Living Wilder

As I write this month’s journal entry, we are in the thick of preparations for our weekend of foraging courses with the amazing Clare Holohan of West Highland Herbal. By the time you read this our event will be almost over.

Really, we should have gone on the foraging course ourselves before planning the catering for the event but with help from Clare and some excellent website recommendations, we have been foraging in our fields and think we’ve added a good ‘foraged feel’ to our menus. The whole process has really whetted our appetite (pun intended!) for the delights to come. It has been somewhat of an ambition to have Clare lead a course at The Lint Mill ever since buying her book Scotland’s Wild Medicine. The seasonal guide is both practical and beautiful, detailing what you can find on your doorstep each month of the year. We are hoping to discover for ourselves, alongside our course participants just how nourishing and health-giving foraged food can be.

Our good friends at Atkinson-Pryce Books have been our collaborators and hosted a book event in Biggar and we provided a wee taste of foraged food to add a little edible twist to the evening. Here’s the menu we provided:

Wild Mushroom Pâté on Oatcakes (v, gf)

Broad Bean, Wild Garlic and Sorrel Hummus on Sourdough Crostini (v, vg, df)

Devilled Egg Mayonnaise with Wild Cress on Sourdough Crackers (v)

Mini Pavlova with Strawberries and Roses (v)

To drink we made, Elderflower, Nettle and Pineapple Weed Cordials and I spent a long time freezing flowers into ice cubes which look very pretty indeed.

So, here’s to reconnecting with the ancient wisdom that enabled us to thrive on wild plants and animals. Here’s to free food that’s full of health-giving properties and here’s to The Lint Mill, a place that enables all this goodness to be concentrated.