Foraging Tuition and Private Bookings

Book Mark for your own private foraging event at any time of year

“You’ve really changed my life with the exceptional knowledge you passed on to me on the foraging day. I have just finished a delicious meal of chanterelles, amethyst deceivers, puffball and ceps! So ecstatic that the rest of my life is now an everlasting treasure hunt. Life changing! The skills you passed on and the enthusiasm for observance was a true gift and I now see the world through an extra dimension!”

– Kit Cubitt, E. Lothian

Private Foraging Tuition

To really learn and gain the confidence to identify edible species it is extremely useful to go out in the field with an experienced foraging teacher.  The very best way of gaining confidence is to book Mark for foraging instruction tailored to your own needs. Learn the hidden foodscape of your own back yard, have fun explorations with family and friends in a beautiful place, and delving deep into foraged cocktails, our wild spice rack or fascinating fungi….

Private Foraging Tuition during Covid 19 Restrictions

As we emerge from Covid 19 Lockdown, Private Bookings are a great way to to learn about foraging while staying safe and within the phased exit protocols.

“My family wanted to connect a bit more with what was in our our own backyard so, on discovering that Mark was offering bespoke guided foraging tours as we exit from full lockdown, we jumped at the chance. Mark helped us discover the edible treasures we had around our pond, all this while respecting the social distancing measures. After 2 hours of tailored tasty tuition, we now know the “yellow thingy” is a pineapple camomile (yum!), that spruce tips really jazz up your gin as well as dozens of other delicious treats! Mark even left us some foraged cocktails and other tasty wild treats, which really was the icing on the cake!”

– Annie, Galloway.

Socially distanced Foraging Walks during Phase 1

Here is what I can offer while keeping us all safe and remaining within the letter and spirit of the Scottish route map out of Lockdown. (Please note: there are currently no set dates for when these phases begin and end).

Phase 1 (this is where we are now):

• Single Household tuition (ie.your household + Mark = 2 Households)
• Your Household must be within 10 miles of Gatehouse of Fleet (ie. Each household can travel 5 miles to a meeting point)
• Socially distanced tuition, with no group cooking/sharing/passing round of foods/plants (but I will bring you some foraged treats as gifts!)
• Observing regular hand washing/sanitising etc
• Cost: £50/hour
• Email mark@gallowaywildfoods.com to book

Phase 2:

• 2 Household tuition (ie. your household + another family/friends household (max 8 people) + Mark = 3 Households)
• Your Household(s) must be within 50 miles of Gatehouse of Fleet (ie. Each household can travel 25 miles to a meeting point)
• Socially distanced tuition, with no group cooking/sharing/passing round of foods/plants (but I will bring you some foraged treats as gifts!)
• Observing regular hand washing/sanitising etc
• Cost: £50/hour
• Email mark@gallowaywildfoods.com to book

Phase 3:

• Galloway Wild Foods Public Events Resume (with reduced numbers, no group cooking/eating and social distancing)
• Private tuition for multiple households (max 8 people)
• Anywhere
• Socially distanced tuition, with no group cooking/sharing of foods/plants (but I will bring you some foraged treats as gifts!)
• Observing regular hand washing/sanitising etc
• Cost: £50/hour + travel time & mileage
• Email mark@gallowaywildfoods.com to book

See Also: Online Wild Food Mentoring

Click Play to listen to a Visit Scotland Podcast, recorded on a private booking with a family.

Sessions or whole days can be tailored to your interests and location. Perhaps you are fascinated by fungi, or want to learn how to unearth spoot clams. Maybe you’d like a celebratory day with friends. Often there will be a host of delicious ‘weeds’ up your lane that you have been ignoring for years!

Kate’s Birthday Forage

If you book Mark for an afternoon or a day and let him know where you are he can design a session that will ensure that you get most out of your time. If you want to learn about things that don’t grow in your area, he can advise on a good place for the foray. Or just say what sort of day you want and let Mark suggest some options.

Gift Vouchers are also available, and can be used to book tuition at a later date –

click here for info.

Coastal Forging with Friends

Tuition is not restricted to Dumfries and Galloway – Mark has foraged in many areas of Scotland and N England and can help you get the most out of any area.

“…thanks for giving us the confidence to find and pick such delicious mushrooms! We are now getting enough to put chanterelles, hedgehog mushrooms and giant puffballs on our menu – but we keep the ceps for ourselves! The best thing is that after a 3 hour session with you we can now harvest our own little patches year after year!”

– Helen, Owner and Head Chef, House O’Hill Hotel, Bargrennan.

Prices

As locations, group size, food etc vary greatly between bookings, I generally quote a price for individual requirements. Please email Mark on mark@gallowaywildfoods.com for an information sheet and to discuss your specific requirements.

“We had a fabulous time last Sunday – I still can’t believe that we were all outside in that filthy weather for nearly 4 hours – kids and all – and completely absorbed. No doubt, helped by cha-cha bomb and sloe gin!!! And delicious fruit leathers and hogweed seed cake. Feedback is only the highest praise. You are so knowledgeable, and such a good communicator, and your cooking and drink mixing legendary! We are so lucky that you came to our patch to show us what is on our doorstep. Thanks so much for dealing with weather and location without fuss. Everyone I have spoken to since Sunday thought it was the BEST DAY EVER!! And so it was! They all thought you were brilliant, and were all amazed by what we found. Those who had less of an expectation of what it was all about were totally blown away; but equally those to whom I had explained in more detail or are already keen foragers, were equally blown away by how much they learned and how engrossing it was.
My excuse for my delay in thanking you is that since our day, I have been ADDICTED to mushroom hunting by day and drying them by night! Having been on the look out for ceps for 2 years, can’t believe that it was on sunday that I found my first! Then found 5 more on Tuesday… Then on Sunday dragged hubby with me – and we filled another huge trug!! So in the evenings, when the girls are asleep, I have been busy creating a mushroom drying factory next to the wood burner!” – Alice Stilgoe, Thornhill

Promote Your Own Event

Mark regularly does walks for other businesses. Selling places for your own event is a good way to make bringing Mark to your area more affordable and often profitable. See here.

If you would like to arrange some tuition tailored to your interests/location/group, host a foray at your business, get some help identifying something you have found or just say hi, please contact Mark. I can answer your initial questions and send an information sheet to help you to know what is involved.

Access your wild resources

Example 1: An extended and far-flung family had got together for a short holiday in Ayrshire. They asked Mark to come up with an interesting venue for an afternoon’s foraging. Read about it here.

Example 2: A retired couple who were keen cooks hired Mark to come to their rural home and help them get to know the free ingredients that lurked in their local woods. They invited a few friends round, had a fun afternoon, and learned how to use their wild larder in their everyday diet.

Example 3: A michelin starred chef hired Mark to take him and his brigade out near his restaurant. He now harvests some of his very finest (and most expensive) products for free. See more here and here