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Learn with John Wright

Foraging & Feasting

Learn how to forage and feast by taking the Foraging and Feasting course on Learning With Experts.

Course overview

The beautiful local Dorset hedgerows, woodlands and fields are full of wild food secrets, easily shared when you know what you are looking for and where to find them. This course is the perfect introduction to edible wild plants and you will learn where to forage and how to successfully identify your finds.

Meet John Wright

John Wright has foraged for food all his life. From cockle-hunting and blackberry picking in the 1960’s, via wild mushrooms and seaweeds many years, to collecting flying ants with a butterfly net today, he has seen and eaten most wild foods. In 1992 he began sharing his knowledge, leading mushroom forays. This was soon to be followed by hedgerow and seashore forays. He has lead around 1,000 such events over the year. He has written four books on foraging, one on home-brewing and two on natural history. His most recent book, The Forager’s Calendar, won the Guild of Food Writers award for ‘Food Book of the Year 2020’. John has written numerous magazine articles, most of them on the countryside or countryside pursuits. He lives in rural West Dorset.

Course description

Foraging expert John Wright, author of three River Cottage Handbooks about foraging, will take you on three forays: along the hedgerow, beside the seashore, and to the fields and woods hunting for mushrooms.

These are real forays, with all the hopes, disappointments, limitations of season and joys that we must expect when venturing into the wild for our dinner. They all take place in an autumnal Dorset, but the lessons learned here can be applied to other places and other times.

In John’s trusted and experienced hands, you will learn the basics of identification and understand how to forage successfully, responsibly and safely.

You'll learn:
  • where to forage for foods
  • how to identify your foraged finds
  • foraging ethics and how to forage safely
  • basics of wild mushroom and fungi identification
  • recipes for your foraged food and drink
The course includes:
  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by John Wright and River Cottage
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical foraging assignments and recipes (with tutor feedback available)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas
Independent Cookery Schools Association approved

This course has been approved by the Independent Cookery Schools Association (ICSA), recognising the highest standards of training.

Time to complete the foraging course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 15 hours to complete including:

  • Video lessons: 3 hours in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your foraging and foraged foods recipe assignments: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson
You'll need:

Your lesson notes will include the full details of the ingredients you'll need, but you will be making food from your foraged finds, so you'll need standard kitchen equipment.

Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from John on your foraging assignments.

If you know someone who'd love this course then give it as a gift - just tick "This is a gift" at the checkout.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.