River Cottage are pleased to offer Guardian readers John Wright's latest River Cottage Handbook, Hedgerow (signed by the author), for only £8.99 at rivercottage.net.
On this page you will discover a little more about John's third River Cottage Handbook, the chance to win a day's foraging with John, followed by a meal at River Cottage HQ and hear from both Hugh and the author himself. Read this page carefully mind, and answer the question below.
You can of course, as a Guardian reader, also buy your signed copy of the
Hedgerow Handbook for only £8.99. Happy foraging!
Author and River Cottage foraging expert John Wright explores the culinary delights of the British hedgerows, moors, meadows and woods in the latest River Cottage Handbook,
Hedgerow.
In this hugely informative Handbook, John reveals how to spot the free and delicious ingredients to be found in the British countryside, and then how to prepare and cook them.
The hedgerow is perhaps the most accessible and least daunting type of wild food environment. Few of us are very far from some kind of woodland, field edge, heath land, allotment, or, indeed, garden, and these habitats are all included in John’s
Hedgerow bracket. John’s book will tell you all you need to know to turn any little walk or ramble into a foraging expedition, and it will inspire and entertain you at the same time.
River Cottage are pleased to offer Guardian readers John Wright's latest River Cottage Handbook,
Hedgerow (signed by the author), for only £8.99 at rivercottage.net.
Hugh on the Hedgerow Handbook
"This is not the first time I've taken up my pen to introduce a book written by John Wright. I did so back in 2007, when John produced our first River Cottage Handbook, Mushrooms, and I did it again a couple of years later when he wrote another, Edible Seashore.
So to find myself musing on his work is not a novel experience, although it is one filled with pleasure and admiration. It's clear to me that there really is no limit to this man's enthusiasm and excitement about the great outdoors - the edible bits of it in particular.
And this compact manual is just like its forerunners: erudite, authoritative, confidence-building, witty It will tell you all you need to know to turn any walk or ramble into a foraging expedition, and it will inspire and entertain you at the same time."
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| John Wright, in his own words
"I am frequently told that going on a walk with me can be rather disconcerting. Except for the occasions when I offer my companion the odd leaf to chew on, I appear to be strangely distracted and barely listening to what is being said to me. Well, I am - usually -listening; it is just that I am doing something as well - looking.
Once one learns the foraging way of life, it is difficult to stop. Every walk, every car or train journey is an opportunity to find a new patch of Watermint, a likely spot for Pignuts or a promising-looking wood. If my walking is absent-minded, my driving is lethal. Foraging at 50mph, with eyes darting left and right and the occasional abrupt punctuations of the forager's emergency stop, has made me a danger to all road users.
The title of this book is Hedgerow but it actually covers plants found in many more places than this. Wood, mountainside, moor, bog, heath, stream, meadow, field edge, seashore, urban wasteland garden and allotment can all produce an abundance of wild foods."
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Fancy spending a day with River Cottage foraging guru John Wright? Well you can by entering our special competition.
Simply answer the question set out by the man himself and you could win a foraging trip with John, followed by dinner at River Cottage HQ.
We'll also throw in John's three River Cottage Handbooks:
Mushrooms,
Edible Seashore and
Hedgerow.
Simply answer the following poser:
Which year did John produce our first River Cottage Handbook,
Mushrooms? Hugh mentioned it further up the page . . . Was it:
a) 2007
b) 1997
or c) 1987
Enter the competition >
Terms and conditions
Entry into the competition is free and open to UK residents aged 18 or over, excluding co-workers of River Cottage, their families, agents or anyone else connected with this promotion.
Entry to the competition is completed using the online form by Monday 9 August, 2010.
There is one first prize for one person to join John Wright for a day's foraging followed by dinner at River Cottage HQ in Axminster. Alcohol is not included in the prize.
Dates of the trip and dinner are subject to confirmation and availability between Tuesday 10 August and Monday 21 March, 2011.
The winner's name will be drawn at random and notified by email/phone by Tuesday 10 August, 2010.
The winner will be required to accept the prize within 7 days of notification.
In the event of non-acceptance, we will re-draw and select a new winner (the same acceptance period will apply to the new winner).
The winner's name will be made available after this date by emailing parkfarm@rivercottage.net, subject: River Cottage winner. For full terms and conditions go to www.rivercottage.net
By entering this competition, you'll automatically sign yourselves up to become a Friend of River Cottage. That means you'll receive regular emails from us about all River Cottage activities, including events and special offers. We will not sell or pass on your contact details.
Photography:
www.jennyibrahim.co.uk