Foraging for beginners
Learn how to make a simple flowering currant cordial using the bright flowers which bloom from mid-March until May.
With 2,362 km square of national parkland, the Lake District is a good place to start foraging. Turn a good walk into a foraging adventure by slowing down, taking a pause and looking around you. Even if you start on a path you have taken many times before, with a forager’s eye you will find so much more. Create a seasonal supermarket from your favourite trails picking nettles, elderflower, wild garlic and blackberries.
A way of life for our ancestors, foraging does have its pitfalls, however. Avoid private land and make sure you know 100% what you pick and eat. If in doubt, leave it behind.
Flowering currant
Making flowering currant cordial is a a good way to start your foraging journey. Finding the bright flowers is easy; they start to flower in mid-March and will go through until May. Found in parks and gardens across the country, they are notable for their strong herbal scent and bright pink flowers. To make 1.5 litres of cordial, you will need about 30 flower heads.