Wild and Weeds

Wild and Weeds Wild food, Wild Medicine, Wild Connection

💛 The chanterelles are here 💛Ok… to be fair these pics are from two weeks ago… which is why they are slightly dry, but w...
30/07/2026

💛 The chanterelles are here 💛

Ok… to be fair these pics are from two weeks ago… which is why they are slightly dry, but we are very excited to report that chanterelles are popping up in North Cumbria and beyond.

My little foragers and I love heading out on a mushroom hunt and the chanterelles pinning are the sign that our main mushroom season has arrived (we forage for different mushrooms all year round, but this is the peak season for us for the next few months).

We have our special patches but we’re always out looking for new ones to spread the load. We’re always careful to leave a light footprint. Do you have any special patches (I’m not asking for locations, just the joy that you have found a well established patch)

Chanterelles - cantharellus cibarius are a wonderful, tasty and medicinal mushroom to forage for. Identification wise you are looking for habitats of old beech or birch, and often under old conifer too. They like spaces they get sun and love to be where there’s water… mossy patches are always a win 💛. They are a beautiful golden yellow, but can fade to light yellow when dry / old and can even get a bit orangey at the edges. The gills aren’t like try gills, they are almost folded, humps rather than individual hanging gills and these often travel a little down the stem. The big giveaway is the inside, then you split them they should be white inside and have a lovely almost fruity / apricot scent.

Make sure you compare with the false chanterelle and identify fully

I’m a big fan of sweet pickling these beauties, this year I’m also making chanterelle liqueur (I’ll let you know how it goes) and we eat them fried in butter almost everyday during the season.

They are super rich in vitamin D if in a sunny spot and you can actually increase this if you lay them in the sun for 30mins or so before eating… how magic is that??

Also… I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but they never have bugs in them… this is because they actually have anti parasitic properties, and they benefit us in this way too.

Tasty, nutritious, medicinally beneficial and free… it’s an all round win for me… what about you?



🍄‍🟫🦔 Very excited that the wood hedgehog mushrooms are out 🦔🍄‍🟫We went out for a little check of some of our fave mushro...
28/07/2026

🍄‍🟫🦔 Very excited that the wood hedgehog mushrooms are out 🦔🍄‍🟫

We went out for a little check of some of our fave mushrooms spots yesterday as it’s got a bit wetter over here the last week, and we weren’t disappointed. The woodland gifted us with a young troop of wood hedgehog mushrooms - Hydnum repandum, the first of many as we saw lots of babies pinning too 🙏🍄‍🟫

These gorgeous mushrooms are fairly easy to identify, with light bronze to cream caps you really need to look underneath for a true ID, as the main telling feature is the spines or teeth (rather than gills or pores) under their caps.

Their smell is quite mealy with a side of fruitiness. The shape can vary quite a bit from little buttons to massive head sized plates, some conjoined, some lopsided and the teeth also vary in size dependant on age, as they age you can brush the spines off quite easily.

Like many wild mushrooms they are rich in nutrients we often lack, high in potassium with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, a great prebiotic which supports gut health, plus a wide range of other vitamins and minerals.

They love mossy ground under beech, bitch and oak, or a mix of deciduous and conifers, plus a bit of light do often found in clearings or near paths.

I love these pickled, but they are also great simply fried. They also go really well in creamy recipes like risotto or stroganoff. But have an experiment and see how you like them best.

Have you got a wood hedgie patch to check? Whats your favourite way to cook them?

Want to know mote about how to safely identify and forage mushrooms? Check out our upcoming courses and keep following as more will be announced ✨🧺🍄‍🟫



🦌 We cannot wait to be part of Deer Shed Festival this weekend 🦌This weekend Wild Roots Foraging UK and I will be runnin...
22/07/2026

🦌 We cannot wait to be part of Deer Shed Festival this weekend 🦌

This weekend Wild Roots Foraging UK and I will be running family friendly foraging walks at The Deer Shed Festival. Looking at amazing wild food from the hedgerows and the meadows, connecting with the old ways and learning how to do it all safely.

Come join us in Wilderwild for some nature connection, for all ages and all levels of experience.

Go wild for the weekend

🦌✨🧺🌱🌳

📷 gorgeous pics by Molly Matcham

Adventuring and foraging on the Isle of SkyeAfter a full in few weeks, we are spending a week at the beautiful permacult...
19/07/2026

Adventuring and foraging on the Isle of Skye

After a full in few weeks, we are spending a week at the beautiful permaculture and ethical community of Rubha Phoil and it is not disappointing. The wildlife here is phenomenal. The seals have been coming to check us out when in and around the water. The water is so beautiful and clean. our little people have been loving being in and around the water, searching for crustaceans and other creatures. The kelp forests are stunning.

I’m on holiday so this is as long as the post gets, but feeling so blessed right now 🥰🥹💚✨🌊🌅



Absolutely loved spending the afternoon with you all. Thank you for having me 💚🌱✨
12/07/2026

Absolutely loved spending the afternoon with you all. Thank you for having me 💚🌱✨

A day at Echo Events Lanercost CIC Echo FestivalThis is a real celebration of something differentThe quirky, the niche, ...
22/06/2026

A day at Echo Events Lanercost CIC Echo Festival

This is a real celebration of something different

The quirky, the niche, the individual

Not something for those who like mainstream… but for those who like real moments, vintage finds, tasty food, thoughtful artistic goings on and lovely people.

We thoroughly enjoyed it and you should get there before it finishes and enjoy what it has to offer. The grounds themself are beautiful and have lots of edible and medicinal treats for those who come here for foraging 💚

The photography here is beautiful. We are obviously massive fans of Molly Matcham and her books are just glorious. We also saw some other gorgeous work which had been developed using cloves leading to a gorgeous effect and wonderful smell.

The camera obscura was very cool, never seen this before and it definitely wowed (and weirded) us.

We also bought the best hats… thank you Goodbye, Norma Jean 🙏




Today is all about preparation… with loveA little glimpse into what goes on before, behind the scenes The planning, fora...
20/06/2026

Today is all about preparation… with love

A little glimpse into what goes on before, behind the scenes

The planning, foraging, chopping, mixing, baking, frying, laughing, brewing, stirring, packing… all with love, all with care, all for you ☺️✨🙏

Today I’m preparing for a beautiful day on the Cumbrian coast tomorrow. Perfect place for the solstice. With lots to learn, to enjoy, to nourish and to relax. Can’t wait to see you there 💚🌱🧺🔥🌊

Moments captured by the wonderful Molly Matcham




Happy Tuesday everyoneI had the most wonderful day with Molly Matcham who did a “behind the scenes” photo shoot with me ...
16/06/2026

Happy Tuesday everyone

I had the most wonderful day with Molly Matcham who did a “behind the scenes” photo shoot with me on a prep day for a Lucy Cuzzocrea Foraging and Wild Events Forage and Fermentation day I was running with The Wild Pagan … it was such a natural and beautiful day of captured moments, with a little chaos (from my little ones 😆). I think for businesses who run courses the massive amount of work behind the scenes is often lost. The days of foraging, the processing of the foods and medicines, the looking after of ferments, mixing, making and cooking and the preparation for the actual day and venue. It’s full on but it’s always work it on the day.

So this Tuesday I wanted to share a moment of joy from that photo shoot with Molly and to say “I see you” to all my fellow foragers, bakers, cooks, course runners, circle holders, etc who put in so much unseen work. You are all amazing and the love of what you do is seen in every bit of joy you deliver.

Molly, thank you. The amount of work you do, your natural way to grow into a family or workspace (or both in my case) and the moments you see and capture are truly beautiful. 💚📷✨



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