By Alannah Jeanne Williams from Heysham, Lancashire. Alannah participated in the Spring Foraging & Outdoor Cooking Programme and shares her experience of learning, growth and fun.
Over the course of five weeks – four of which I had the joy of attending – I took part in the Spring Foraging and Outdoor Cooking Programme run by The Bay: A Blueprint for Recovery. The multi-award-winning Nature and Wellbeing Programme which brings together the work of The Eden Project, Lancashire Wildlife Trust and Cumbria Wildlife Trust, with support from the Lancashire & South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust. The focus was on reconnecting with nature, building skills and sharing experiences that support wellbeing and recovery.
Week One: Nettle Curry & New Beginnings
The first session was a breath of fresh air. We made Nettle Curry, which turned out absolutely delicious! It was slightly spicy, earthy and full of flavour. With instruction and guidance from the wonderful Bay team, I learned how to forage for nettles safely and ethically: choosing younger leaves, knowing which part of the stem to cut, not taking too many from one place and looking out for things like insect shelters and eggs to preserve biodiversity – oh, and bird droppings (nobody wants poop insect curry, right!?). Overcoming my social anxieties, I met some amazing new people, who I’m sure I will continue to make positive memories with outside of the sessions. That first dish didn’t just nourish me; it lit a spark in me to want to forage again and share that experience with friends and family.
Week Two: Miso Soup & Seaside Treasure Hunts
For the next session I attended, we made a comforting Miso Soup with smoked tofu after a peaceful walk down to the beach. Along the way, we did a coastal flora and fauna treasure hunt as it was Easter month. It was like an adventure of knowledge for coastal foraging and life. I learned more names of local coastal wild plants, how they shift with the seasons, as well as about the shells dotting the shore and the creatures that live in them. We all worked together to add the ingredients to the pot. Nobody was ever left out during any of the sessions, and that’s one of the things I loved most about them.
The result of our cooking was, once again, delicious! The sun was warm, the chat was easy, and it eased some heavy stress I’d been carrying lately. It reminded me to take a step back and breathe.
Final Week: Woodland Wandering & Wild Garlic Pesto
In the final week I attended, we wandered the woods near St. Peter’s Church in Heysham Village. I’d never been here before. The surroundings were beautiful, many different types of flora covered the ground, including bright, cheerful flowers like bluebells and lots of wild garlic! Many different bird species were singing their songs in the surrounding trees and vegetation, and there was this aura of calm, like something out of a dream. We tasted edible leaves from trees on our walk through the woodland, some grassy, some citrusy and others simply indescribable unless you try them. It was a unique and natural-feeling experience.
We learned to tell wild garlic apart from its toxic twins and crafted memory tags with different flowers and leaves gathered throughout the walk, which will hold positive memories for years to come. We finished the session by making a wild garlic pesto. We all blended the pesto by hand, taking it in turns using our harvested wild garlic, seeds, vegetable oil and a sprinkle of cheese. We spread it on some crackers, and they tasted heavenly. I brought some home to my family and it was a huge hit; I’m really looking forward to teaching them how to harvest wild garlic and making some more lovely memories with tasty pesto.
A Nourishing Experience
Over the course of just a few weeks, I not only learned how to forage in my local area and cook delicious, natural recipes; I also learned how to slow down and better connect through food and the natural environment, to people and to myself. I’ve shared recipes with my family who now want me to make more (and maybe try it themselves). The experience even inspired me to start growing my own fruit and veg; I already have a couple of raspberry plants sprouting from seeds I picked out of my teeth!
This programme didn’t just nourish my friends, family and me, it changed something in me. I gained confidence, friends, new skills, a way to escape and a calm I’ve been missing. If anyone gets the chance to do something like this, I would highly recommend it! I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in the course and meet so many wonderful people. I’m especially grateful to The Bay team for the effort they put in to make this course happen, along with their kind hospitality. By the end of the programme, you’ll walk away with more than just full stomachs – you’ll have full hearts too.
Since 2021, The Bay: A Blueprint for Recovery has been running a range of free activities to reconnect people and nature, celebrate the unique environment of Morecambe Bay and empower communities to take positive action for nature’s recovery. They run small group programmes for individuals who are looking to improve their wellbeing and meet likeminded people.
This year, the Closing Loops Pots of Possibility grant fund has supported them to run a series of 5-week programmes and events about sustainability, foraging and outdoor cooking. Closing Loops is a five-year £1.5 million project led by the FoodFutures partnership and funded by The National Lottery Community Fund.
