The weather has now turned much colder. It seems as if it were only yesterday that we were having to apply liberal layers of sunscreen while attending Toby’s Garden Festival, whereas we now find ourselves having to wear our wellies to better navigate the mud. And, just today, we are finishing our final wild food education session of the year. It’s been something of a rollercoaster and our team are very excited to put our feet up by the fire to begin thinking how best to eat our Christmas trees. As this seasonal transition takes place, we thought it best to also announce the Family Foraging Kitchen classes we have planned for next year. As such, our 2022 course schedule is now live!
Next year’s line-up includes a number of our staple walks and heritage craft classes, all of which take place across the stunning Rame Peninsula and with our team of fantastic tutors. We’re also bringing back our Wild School sessions each month too, introducing children to the taste and nutrition of Cornwall’s hedgerow and coastal plants! Many of these courses have already begun to sell tickets and our Wild School sessions are almost entirely sold out already
We also have a number of brand new courses too…
If you want to learn about the abundance of edible wild foods available early in the year, those that can be plucked from the frosty soil and turned into delicious dishes throughout the colder months, we’re hosting two New Winter Greens classes! We’re hosting a family-friendly day of Bird House Making for Parents and Children, which will see Robbie Ryder teach groups how to transform various woods into fantastic birdhouses using simple hand tools. There’s also a new willow weaving course from Lynn Kentish, which will see attendees make their own Foraging Basket, and Cornish Stone Hedge Construction, each of which can be booked through our website.
There will be other classes added to our schedule throughout the year and we’re currently setting dates for the return of our traditional bow making course with John Fairhurst, so be sure to keep checking our website for updates!
We also have a new year of classes for foraging with children with the return of our Wild School. These classes have been live for a few weeks and have already been mostly booked. So, if you’d like your children to join us out in the forests and fields to learn about wild food, then be sure to book your place quickly. Our head forager, Vix, is also looking at the possibility of after school classes too, so that those attending mainstream education are able to join our Wild School sessions too. There are no definitive dates as of yet, but be sure to check back for an announcement.
You might also be aware that this year we were incredibly fortunate to receive funding from the National Lottery that will support the continuation of our CIC and Free Food Forever initiative. As a part of this funding, our mentee forager, Leon Frey, has begun to undergo training that will soon allow him to teach wild food classes with the Family Foraging Kitchen. This means that we can offer a wider number of classes over the coming years, exploring new areas and sharing new recipes. To follow Leon and his enthusiasm for foraging, visit our new wild food TikTok channel.
And, if you’re hungry for more online foraging content, then be sure to visit our YouTube channel, because Vix has begun sharing her knowledge in the second series of our Virtual Foraging collection!
A huge ‘Thank You!’ to all of those who have supported us this year and we very much look forward to connecting with you again in the future!
The Family Foraging Kitchen Team