Two of the mantras uttered by the delightfully eccentric Tom Radford are ‘when the zombies come, head towards the sea’ and ‘never eat wild watercress’.
An expert forager, this is a man who can tell you which plants will make for a nice lunchtime salad – and which will kill you.
It might sound all rather intimidating but I haven’t embarked on a perilous mission through the wilderness.
Instead, I’m staying at Bovey Castle, a five-star hotel in the heart of Dartmoor in Devon, learning how to forage as part of PoB Hotels’ Blooming Britain programme – a series of events spotlighting the great outdoors.
Garden tours and seasonal flower workshops will follow later this summer, but it’s kicking off with Tom’s session, ‘The Wild Larder: A Foraging Walk and Lunch’.
Recently voted Large Hotel of the Year by VisitEngland, Bovey Castle is spectacular, surrounded by immense grounds and has an old English feel.
But I’m not here simply to luxuriate.
At The Wild Larder: A Foraging Walk and Lunch, Erin joins the group walk through Bovey’s grounds
The scenery is magnificent, and the views of the hotel from the grounds are stunning
Bovey Castle was voted Large Hotel of the Year by VisitEngland
Studies show how time in nature is good for our wellbeing – and since the pandemic a growing number of people have taken to the wilds not only for their health but also to learn how to identify food and eat seasonally.
Indeed, foraging might inspire images of outdoorsy types scavenging for morsels of ‘safe-to-eat’ mushrooms, but the reality is far more sensible.
From medicinal plants to alternatives to spinach, many of the plants and fungi you can find in our forests have more purposes than one.
Tom says: ‘The most dangerous plant is hemlock. It can easily be mistaken for hogweed, which is not risky – 200 years ago, you had to know this stuff or you would die.’
I find myself quickly enthused by all this new information. Herb Robert, for example, is an excellent natural insect repellent, ivy can make nifty soap, and several plants I would have considered ‘weeds’ have diuretic properties – great for kidney issues.
One plant that looks like a clover has a zingy lemon flavour, and another tastes like mushrooms.
We spend the morning sampling this cornucopia of treats before planting apple and pear trees.
As part of the excursion, Erin also tries her hand at planting a pear tree
Lunch kicks off with a seabass and tomato tart, drizzled in locally made pesto
Then it’s time to enjoy a lunch inspired by our findings. We have sea bass and tomato tart topped with pesto made from garden ingredients, followed by Dartmoor lamb and wild garlic.
Even our dessert, a white chocolate mousse, has been decorated with edible flowers and fragrant meadowsweet from nearby.
But, as Tom explains, foraging should never be a substitute for a supermarket shop – the goal is to work with the environment, not raid it.
That said, there’s a real joy in learning about the food that grows around our feet – and it’s more fun than a trip to Tesco.
