The thought of foraging perhaps inspires a little bit of panic at the unknown, conjuring ideas about unidentifiable mushrooms, but pluck a perfectly juicy blackberry from a thorny bramble and you’re already halfway there. Our commitment to rewilding and maintaining hedgerows here in the Cotswolds rewards a countryside ramble with bushes which glisten at this time of year, heavy with jewel-toned fruits like sloes, rosehips and the last of the season’s blackberries. The low pollution and varied landscape provides a haven of high-quality natural produce, with edible herbs, nuts, berries and mushrooms available to those who know where to look. Foraging connects us to nature in a way that is becoming increasingly rare these days, but look a little closer and you will be richly rewarded.
Firstly, it’s crucial to approach foraging with both respect and knowledge. Take only what you need, leaving plenty for the wildlife who need it and never harvest from the roots. Ensure you’re only foraging on public footpaths and bridleways as much of the land here is privately owned by farmers. Only eat what you can identify and pay attention to the seasonal rhythms so you only pick what is at its best. Unless you are an experienced forager, it’s best to stay away from fungi as there are poisonous varieties here in the UK, but there is plenty of information out there about approaching mushroom picking safely if you want to learn more. A stroll through the ancient woodlands with a basket in hand can quickly be rewarded with forest riches, ready to stock your pantry for winter and provide delights for your Sunday table.
Autumn’s Offerings
Blackberries - Nature’s best bribery at encouraging little ones along on their walk, the first ripening blackberries signal that summer is winding down. At their best when large and glossy, blackberries should be easy to pluck from their stem when ripe, just watch out for thorns. Muddle blackberries with 1 tbsp of sugar syrup and the juice of a lemon and shake with 50ml of gin, before straining over ice.
Apples and Pears - Look out for gnarled apple and pear trees offering a glorious array of shapes, sizes and flavours this autumn. Friendly neighbours will often put out buckets of windfall fruits to passersby, a tradition which feels so inherently countryside. If you can’t decide between a pie or a crumble, why not combine the two with an Apple Crumble Pie, in which the traditional pastry lid is replaced with a generous layer of crumble.
Rosehips - Rich with vitamin C and antioxidants, rosehips appear after the final buds have finished flowering. They create beautifully fragrant jellies and syrups and are abundant in the Cotswolds hedgerows. Simmer rosehips for 2 hours until softened, adding a roughly equal amount of halved crabapples for the last 15 mins. Strain through muslin over a bucket or large pan, hang up the muslin and leave to drip through overnight. In the morning, bring mixture to boil with equal amount of sugar and the juice of a lemon, boiling until it passes the wrinkle test.
Sweet Chestnut - Resembling a conker but with a collection of smaller nuts inside (and do be careful not to confuse the two, as conkers are inedible), the sweet chestnut is abundant at this time of year. Score each chestnut with an ‘X’ shape on the flat and roast until the shells split and the inside is tender. Eat them warm from the shell as the ultimate autumn treat.
Sloes - A colour so deep and distinctive, sloes are a delight to find on an autumnal walk. Famous for their sloe gin, but equally delicious in jams or jellies, sloes are intensely bitter eaten raw, but transform into something rich and plum-like when cooked or preserved. Place sloe berries in the freezer first to pop the skins and allow the flavours to escape, before combining roughly 500g sloes with 1 litre gin and 250g sugar. Seal and shake, leaving to infuse for 3 months, shaking regularly. Strain, decant and share with friends.
Elderberry - As the distinct frothy flowers of elderflowers turn into clusters of dark berries, the floral sweetness of the flower transforms into something far richer and fruitier. Though poisonous when eaten raw, when cooked they become a rather nice and unexpected syrup. Simmer the berries (plucked from their stalk) with equal parts sugar and half their volume water for 15 minutes. Strain and store in a sterilised bottle.
Hawthorns - With tones that shout ‘Christmas is coming’, hawthorn’s green bushy leaves and merry bunches of jewel-red berries are a joy to spot in a hedgerow. Tasting vaguely apple-like with a more tart flavour, haw berries are lovely in a dessert or even salad - just avoid the pips. For a fruity haw berry tea, steep the berries in boiling water overnight, strain and enjoy.
Autumn foraging naturally leads to preserving, an act once essential for survival over winter but now something that bonds us through time past with the generations before us. The simple act of exploring our surroundings, gathering, following the rhythms of nature and turning it into sustenance to see us through the cooler months transforms ingredients into memories, each one bottling a certain moment in time. That rosehip jelly becomes an evening walk in early September, returning with every spoonful. The blackberry crumble ingeniously stashed away in the freezer takes us back to summer ramblings that seem so far away in the depths of winter. Perhaps that’s the gift of foraging - not the food itself but the bonding with the landscape it provides. In the age of year-round food available at our fingertips, the act of foraging reminds us that often the best produce comes when they arrive at their proper season, gathered by hands we know and love.
Want to know more about foraging? Find out more with these useful links below:
https://www.cotswoldforager.co.uk/upcoming-events
https://cotswoldsworkshops.com/?s=&etn_event_location=&etn_categorys=49&post_type=etn