Foraging with Fred | Take a Walk on the Wild Side
Foraging trips are a lot of fun.
Or so we gather…
And foraging trips with George Fredenham are particularly fun. George – who often goes by his alter ego ‘Flavour Fred’ – has been a professional forager for 20 years, as well as consulting and supplying for various restaurants. He’s even ventured over to Eastern Europe to expand his knowledge on the genre, working with low-impact farms and permaculture specialists. A true wild food connoisseur, if you will.
Image: Emma Croman
George, or Fred, regularly leads his own two-and-a-half-hour foraging trips around Hampstead Heath, Parkland Walk (between Finsbury Park and Highgate), and Hackney Marshes. As you scour these London parks and green spaces, you’ll quickly understand that there’s more to foraging than simply picking up stuff from the forest floor. It’s a little more complicated than that. Fred will show you how to handle plants and roots with care, differentiate between the poisonous and the ripe, and what else to look out for when identifying what might be okay and safe, like the colour of a fruit. He’ll also run you through all the golden rules, enlighten you on the folklore behind foraging, and teach you a few of his personal tricks.
Beyond the day out in nature and the foraging itself, the Flavour Led Walks also include tasting stops for Fred’s wild booze infusions, where he’ll also give some insight on preservation techniques. If you’re into Flat Earth Pizza (sustainably made pizzas, not conspiracy theorist pizzas), Fred is hosting a special trip on Sunday 25th June in collaboration with the restaurant, which naturally ends up with a mini pizza party there, bolstered by Fred’s botanical cocktails.
Should be wild…
NOTE: Foraging with Fred, aka Fred’s flavour led walks, last for 2.5 hours and take place regularly. Prices start from £40 – you can find upcoming dates, and buy tickets, here.
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