Suffolk, Thetford Forest Spring Foraging Courses

AVAILABILITY & BOOKING



Available Dates Available Spaces Time Location
Friday 17th May 2024 Spaces: 0 12:00pm to 15:30pm (Approx End) St Helen’s Picnic Site Click here for details and to book
Saturday 18th May 2024 Spaces: 0 11:00am to 14:30pm (Approx End) St Helen’s Picnic Site Click here for details and to book
Sunday 19th May 2024 Spaces: 0 12:00pm to 15:30pm (Approx End) St Helen’s Picnic Site Click here for details and to book
Friday 21st Jun 2024 Spaces: 9 12:00pm to 15:30pm (Approx End) St Helen’s Picnic Site Click here for details and to book
Saturday 22nd Jun 2024 Spaces: 0 11:00am to 14:30pm (Approx End) St Helen’s Picnic Site Click here for details and to book


ABOUT THE COURSE

Thetford Forest is the largest man made lowland forest in England. Planted in 1920 to re-boost the UK’s timber stocks after WW1, it contains mostly Corsican and Scots pine, with a good mix of broadleaf trees too. The St. Helens Picnic Site location within this great forest is where we’ll be enjoying our course, and is within easy reach of Downham Market, Bury St Edmunds, Norwich and even Cambridge.

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 Foragers 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.

Please note that on the small chance that there are forest operations, or car park works taking place in the St. Helen’s picnic site area, we will let you know of an alternative meeting point.  

***subject to Permit approval from Forestry England ***





COURSE LOCATION

St Helen’s Picnic Site
Santon Downham
Brandon
Suffolk
IP27 0TJ



WHERE TO MEET

At the St Helen’s Picnic Site.

Please note that using the postcode alone will not take you directly to St Helen’s Picnic Site, so you need to familiarise yourself with its position on this map too.

The toilet facilities here are closed, but you can use the toilet block at the nearby Santon Downham car park by the Forest Offices if required.