This course featured in 'The Guardian' August 2008 (Click here)
>> To view the Guardians Coastal foraging slide show click here
On our coastal course you will learn to identify, prepare and cook the edible plants, seaweeds and shellfish of the shoreline as well as try your hand at some sea fishing and fish cookery.
After arrival on Friday afternoon you will be issued with your own lobster pot as we head out to sea with our skipper and tutor for the weekend Sean Baxter on his boat 'All my sons'. You will get instruction in how to bait and place your pot to have the best chance of catching lobster and crab.
Saturday morning will be spent foraging on the local beaches and along the coastal path and we will be having a picnic lunch before returning to Staithes. Back at the cottage there will be a demonstation and hands on session in fish preparation with our chef Chris and we will start the preparation of our seafood dinner. At three o'clock we will be joining Sean aboard 'All my sons' for an evening fishing trip and to pull up the lobster pots from Friday (there will be a prize for the biggest lobster!). We will return to cook up a typical seasonal catch for our dinner, including what we have caught ourselves.
Sunday morning will be spent collecting more wild edibles and preparing our Sunday lunch together. The course will end after lunch with a review of what we we have learnt and a final question and answer session.
Coastal foraging courses in 2009 will be based in the beautiful village of Staithes on the North Yorkshire Coast. Accommodation will be in a traditional cottage just metres from the shoreline. The cottage is comprised of five double and twin rooms and prices are per person based on two sharing, although we will make every effort to accommodate single bookings. The course price includes tuition, fishing trips, use of equipment and cottage accommodation with all meals (cooked together as part of the course). It does not include drinks or local parking charges.
The minimum age for this course is 12 years and under 16's must be accompanied by an adult. Places are limited to 8 per course.
Bad weather policy.If our boat trips are cancelled due to bad weather you will be automatically offereda £30.00 Taste the wild course voucher and your own filleting knife to take away or a £30.00 cash refund. The alternative programme will include extra shoreline foraging sessions with experts Chris and Sean as well as a visit to the local fish and shellfish merchants. The decision to cancel the boat trips will be solely at the skippers discretion and will be final.
On our Wildfood weekend you will learn to forage, prepare and cook seasonal wild foods. You can sleep in one our tipis and relax in our 17 acre wood.
Wild foods come into their own at different times of the year. Spring brings delicate new growth and the salads and stir fried greens are at their best. Summer gives us flowers to make teas and sweets with. As the season moves on we get berries and mushrooms, and later still we can make interesting dishes with roots and nuts.
>> click on the photo for a slideshow
There are edible wild plants all year round in the woods but not all of them in all seasons.
As well as learning about edible plants we will show you some game preparation. You can skin and joint a rabbit (if you want to) and help prepare other seasonal game which might be pigeon, pheasant, partridge, hare or maybe even venison. We teach you how to debone trout with your hands and learn to make a basic cheese.
The preparation of all food is done as a team and we will be cooking in a pit, a clay oven and over a wood fire. We will wrap food in leaves, pin food to planks, maybe even roast it on a spit. There will be sessions on wild food preserving, jams, chutneys etc. and we will also talk about hedgerow wines and liqueurs and let you sample some.
Whatever time of year you come there is something to eat in the woods.
There will be time on the course to chill out. We want you to learn lots, but relax too. There will be books to look at and campfires to sit around. The cost for the course covers all tuition, use of tools, camping in the woods, either in your own tent or in one of our beautiful tipis. We will also be cooking with bought ingredients to supplement our wild foods.Places are limited to 8 per course.
A day in the woods foraging for seasonal edibles.Depending on the time of year we will be looking at greens, salads, mushrooms, nuts, berries plus other uses for woodland, meadow and hedgerow plants. We will look at the preparation of some in season wild game and fish and learn some ways to cook it over an open fire. To accompany our wild food we will discover the wide range of beverages that can be created from wild ingredients.
The course fee includes lunch, which we will cook together using wild ingredients combined with some extras from the store cupboard.
This one day course takes a look at coastal and shoreline edibles. During the day we will forage along the cliff tops as well as the beach to find and taste seasonal wild foods. You will be able to sample seaweeds, limpets and winkles and we will be visiting the local fish and shellfish merchants to buy live lobsters and crabs to add to our feast.
Depending on the mornings catch we'll choose some fish to go with our shellfish and together we will prepare it all.
The day will finish with a seafood feast on the beach and a question and answer session.
The course is based in the beautiful North Yorkshire village of Staithes and will run from 9.30 am until about 4.30 pm. The course fee includes tuition and seafood.
Places are limited to 8 per course. Please dress for a day outside in the British weather and wear shoes suitable for coastal terrain.
Introduction to Bushcraft Weekend £150.00 per person
This course will give you an insight into the skills and techniques of bushcraft. No previous experience is needed for this course as it is designed specifically for the novice bushcrafter.We will concentrate on skills that provide us with the essentials of water, shelter, warmth and food. Over the course of the weekendwe will forage for food, learn to prepare game and cook over an open fire. We will look at lightweight camping techniques and natural shelters and also look at some of the different ways of lighting a fire to warm ourselves.
"This course will change the way you look atthe natural world and will allow you to begin to see the potential for not just surviving in the wilderness, but living comfortably using natures many resources and your new found knowledge."
The cost for the course covers all tuition, use of tools, camping in the woods, either in your own tent or in one of our beautiful tipis and all meals, which we cook together as part of the course. Places are limited to 8 per course.
Family Bushcraft Weekend Adult £150.00 Child £90.00 This course has been designed specifically forchildren and adults learning together. This fun, hands on course will give you and your children an introduction to the basic skills of Bushcraft. We have designed this course to cover many of the topics included in ‘Introduction to Bushcraft’, however, during this weekend we adapt our teaching methods to target the needs of our younger course participants. We include woodland games and play sessions to help the learning process and make the weekend interesting and exciting for the whole family.
>> Click on the photo for a slideshow
Woodland survival (winter) Adult £150.00
This course is designed to teach you the skills you need to survive in the woods in winter. You will learn to make fire, build a warm shelter, purify water and forage for food. We will spend two nights in the woods fending for ourselves, cooking over an open fire and sleeping in our own shelters.
This course is our toughest and the Febuary date makes it all the tougher!
A hugely rewarding experience but definately not for the faint hearted.
Gift ideas >>> 
Sunday morning will be spent collecting more wild edibles and preparing our Sunday lunch together. The course will end after lunch with a review of what we we have learnt and a final question and answer session.
Introduction to Bushcraft Weekend £150.00 per person 
