IT’S THE ANTITHESIS OF the ready-meal, with no premixed gloop, no additives (except maybe some soil), and packaging courtesy of Mother Nature. Foraging for food and then magicking it into a meal, is the most satisfying way to eat. Foraging helps you tune into nature and the changing seasons to gain a sense that this is how eating used to be. Plus, there’s also a cave-person smugness in knowing that, if all the supermarkets disappeared tomorrow, you could fend for yourself.
Autumn is bonanza-time for foragers as fruits ripen, berries appear, and mushrooms sprout overnight from the damp ground - you need only keep your eyes open and a basket at the ready. The seas and rivers offer a catch of wild fish such as mackerel and salmon, while the coastline can be combed for shellfish and edible seaweed.
Sometimes a professional guide can help point you in the right direction but, usually, asking locals for tips will be enough to get you harvesting the region’s specialities for a couple of hours. Just make sure you know what you’re picking, and take only what you will eat. There are plenty of other two- and four-legged foragers who will be relying on that same wild bounty.