The forager handbook : a guide to the edible plants of Britain

At any time, in any place, food is there for the taking - if only we knew how to look.

This will be the handbook that tells you how to recognise the rich possibilities that surround us - whether in the city or in the countryside.

The author - who makes a living out of foraging - reveals the how, why and what of this lost art.

He starts with the many different sorts of habitat our land offers, from wasteground to woodland, from clifftop to coastland.

Here - sometimes in the least expected places - plants flourish, depending on the season.

For example, summer is the time for Marsh Samphire in the saltmarshes; spring is when wild garlic flourishes in shady woodlands; early summer is the time for chanterelles.

Many of these plants - nettles, dandelions, fat hen, sorrel - grow so profusely they are considered a nuisance.

Yet they offer fantastic food possibilities and are rich in nutrients.

For each plant and mushroom, he gives ideas for how to use them in the kitchen and highlights their nutritional qualities.With tips from some of the most exciting chefs working in Britain today, and coverage of techniques like drying, pickling, making cordials and tisanes, this book will take readers on a voyage of discovery.

Foraging was something our ancestors did instinctively.

By reading this book, we will connect again with our past and discover a secret world of edible possibilities - all for free.