John Wright’s Top Winter Foraging Tips

John Wright is an expert forager and has published four foragers' guides for the River Cottage Handbook series: The Edible Seashore, Hedgerow, Mushrooms and Booze. Here he offers his top tips on what to forage for when the chill sets in.

Winter foraging is difficult. Nature is having a well-earned rest and most plants, fungi and seaweeds keep their heads down. However, a few forageable delights can be found in the dark months of winter.

1. Laver. This is the seaweed which is famous for the making of laver bread, which is just laver that has been cooked and cooked and cooked. Ten hours is the usual length of time, though 12 will improve it. There are several species which appear at different times of the year and which have different qualities. The best of these is a winter species, Porphyra linearis. It coasts seashore rocks above the high tide mark like a layer of shiny brown paint and is best ‘unwound’ from their preferred habitat with a fork, like spaghetti. Unlike the broad sheets of other species, Porphyra linearis is long and thin. It is also effectively fast food as it takes a mere five hours to cook.

2. Alexanders. Also a seaside plant, but one of coastal roadsides, wasteland and car parks. It first shows its bright green leaves in late October, but it is the long, juicy side stems of late winter and early spring that are sought out by the forager. Peeled and steamed for six minutes and served with butter, they are an aromatic joy, though an unusual one and something of an acquired taste. I also candy them to make a sweetmeat.

3. Velvet Shank. This bright orange mushroom insists on growing in the depths of winter, often waiting until January to make an appearance. It always grows on rotting tree stumps, forming dense tufts. The rather slimy cap and almost black velvet stem make it easy to identify (though be sure to check with a good book). The stems are too tough to eat but the caps are pleasant sautéed.

4. Wintercress. This plant bears its season in its name. The peppery, dark green basal leaves of this plant are quite prolific should you be lucky enough to find one at all. They are usually encountered on crisp country walks around ploughed fields.

5. Sorrel. The only time it is hard to find sorrel is the height of summer when the leaves disappear and the long, rust-coloured flower spikes shoot up. In winter, the basal leaves can be bright, fresh, succulent and fruity.