Herefordshire, Eastnor Castle Foraging Courses

Our foraging courses will be held around the Eastnor Castle Deer Park, a beautiful 300 acre parkland overlooking the surrounding countryside and the Malvern Hills. We will also be walking into the Eastnor Castle grounds, with its mixture of mature park and wooded areas.

The arboretum contains vintage Yews and exotic Victorian trees, including ‘the most magnificent collection of cedars in the British Isles’. The meadows and hedgerows give shelter to many wild plants and with such a range of large old trees, we expect to find a good number of associated fungi, in season.

Located on the outskirts of Ledbury, this well-situated venue is within easy reach of Malvern, Bromyard, Hereford, Worcester, Ross on Wye, Cheltenham and Gloucester. 

Our courses begin with a short introduction to Wild Food UK, what to expect from your day and a brief summary of the general countryside codes, including our Foraging Code.

Heading off at a leisurely pace around the grounds, your instructor will teach you how to safely identify the different species of edible and poisonous plants and mushrooms that you discover.

This exploration will take about 2.5hrs, during which we’ll take a break for a homemade refreshment, such as our warming Hogweed & Wild Garlic soup or Elderflower Champagne!

After the walk we will end the day with a tasty wild food meal. This will include a selection of foraged homemade treats created by your instructor, and a dish made with what we have collected during the walk.

All of our food is seasonal, so what you are served depends on what is growing at that time of year. In Spring we will be making use of the fresh wild greens and in Autumn, the array of tasty wild mushrooms that the area has to offer.

You will receive a comprehensive set of Wild Food UK ‘Course Notes’ a few days after your course. This email will contain links and articles relating to the plants and mushrooms we discovered or discussed during the day.

If you’re looking to make a weekend of it why not stay in one of the beautiful White House Cottages in rural Herefordshire! 

The Woodshed
Eastnor Deer Park
Eastnor
Ledbury
Herefordshire
HR8 1RA

We will be meeting outside The Woodshed, which is in the Woodyard entrance to Eastnor Deer Park, and can be accessed from the A438 Tewkesbury Road, 2.5 miles east of Ledbury.

Follow the brown tourist signs for Eastnor Castle, then look out for ‘The Woodshed’ signs, as you approach the castle walls.

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