The Amazings

After a cup of wild tea, yarrow for me, we were off, following Terry and his assistant into the park to pick our lunch.We tasted as we went, and collected leaves for later and I was amazed at the number of things we could eat that I didn’t know about. We also had the chance to test our mettle by picking and eating raw nettles. I didn’t trust myself enough to pick the leaf and roll it without getting stung but I did eat one and can report that I didn’t get stung, and it was tasty too.We also made a really interesting stew with mallow leaves and went away with a jar of jam made with Guelder Rose berries (only edible when cooked) which I can report is delicious!We had a great time, it’s a really interesting way to spend an afternoon sharing someone elses knowledge and enthusiasm. Terry was a really engaging teacher and we cooked up some interesting and tasty food, the realisation also dawned that perhaps we should give up growing vegetables because most of our weeds are edible too! As a taster of urban foraging it was a great introduction and worth traveling into London for and would be a great way of exploring your local area and seeing it in a different light.

Review by The Hungry Sparrow

Jimmy showed me and the others who attended the session how to prepare a range of classic hors d’oeuvres. Suffice to say, after my evening in the company of Jimmy, dinner parties at my flat will never be the same again.Jimmy was a fine host, immediately putting me and the others at ease with some friendly chat, stories from his youth and and the odd glass of wine or two.Once we were suitably refreshed, Jimmy presented us with a hand-written menu he had carefully prepared. We then worked through a series of classic hors d’oeuvres, each course slightly more challenging than the last. Each course followed the same pattern: Jimmy would demo a dish, making it look easy; we would then try to replicate his approach with our own efforts, with varying degrees of success. Despite not being the most confident of cooks, I found that with Jimmy’s support I was pleasantly surprised with the dishes I produced!Review by Francis Clarke