Foraging Walk at Harewood House

The search for wild food resources

Guided walks are around the Harewood House festival site in a small group. They last around 45 minutes to 1hr and start at 10am, 11.15am, 12.30, 2pm and 3.15pm. It’s no problem for walks to be pushchair or wheelchair friendly.

What exactly IS a foraging walk? It’s an easy stroll, suitable for all ages and abilities (including children), taking in the many varieties of plants and fungi that are edible, medicinal or which can even be used for cosmetic purposes. In addition, our foragers are experts on garden plants which can also be eaten. These taster walks are a real eye-opener; you’ll see your surroundings in a completely different light, even in such a short space of time.

Christopher Holdham foraging

Join one of the UK’s only accredited foragers from Totally Wild UK to learn the amazing art of foraging through the UK’s hedgerows, woodlands and flower meadows. During your family friendly and foody inspired walk you will be shown a range of wild edible plants, how to find them, identify them safely, harvest them and turn them in to truly outstanding dishes. whilst on the walk you will be able to try a range of premade wild food tasters from jams to syrups, cordials and salts.

Our foragers can normally be found at the information point, or you can ask there for details.

Who said there’s no such thing as a free lunch in Leeds?

You’ve heard of hunter-gatherers? Well, foraging for wild plants is the ‘gathering’ part of the equation. Wherever we are – even in cities – we are surrounded by plants which are essential to our lives, having edible, medicinal or cosmetic use. The problem is that, in general, the knowledge about plants which was once a part of our everyday lives has been forgotten. When people come on a foraging walk with us, we’ve noticed that time and time again when talking about a certain plant, memories are triggered; something mentioned, maybe by a grandparent long ago, is suddenly recalled.

Foraging itself is enjoying a resurgence. The best chefs in the world employ foragers to give interest to their recipes. Wild plants considered to be weeds have become a premium commodity, reserved in many cases for the very wealthy. If you come on a foraging walk with us, we guarantee that you’ll be astonished at the variety of plants – some of them quite literally under your feet – which are useful, delicious, natural and free to those in the know! Our foragers are also experts on the qualities of ‘cultivated’ or garden plants which are also edible.