseberries.
• Meadowsweet (Filipendula ulmaria) grows widely throughout the British Isles. It prefers damp wet pasture and flowers from June to October. Infuse its honey-tasting flowers into wine cups and fragrant syrups for summer puddings.
• Lime or Linden trees (Tilia europaea) flower in June and July. Their clusters of creamy flowers are heavily scented and make a delicious tea if dried. Pick just above the wing-like bract, spread out to dry on trays and leave for 2-3 weeks in a warm airy room.

• Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus) fruit is best picked in August and September although the berries will continue to ripen into November. Eat the best berries fresh in summer puddings, ice cream, pavlova and fruit crumbles, then preserve the excess in jams and jellies, or freeze.
• Rowan or Mountain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia) is common in dry woods, scrub and mountains. It bears scarlet orange berries from August to November but these are best picked while still firm in October. Cook with apples to make a superlative bittersweet jelly for game and lamb.
• Elder (Sambucus nigra) shrubs fruit in August and September. Its purple berries can be turned into wonderful jellies and cordials that taste similar to port. Both can be used to great effect in fruit pies and game sauces. Caution: raw elderberries are poisonous as are the root and thick stems of elder, so do not consume these parts.
• Sloe or Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) grows mainly in England, Wales and Ireland. Its small blue-black fruit can be picked in September and October, preferably after the first frost. The fruit, though very tannic, tastes intensely of plum when sweetened and makes wonderful syrup, jelly and gin.

Put the fruits of your labours to flavourful effect with these recipes:

Spring shoots

• Rick Stein’s Steamed monkfish with wild garlic and ginger
• Oliver Rowe’s Mutton chops with bread sauce and wild garlic
• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s risotto of nettles and wild herbs
• Martin Blunos’s Sea bass with scallops and nettles
• Matt Tebbutt’s Sea trout and soused vegetables with cockles and wood sorrel
• Rick Stein’s Grilled sea bass with beurre blanc and marsh samphire

Summer flowers

• Lotte Duncan's Elderflower cordial
• Emma Crowhurst’s Gooseberry and elderflower fool

Autumn berries

• Gerard Baker's Sloe gin
• BBC Good Food magazine's Blackberry muffins
• Bill Granger's Blackberry butter
• Lesley Waters' Chunky apple and blackberry crumble - watch video (non-video version available)