Gladwin brothers to form urban foraging society

Oliver and Richard Gladwin, the brothers who brought London the acclaimed wild food restaurants The Shed and Rabbit are set to create their own urban foraging society, aimed at educating city dwellers in foraging both in the city and countryside.

Meeting at regular intervals the society will arrange foraging trips, as well as ensuring that produce foraged in London ends up on the tables of both their popular restaurants.

The Shed and Rabbit both recreate the Gladwins’ rural way of life in the heart of the city. They supply the restaurant with produce and award-winning wines from the wild and their family farm and vineyard Nutbourne, in West Sussex.

Oliver and Richard will be advising any keen would-be foragers on the best spots for foraging, with Battersea and Hyde Park royal parks recommended. For those happy to make more of a day of it Richmond Park has an abundance of edible flora and fauna all year round.

As Christmas approaches, the Gladwins have a top festive foraging tip for red berries, which are currently ripening all over the capital. They advise checking exactly what they are to avoid any dangers, but once identified rowan berries, rose hips, and hawthorn berries all make delicious tonic style cordials, perfect for a winter warmer cocktail or as an accompaniment to game dishes. Richard and Oliver can also currently be found on Wormwood scrubs, picking sloe berries for homemade sloe gin.

Urban foraging does not come without its pitfalls so Richard and Oliver will be warning their members to avoid low lying communal ground, where dogs walk, near roads, near pavements and anything that creates dust and splash. Picking above shoulder height is always a must!

Oliver said: “We can’t wait to start showing Londoners where they can find wonderful things to put on their plate which are right on their doorstep. We always find that, as the seasons change, in the town or country, what grows together, goes together.”