UK foraging species guide
Never eat anything you cannot identify with 100% certainty.
This is a guide, not a substitute for expert identification. Foraging guides - including this one - can contain errors. If you are not completely certain of an identification, do not eat it. Cross-check against at least two independent sources, and when in doubt, consult a local foraging expert or an experienced forager in person before eating anything wild.
Woodland & hedgerow
Crab Apple
Flowers April-May; fruit ripens and is best picked September-November, often swe
Hazelnut
Nuts develop over summer and ripen from late August through October, with Septem
Sweet Chestnut
Nuts ripen and the spiny cases split open to drop them from late September throu
Wild Garlic (Ramsons)
Leaves are best picked from March to May, before flowering when the aroma and fl
Wood Sorrel
Leaves available for picking spring through autumn wherever present; flowers Apr
Blackberry (Bramble)
Flowers June-August; berries ripen July through to the first frosts, with peak p
Elderflower & Elderberry
Elderflowers: late May-July. Elderberries: late August-October, with September t
Nettle (Stinging Nettle)
Best picked as young spring growth, March-May, or the fresh top leaves of establ
Rosehip (Dog Rose)
Flowers May-June; hips ripen and are best picked September-November, ideally aft
Sloe (Blackthorn)
Flowers March-April; fruit picked September-November, traditionally after the fi
Coastal
Cockles
The traditional 'R months' rule (September-April) is sometimes applied to cockle
Dulse
Best gathered April to November. No calendar-based toxicity restriction applies
Marsh Samphire
June to August is the classic harvest window for young, tender shoots; some guid
Mussels
The old folk rule is to only eat mussels in months containing the letter R (Sept
Sea Beet
Leaves can be picked year-round where present, but the best, most tender and mil
Sea Lettuce
Best harvested from February to July, and still usable into September; avoid old
Fungi
Beefsteak Fungus
Late summer into autumn, roughly August to October or November.
Cauliflower Fungus
Late summer into autumn, roughly August to November.
Chanterelle
July to December, with the main flush typically August to November.
Chicken of the Woods
Late spring through summer to autumn (roughly May to October, peaking June to Au
Common Puffball
July to November, with the main flush typically August to October.
Dryad's Saddle (Pheasant's Back Fungus)
Main flush April to June, with a smaller second flush sometimes seen in autumn;
Giant Puffball
July to November, with the main flush typically August to October.
Hedgehog Fungus
August to December, or until the first hard frosts, with the main flush typicall
Shaggy Ink Cap
Best picked June to November, though it can appear at almost any time of year in
Wood Ear (Jelly Ear)
Can be found year-round wherever fresh material occurs, but is most abundant and