Best foraging courses in the UK

A half-day guided foraging walk typically costs £50–£80. A full-day course (often including cooking what you find) runs £100–£150. The Dartmoor Cookery School wild food and cookery day is at the upper end at around £120 but is consistently rated 5 stars. CraftCourses lists the widest range — browse by location to find the closest to you.

Yes — CraftCourses is the best platform for foraging in the UK. They list independent guides across England, Scotland and Wales, with genuine reviews from verified bookings. The platform is a B Corp and doesn't take the large commission cuts that mainstream experience platforms charge, which keeps course prices fairer for both you and the guide. See our full CraftCourses vs ClassBento review →

The UK has outstanding foraging across most regions. Dartmoor and Exmoor are exceptional for fungi and coastal plants. The Welsh Marches (including Shropshire's Ironbridge Gorge) have rich deciduous woodland diversity. The Scottish Highlands offer vast open country with reduced agricultural impact. That said, even suburban parks and canal towpaths yield surprising finds — location matters less than knowing what to look for.

Many are — check individual course listings for minimum age. A guided walk where you're learning identification and picking rather than cooking is generally suitable for children 8+. The Hawkmoth Wood spring foraging course in Shropshire is family-friendly. Some full-day cookery courses have minimum age requirements for the kitchen portion.

Your guide will usually specify, but typical items include: waterproof boots or wellies, weatherproof layers (even in summer), a small wicker basket or paper bag (not plastic, which sweats food), a penknife, and a field notebook if you want to take plant notes. Don't rely on foraging apps for identification — they have an alarmingly high error rate for fungi identification specifically.