Foraging course at Tideswell School of Food

MODERN cookery is all about great local food, provenance of ingredients and great technique – the holy trinity of good food.

And, if you’re a keen cook desperate to source great local food with a cast-iron provenance then the Foraging Cookery Course at Tideswell School of Food is exactly what you’ve been searching for.

As part of its unique Culinary Adventures range, Tideswell School of Food is working with acclaimed TV Foraging expert Dr Patrick Harding to provide would-be cooks with an unrivalled introduction to finding and cooking with mushrooms on October 18 and 26.

Dr Harding has featured on numerous television programmes and has been enthusing adults with his expert knowledge of mushrooms for over 30 years.

The course day will start with refreshments after which Patrick will give an illustrated talk on wild mushrooms with an emphasis on identification features and the best edible wild fungi. There will also be a display of books on the subject.

The ‘class’ will then go out on a foraging trip to see what fungi can be found locally before returning to the school for a late light lunch of soup and freshly baked bread.

In the afternoon participants will work with the cookery school chef to prepare a range of dishes that make use of fungi – not just the boring white ones.

Dishes will include shop-bought species such as chanterelles, ceps and wood ear plus some additions from the morning foraging foray.

The results of particpants’ labours will be shared out and packaged for the cooks to take home at the end of the day.

The day will start at 10am and finish at 5pm. Participants should bring warm clothes, waterproofs and strong shoes.

The cost is £100 per person and is designed for intermediate level cooks. For further details, call 01298 871262 or email [email protected].