On Monday 7th July, top Devon chefs attended a fascinating forage led by wild food expert David Harrison. Glistening with summer rain, Lewtrenchard’s impressive grounds were slightly moist, but that didn’t’ dampen chefs’ spirits as they embarked on a flora and fauna adventure. Harrison is Michelin-starred chef Simon Hulstone’s personal forager and sources wild ingredients exclusively for Simon and his small team of talented chefs at The Elephant, Torquay.
The garden lent itself as the perfect venue for a cheffy wild food hunt! Head Chef Matthew Peryer showcased his menu in preparing stunning canapés for around forty of his peers from across the county. The chefs really enjoyed the chance to get a snapshot of fellow cusiniers menus.
The culinary experts went on a tour of the impressive grounds, learning to find and identify the abundance of edible plants, seeds, nuts flowers and fungi that grow wild in the beautiful Devon countryside.
They learnt that provided you are furnished with a permission from the land owner (in this case the Murray family), the only real cost of foraging is time, a valuable resource for chefs. Most foraged produce is perishable and requires picking for service daily or every other day.
