Season of Plenty at Vale House Kitchen

It’s the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness in the English countryside – the hedgerows are heavy with blackberries, sloes, damsons, rosehips and hazelnuts, not to mention the occasional patch of late wild strawberries. It’s the perfect time of year to get your wellies on, make a flask of tea and head out to gather up some of nature’s glorious bounty – and that’s exactly what we do on our Introduction to Foraging course.

Local wild food expert Adrian Boots leads our Introduction to Foraging throughout the year, and as the seasons change every one is different – so even if you’ve been before, that’s no reason not to join again, especially for this most plentiful of seasons. The day starts with a walk through the beautiful countryside that surrounds us in the little village of Timsbury, as Chris guides you through the fabulous fresh food hiding in every verge and hedgerow. Then it’s back to Vale House for a hearty lunch, starring some of Chris’s favourite foraged ingredients, before an afternoon in our classroom kitchen, turning your haul from the morning’s walk into delicious goodies to take home.

As autumn sets in, it’s also time to get stuck into preserving summer’s fruit and vegetables, to fill up the larder for those cold winter months – so why not join us for one of our Chutney Make and Bake Day or our Edible gifts day? Led by preserving queen Vivien Lloyd, these courses will teach you how to make a variety of different, delicious chutneys the traditional, slow-cooked way, as well as how to incorporate those chutneys into some mouth-watering canapes. This is the perfect way to get ready for (whisper the word) Christmas – learn how to create some great homemade gifts, how to supply the Christmas cold table, and how to make the perfect party nibbles all in one fell swoop!

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