My Wild Summer Hunt: Three Ways I've Been Raiding Nature's Pantry

By HOAR Team 31 July, 2025 6 mins read 267 Views

Listen, I never thought I'd become one of those people who gets genuinely excited about finding free food in hedgerows.

But here we are. Last weekend I dragged my kids out for what I called "treasure hunting" (they weren't buying it until I mentioned we might find ingredients for jam). Turns out, right now is basically Christmas morning if you know where to look in the British countryside.

Just don't be that person who trespasses on someone's land or strips entire bushes bare, yeah? There's an unspoken forager's code, and breaking it makes you look like a proper amateur.

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The Berry Gold Rush Has Started

Blackberry season kicked off early this year – I'm talking proper dark purple beauties that stain your fingers and taste like childhood summers. My mate Sarah bet me £15 that I couldn't find enough for a decent crumble without buying a single punnet from the shops.

Challenge accepted.

You'll spot brambles literally everywhere once you start looking. Country lanes, wasteland, even those scrubby bits behind car parks that nobody pays attention to. The trick? Go for the ones so dark they're almost black – the red ones will make your face scrunch up like you've bitten into a lemon.

Pro tip from someone who learned the hard way: wear long sleeves. Those thorns are vicious little things, and I spent twenty minutes last Tuesday picking prickles out of my forearms like some sort of botanical porcupine.

Elderberries are having their moment too. Look for those droopy purple clusters hanging off Elder trees – they're perfect for making cordial that actually tastes better than the fancy stuff from Waitrose (don't tell my mother-in-law I said that).

Your Garden "Weeds" Are Lying to You

This is where things get weird.

Remember those plants your dad spent every Saturday morning cursing at and trying to dig up? Half of them are edible. I felt pretty stupid when I realized I'd been paying £3 for rocket leaves while yanking dandelions out of my flower beds.

The Woodland Trust (bless them) confirmed what my slightly eccentric neighbor Margaret had been telling me for years – greater plantain is actually decent eating. Those oval leaves with the obvious veins? Blanch them, then sauté with butter. Tastes a bit like spinach's more interesting cousin.

Young dandelion leaves work brilliantly in salads if you can get past the mental block of eating "weeds." And nettles? God, I wish someone had told me years ago that they're basically a superfood hiding in plain sight.

Just wear gloves unless you enjoy feeling like you've been attacked by tiny electric needles. The tips taste best – make tea or soup. My kids were genuinely impressed when I served them "foraged nettle soup" (I may have oversold the adventure aspect).

Tree Treasure

Crab apple trees are everywhere in Britain, and right now through autumn they're dropping serious hints about harvest time.

The fruit goes this gorgeous red-orange when it's ready, and while you can't just bite into them like regular apples (trust me on this one), they make the most incredible jelly. The Woodland Trust has this recipe that creates something so beautiful it glows like amber – perfect on toast or with roast pork.

I spent £47 on fancy preserves at a farmers market last month. Now I'm making my own from trees that grow wild down the road.

The irony isn't lost on me.

Don't Be an Idiot About This

Seriously though – only pick what you can identify with absolute certainty. There's a reason people have been studying this stuff for generations, and "it looks a bit like the thing in the picture" isn't good enough when you're talking about putting unknown plants in your mouth.

The Woodland Trust website (woodlandtrust.org.uk) has proper photos and recipes that won't leave you second-guessing yourself. Use it.

Take only what you need, leave plenty for wildlife, and for the love of all that's holy, don't strip entire bushes clean. We're sharing this space.

My kids are already planning next weekend's "treasure hunt." Sarah owes me £15, and I've got enough blackberries to make three crumbles.

Sometimes the best things in life really are free – you just have to know where to look.

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