Published by Bloomsbury RRP £14.99 (price varies depending on place of purchase)
I love the River Cottage handbooks, these books are written by members of the River Cottage team with an introduction from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall the brainchild and driving force behind the River Cottage ethos and brand. Each one focuses on a different subject such as fruit, herbs, bread etc. The book I am reviewing today is No 7 in the series, it focuses on the hedgerow and it's written by foraging expert John Wright.
The book is broken down into 6 main categories:
Starting out - where, when and how to look, a foragers calendar has been included for year round gathering.
Conservation and the Law - for obvious reasons we don't want to be gathering endangered species, damage habitats or break the law, this section will help foragers to be aware and mindful when rooting around hedgerows.
Edible Species - these a wide a varied, some species were a surprise such as water mint, corn salad and hogweed. The background folklore associated with some trees, shrubs and plants is fascinating and really gives the reader an insight into our heritage and roots (excuse the pun).
Poisonous Species - I tend to forage for the usual stuff, blackberries, sloes, apples and plums and aspire to forage for more adventurous bounties but do worry about inadvertently poisoning myself! This section will help foragers avoid death by foxglove, henbane or hemlock; read it, it's fascinating stuff.
Recipes - there are some wonderful recipes such as elderflower cordial, a wild stir fry and chick weed pakoras. The recipes vary in terms of difficulty levels and preparation and cooking time.
Useful Things - includes a glossary, illustrations of leaf shapes and terms, a directory of organisations that may be helpful.
Overall this is a great book, it's small enough to be portable when foraging but also a great reference book for a quick thumb through.
