About Us
First and foremost it’s informal. There are different ways to teach or introduce people to wild and local food, mine is through stories, humour and just a deep desire to share knowledge.
On my foraging walks we meander through the countryside stopping here and there to introduce a plant, or tree, or perhaps a fungi. I’ll tell you if you can eat it, it’s healing properties be they genuine or alleged and a the wider story of its context in the landscape. Often I mix in a little folklore or some anecdotes which I think help to make it more memorable than just a name.
I tend not to use the latin names of plants, that’s not because I don’t see the value of it, but for me the common names are more descriptive. Also I hated latin at school so I just avoid it at all costs.
The local and seasonal food section is a new addition to the walks. I realised that foraging is only part of the story. The ‘taste of a place’ if you will, comes from the land be it wild or farmed. The people who’ve worked that land for centuries are the authors of its food culture. The crops, the livestock and the traditions that have led to the development of local specialities and produce.
This is the signature of an area and often it’s overlooked. Too often these days food is treated simply as fuel and the people who produce it overlooked. Gone are the days of the local butcher, greengrocer or baker who we interacted with daily. Now food shopping has become a faceless machine that beeps as the bar codes drift across it.
I can’t change that but, in my own way, I hope to honour those who bring us some of the finest food produce in the world. I want to introduce them to a wider audience so that people can understand the hard work and passion that goes into what they do. And in some small way bring back the connection between maker and consumer.
What to Expect on the Day
- Between one and two hours out walking
- Small group, no crowds
- Clear, simple explanations
- Finish at the venue where we’ll sample both wild and local produce.
- Dogs welcome, kids come free
Keep it fun, keep it human...
About Tom Radford
My name is Tom and I grew up in a forest. I’ve been all over the world and lived abroad too but really the UK is my home and in particular the West Country. I’m never happier than when I’m tramping around a forest or field wittering on about the plants, the fungi, the landscape and the history that ties it all together.
Eat the Country, my online platform, was more by accident than design. I just wanted to talk about food and plants but somehow it blew up into something bigger. It’s fun to reach a wide audience but the real joy is taking groups out into the wild and introducing them to nature as I see it.
I like to make it fun, because many of my heroes were TV educators who were as entertaining as they were knowledgeable. Learning isn’t just about facts or passion, it’s silly and magical and full of ridiculous facts and stories which bring it to life.
So, that’s it really, come and join me on a walk where we’ll bumble in the footsteps of our ancestors who are doubtless rolling their eyes at us.