The dangers of relying on locally foraged botanicals. Do you know the difference between edible and toxic/dangerous/waste of time/not worth the effort?

Ambridge in Borsetshire is the fictional village location for the long running BBC Radio 4 agricultural soap opera “The Archers”. This has of late (ever on message with trends and farm diversity), featured a gin distillery start up by one of the less reliable village characters.

Some of the initial foraged botanical choices were unwise!

Agenda:

• The Ambridge Effect – Dying to be different
• “Apparently, you can add anything to gin. Jam. Anything. The world’s your larder.”
• Access and Foraging rights
• Theft act 1968
• Countryside Rights of Way, (CROW) Act, 2000
• All land in England and Wales is owned by someone
• Restrictions of Access
• Rights of Access
• Right to roam, but not to forage
• Plant Protections
• Other Protections
• Other registers and voluntary codes
• Commercial foraging
• Adding jam to gin – are you sure?
• What can we put in our Gin?
• Maybe safe, maybe not A few examples
• Juniper berries. Which are poisonous?

E-mail james@firthgardens.co.uk
Website www.firthgardens.co.uk