Why we’re foraging wild: How influencers show how to save a fortune by collecting free groceries (without breaking the law)…
- Influencer Fern Freud teaches people to look for mushrooms and berries
- The 30-year-old runs workshops on eradicating edible plants in West Sussex
Influencers are teaching people how to hunt for mushrooms, berries and herbs – saving them hundreds of pounds on grocery bills when the cost-of-living crisis bites.
Although winter does not offer the best harvest, some nuts and berries can be found, as well as black trumpet mushrooms which retail at £5.99 per 30 grams and chanterelles which cost £7.99 per 40 grams.
West Sussex-based food influencer Fern Freud, 30, runs workshops and classes teaching people how to root out, cook and preserve edible plants.
Candied rosehip berries, elderberry balsamic glaze, and sweet pear and chestnut tarts are some of the seasonal “wild recipes” she recommends on her Instagram page and in her upcoming book, Wild Magic.
Fern’s Instagram account, ForagedbyFern, has more than 100,000 followers, while her TikTok videos have garnered close to 500,000 likes
Fern’s Instagram account, ForagedbyFern, has more than 100,000 followers, while her TikTok videos have garnered close to 500,000 likes.
In season, the up-and-coming businesswoman also offers truffle hunting workshops with trained dogs, when customers are invited to taste freshly collected truffles and enjoy a delicious “truffle shavings lot” lunch.
Fern said, “I didn’t have a lot of money when I was in college, and collecting taught me to find delicious groceries for free that would otherwise cost huge sums of money in organic markets and high-end stores.”
Meanwhile, former Michelin-star chef and MasterChef nominee Christian Amys, 40, has founded UrbanForage, a business that offers its customers food-hunting workshops for between £15 and £80.
People are taught to collect food ethically and legally before the French-trained chef prepares a meal from the ingredients collected. Acorns, pepper dumplings and triangular leeks are some of the foods foragers might spot in January and February.
Bloody Marys made from the stalk of an Alexander plant – similar to celery – and leek and potato soup made from leeks are among winter recipes he likes.
The 30-year-old teaches people how to source, cook and preserve the best edibles
Christian has almost 100,000 followers on TikTok and his videos have earned him over 350,000 likes. He said: “Seeing ingredients being gathered in professional kitchens fueled my passion for foraging. Fifty percent of the food I eat now is collectibles, which I fill up with a few store-bought foods: mostly meat, some canned goods, sauces, and condiments.
“I no longer buy herbs – especially wild marjoram and parsley – because I can get them for free in nature.
“My customers tell me they stop buying samphire because it’s so expensive – £5 a punnet.
“Why pay for this when you can search for it for free?”
Fresh food inflation hit 15 percent in December, up from 14.3 percent in November, according to the British Retail Consortium.