Biography
I have taught about foraging and wild food for over 30 years, covering plants, fungi, seaweed, coastal foraging, wild booze and gastronomic adventures.
Over the years I have specialised in making foraging accessible, fun and delicious, championing it as means to improve mental and physical health, and restore human intimacy with the natural world.
Please check out my website for:
- A huge free online wild food guide
- A deep exploration of foraging culture and politics
- Bookable guided foraging walks
- Online 1-to-1 wild food mentoring
- Foraging Webinars
- Private foraging tuition and events
- Multi-day Foraging Adventures by kayak, yacht and bike
- Wild food consultancy for businesses
I live in the forager's paradise of Galloway, SW Scotland, a glorious patchwork of ancient and fungi-filled forests, wild coasts and bountiful hedgerows. I teach all over the the UK, but mostly in Scotland, and my consultation work takes me around the world.
I regularly work with organisations such as Kew Botanic Gardens, The Woodland Trust, Nature Scotland, The National Trust and various community woodlands, and am a member of the British Mycological Society.
In additional to my regular teaching events, I work with chefs, businesses and brands to help them connect with wild foods and find ways to considerately, safely and sustainably use them.
Galloway Wild Foods is a Unesco Biosphere Certified Business. To achieve this certification a business must operate in a way that minimises its impact on the environment, look after the valued characteristics of their Biosphere region, promote what’s special about it to others, and support their local community.
I mentor and support a wide range of foragers and wild food educators, including authors and fellow teachers. In 2019 I developed and ran a LEADER funded 1 year course to establish and develop wild food focussed businesses and Scotland's first Wild Food Festival.
I am currently working with several nature-focussed organisations to develop a UK-wide accreditation scheme for foragers and wild food users that will serve the interests of our growing community by promoting safe, considerate and sustainable foraging by individuals, businesses and organisations.
I was closely involved in the formation of the Association of Foragers and development of its principles of practice and have served as a committee member since 2019.
