The UK Books On Foraging To Seek Out
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Want to start foraging but need a helping hand to identify and pick edible plants? These are my top UK book recommendations for anyone curious about foraging, whether you’re just starting out, getting back into it, or want to expand your knowledge.
Way back in 2013 and 2014, I went through a foraging phase. From elderflower cordial and elderberry syrup, to nettle pesto and sloe gin, I made all sorts of delicious things with what I could responsibly pick.
But then I spent almost three quarters of 2015 pregnant and exhausted, and then I had a baby in early 2016. And of course, I was still exhausted! This meant I put foraging to the side and never quite got back to it.
Over the last couple of years, though, I’ve been dipping back into foraging, with my kids in tow. Wanting to do things safely, I appreciated that my knowledge might be a bit rusty, so I’ve been seeking out the best wild food books to help keep me right.
From what to pick, when to pick, where to pick, and what to make with my pickings – I’ve turned to the experts for their top tips and guidance.
After all, a solid foraging book can give you confidence, help you avoid mistakes, and remind you what’s in season without relying on potentially dangerous guesswork.
The Best UK Books On Foraging
These are books I either return to regularly or genuinely recommend based on experience. Some are classics and provide lots of detail. Then there are others that feel particularly useful right now as I fit foraging around family life, particularly the quick guides and family-focused guides.
So, whether you are looking to borrow from your local library or add to your permanent collection, here are my top books on foraging. From the ones dedicated to identifying and picking plants safely, to wild food recipe books, and foraging with kids, I’ve covered almost all bases.
I’ve also included links to where you can pick up the books from more ethical bookshops (no Amazon here), as that’s the whole ethos behind Moral Fibres. I’ve also got a whole post on ethical alternatives to Amazon, should you be interested.
The Urban Forager
Wross Lawrence, a professional forager living in the South East of England, has written this insightful book. Wross supplies foraged ingredients to organic food delivery service Able & Cole, as well as to many top restaurants. So, as you can imagine, this book is dripping with expert knowledge and advice.
This pretty book explains how to identify 32 easy-to-find plants, common in urban areas. Wross then shows you what to cook with your foraged leaves, nuts, berries, branches, flowers and even weeds.
With delicious and easy-to-follow recipes – including hawthorn-berry ketchup, cherry-blossom shortbread, nettle ravioli, elderflower fritters, and cowslip summer rolls – this book will completely change how you view urban areas.
Buy from Bookshop.org / World Of Books / Waterstones / Hive
Wild Food: A Complete Guide For Foragers
Roger Phillips was a leading expert on wild food and mushrooms. He sadly passed away in November 2021, but he had been foraging for decades. During his life, he influenced a generation of British chefs through his knowledge and passion for wild food.
As you might expect, Wild Food: A Complete Guide for Foragers is less about the basics of plant identification and more about what happens once you’re back in the kitchen. I’d describe it as a book for confident beginners and beyond, especially those who enjoy experimenting with food.
It does call for a certain amount of plant identification skills. However, if you are fairly confident in your plant identification skills or you plan to use this book in conjunction with other books, then it’s certainly a great one to add to your collection.
Phillips’ classic book contains over 150 recipes to make delicious food and drinks from wild plants. From berries, herbs and mushrooms to wild vegetables, salad leaves, seaweed and even bark, it has tons of ideas on what to make with your foraged finds. These include red clover wine, watercress soup and bilberry muffins.
Buy from Bookshop.org / World Of Books / Waterstones / Hive
Foraging With Kids
Looking to start foraging with your kids? Foraging With Kids is the ideal book for you. This fun yet practical guide encourages families to get out and learn about nature.
The book is based on 50 easy-to-identify plants that are abundant in parks, forests and hedgerows. This makes it suitable for families that live in the city as well as those in the countryside.
After showing you how to find, safely identify and pick these plants, there are heaps of engaging projects and recipes to take part in. These include making soap from conkers and making a delicious egg-free custard with foraged plantain.
If you’re looking for a fun way to encourage your family to get out and about in nature, then this book is sure to help. And with lots of beautiful hand drawings and essential information on plant facts and identification, it’s sure to be a point of reference for your family for years to come.
Buy from Bookshop.org / World Of Books / Waterstones / Hive
The Forager’s Calendar
As a forager at River Cottage, John Wright is one of the UK’s foremost experts in foraging. As such, Wright has put together decades of knowledge and experience into The Forager’s Calendar. This makes it easy for you to get out in nature and cook up delicious wild feasts.
Month by month, Wright shows us what species can be found and where, and how to identify them. Wright then explains how to store, use and cook each plant species.
From how to tap a Birch tree, to how to make rosehip syrup and cook a hop omelette, there are heaps of useful advice in this foraging book. The odd insect pops up too – with Wright even showing you how to fry an ant!
Fully illustrated throughout, with tips on your essential foraging kit, conservation advice and what to avoid, this is a handy month-by-month guide for the new forager. And with fascinating stories behind the Latin names of plants, it’s even perfect for those happiest foraging from their armchair!
Buy From Bookshop.org / World Of Books / Waterstones / Hive
The Forager Handbook
Miles Irving makes his living from foraging. Having distilled his life’s work into this handy foraging bible; this weighty hardback book is not one to take out with you on a wild food adventure. Instead, I think it’s best to use it as a pre-foraging expedition guide and a post-foraging cookbook.
In this in-depth guide, Irving tells you how to recognise the rich variety of wild food that surrounds us in Britain, whether in the city or the countryside. With details on all the different edible plants in the UK, including any similar-looking species and potential hazards, it aims to educate you on all aspects of foraging.
For each plant family, Miles then gives ideas for using foraged ingredients in the kitchen. With recipes from a wide range of chefs, it covers techniques like drying, pickling and making cordials, to make a wide variety of tasty meals, treats, and drinks.
Divided into plant families, this book is easy to navigate, whilst providing you with all the knowledge you need to make informed choices when out looking for wild food.
While it’s a weighty book, it’s surprisingly easy to dip into, and ideal for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding rather than just scratch the surface.
Buy from Bookshop.org / World Of Books / Waterstones / Hive
Your Foraging Books Suggestions
Have I missed any of your favourite books? As always, let me know in the comments below. And if I come across any more great books, I’ll be sure to add them here. Do check back in the future!
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