Hampshire, South Downs Spring Foraging Courses

AVAILABILITY & BOOKING



Available Dates Available Spaces Time Location
Friday 5th Apr 2024 Spaces: 0 12:00pm to 15:30pm (Approx End) Queen Elizabeth Country Park Visitor Centre Click here for details and to book
Sunday 21st Apr 2024 Spaces: 0 12:00pm to 15:30pm (Approx End) Queen Elizabeth Country Park Visitor Centre Click here for details and to book
Friday 31st May 2024 Spaces: 0 12:00pm to 15:30pm (Approx End) Queen Elizabeth Country Park Visitor Centre Click here for details and to book
Wednesday 12th Jun 2024 Spaces: 11 12:00pm to 15:30pm (Approx End) Queen Elizabeth Country Park Visitor Centre Click here for details and to book


ABOUT THE COURSE

This impressive 1,400 acre Country Park sits in the midst of the South Downs and includes a mixture of open grassland, dramatic downland and vast woodlands. This provides a diverse habitat for a wide range of wild plants and mushrooms to flourish throughout the year. Opened by The Queen in 1976, the park was once called Buriton Forest and hosts the highest point on the South Downs National Park at Butser Hill.
Queen Elizabeth Country Park is situated just north of Waterlooville, with the A272 to the North and the A27 to the South. It is within easy reach of Portsmouth, Winchester, Chichester, Fareham and Eastleigh.

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

Heading off at a leisurely pace around the park, 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.

We will meet in the car park outside the Visitor Centre, or at the Bottom Field depending on the time of year. Please check below and on the individual course page to find your meeting point.





COURSE LOCATION

Queen Elizabeth Country Park Visitor Centre
South Downs Way
Waterlooville
PO8 0QE



WHERE TO MEET

We will be meeting in the Visitor Centre car park outside the Visitor Centre for our Spring and Summer courses. 

In Autumn our meeting point will be at the Bottom Field, not at the Visitor Centre. Once you pass the entry gate, simply drive forward along the road and you will arrive to Bottom Field in a few seconds. Once the road bends to the left the Bottom Field will be the grass area on the right. You can park your car in the field (the grass area is actually a parking space). If you arrive early and park by the Visitor Centre, the Bottom Field is only a short walk away through the meadow (roughly 300m/275yards)

The number of seats available is limited, but guests are welcome to bring picnic mats or chairs.

*Please note that there is a parking charge to park at Queen Elizabeth Country Park which changes depending on season. You can find the parking charge on their website here.