Foraging · Seasonal reference
What to forage in the UK — by season
A practical reference for what's available across UK woodlands, hedgerows, coasts, and meadows — from spring garlic to autumn mushrooms to winter rosehips.
Spring
March – May
Wild garlic
March–May
Leaves, flowers, and bulbs. Carpets damp woodland. Identify by garlic smell.
Stinging nettles
March–May (young tops)
Pick top 4–6 leaves only. High in iron and vitamin C. Blanch to remove sting.
Hawthorn shoots
March–April
"Bread and cheese" — young leaves eaten raw or in salads. Mild and slightly nutty.
Wood sorrel
March–June
Heart-shaped trefoil leaves, sharp citrus flavour. Good in salads. Not to be confused with oxalis (similar but common garden weed — also edible).
Elderflower
May–June
Creamy white flat-topped clusters. Elderflower cordial, fritters, panna cotta. Peak just 2–3 weeks.
Ramsons (wild garlic) bulbs
Before flowers appear
Dig only where abundant, with landowner permission. Use like small spring onions.
Summer
June – August
Elderflower
June (peak)
See Spring — early summer if spring was cold.
Meadowsweet
June–August
Creamy, almond-scented flowers. Used for cordials, ice cream infusions, and posset.
Bilberries (whortleberries)
July–September
Small, intensely flavoured wild blueberries. Found on moorland and heathland. Labour intensive but excellent in crumbles and jams.
Sea purslane
June–October
Coastal saltmarshes. Salty, succulent. Good raw in salads or lightly sautéed.
Early blackberries
Late July–August
First of the season. Taste better before full ripeness in some years.
Linden (lime tree) flowers
June–July
Pale yellow fragrant blossom — distinctive honey smell. Used in herbal tea. From common lime trees in parks and streets.
Autumn
September – November
Blackberries
August–October
Peak harvest. Pick before the end of September — folklore says the devil spits on them after Michaelmas (29 Sept); in practice, mould and insect damage increase.
Wild mushrooms
September–November
Peak season. Chanterelles, ceps (porcini), hedgehog fungi, giant puffballs. Must be identified with expert certainty. Go on a guided walk first.
Sloe berries
October–November (after first frost)
Blue-black berries from blackthorn. Very bitter raw — used for sloe gin, jelly, and wine. Frost (or freezing overnight) softens them.
Hazelnuts
September–October
UK's most abundant wild nut. Hedge rows and woodland edge. Best when slightly underripe and bright green, before squirrels take them.
Crab apples
September–October
Sour, hard wild apple. Too bitter to eat raw in most varieties — excellent crab apple jelly or added to apple recipes for pectin and flavour.
Rosehips
September–November
Red fruits of wild rose. High in vitamin C. Used for rosehip syrup, tea, and jelly. Remove seeds and hairs (irritant) before use.
Elderberries
September–October
Deep purple berries in hanging clusters. Must be cooked — raw can cause nausea. Elderberry syrup, cordial, wine, and jam.
Winter
December – February
Rosehips and haws
December–January
Still on bushes after leaves drop. Haws (hawthorn berries) for jelly and ketchup; rosehips for syrup and tea.
Sweet chestnuts
October–December
In their spiky cases under sweet chestnut trees. Roast, boil, or use in stuffing. Not to be confused with horse chestnuts (conkers), which are not edible.
Winter chanterelles (Cantharellus tubaeformis)
October–January
Smaller than summer chanterelles, funnel-shaped cap. Found in mossy conifer woodland. One of the few edible fungi active in winter.
Wood blewits (Lepista nuda)
October–December
Lilac-purple gills and cap. Found in woodland leaf litter. Must be cooked — can cause mild reactions if eaten raw.
Sea vegetables (coastal)
Year-round
Sea beet, rock samphire, and sea purslane available year-round on accessible coastline. Good habitat for these extends the foraging season considerably.
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