Forager. On the surface, a group of people roaming Kent finding fodder the rest of us have long forgotten. When you peer deeper,it is a collective like minded, enthusiasts changing the way we think about food and our interaction with everything we eat, one plant at a time. After just a week out gathering with Forager my views of the food chain changed irreversibly. Already open to the idea of wild food, the talented and knowledgeable team showed how to turn this idea into reality. 

Miles and the everyone involved. have created something special. A way, not only, to utilise the bounty of the land and preserve plants and foods that grow on our very door step. Everyone at Forager understands the plants intimately and knows how to harvest effectively for regrowth as well as productivity. It soon became clear that the gents I spent my time with were true stewards of the land, taking responsibility to allow the plants they gather to thrive. Working with seasons and happy to be taken along with the whims of nature rather than force anything. 

 

On my approach to the week I spent with Forager I found myself imagining bucolic scenes and pleasant country walks. The towering white cliffs, vast sand dunes and never ending orchards did not disappoint. Yet we also found ourselves in some more unlikely locations such as the centre of neighbouring towns and waist deep in a nearby stream. Food really does grow under our noses, we simply need to open our eyes. As well as being out and about, I was given the chance to spend the time in the packing room, working hands on with the all the produce, encouraged to sample everything. Excitement and curiosity seeps into everything at Forager; learning and experimenting each and every day. All in all in was a remarkable experience with a remarkable group of people who are excited to share what they know.

 

- Benjamin Daniells, October 2016.