The Nottingham Forager

🌈 Q***r History Walk 2026🌈
What a day!!! I've got so many things to say, so many photos and videos to share but it's going to take a little while to gather my thoughts and edit the photos!

What I will say right now is it was the BEST Q***r History Walk we have ever done and we both enjoyed ourselves sooooo much!

If you do have any photos, videos or thoughts from the day please do share either in the comments, via messenger or via email to [email protected]

The thank you list will be LOOOOONG! Not sure how many tags I'm allowed per post but we will find out!

Thoughts for next year have already started... But for now, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH.

⚠️⚠️ Session Postponed due to absolutely terrible weather. Sorry everyone! Will reschedule ⚠️⚠️

📣 FREE FUNGI 📣

Yep that's right! You heard correctly! I've come across a delightful crop of Dryads Saddle 🍄 and I'll be GIVING IT AWAY at my sesh tomorrow to a few lucky ducks along with cooking instructions 😋 😋 😋

I'm hosting a "Foragers Show and Tell" at Windmill Community Gardens in Bobbersmill - this will now include a mushroom lottery! 💕 The session is free to attend, there will be a collection pot out for donations to the garden if you can.

It starts at 10:30am and will be around an hour or so.

Come and learn about the wild foods growing all around us right now. We will be under cover if it's raining!

The site is accessible for most mobility aids. There's a composting loo and facilities to make a drink should you wish to. The session will be mostly seated with the opportunity to be have a wander and help in the wild space if you wish to.

Suitable for kids and dogs on leads too!

More details via the link in the comments 👀 or drop me a message.

🌸🌸Elderflower Cordial Recipe🌸🌸

+Elderflower brew! ☕

So plenty of you have asked, here is my simplistic elderflower cordial recipe. There are fancier ways to do this, but I've always found this method works well for me and is minimum faff and ingredients.
I've also included an even simpler way to enjoy elderflower with no sugar at the end 💚

Pick your elderflower on a nice sunny day after the dew has gone in a morning. Traditionally you should ask permission from the tree before harvest and always go steady with the picking. It's really important to leave plenty of the trees for elderberries later in the year. Plus the bees love em! Stick to around 25% or less and if harvesting large amounts spread yourself out.

The elderflower had a distinctive smell but use a good field guide such as this free one if you are unsure! https://www.wildfooduk.com/edible-wild-plants/elder-tree/

The important thing to remember is it's a flower growing from a TREE and not a plant sprouting from the ground. Sounds silly, but always check you are in fact foraging from a TREE 🌴

INGREDIENTS
1 kg Granulated sugar
1 liter boiling water
Juice of 1 large lemon
20 elderflower heads

DIRECTIONS
Put the sugar in a large saucepan and add your water straight from the kettle.

Stir well until sugar has dissolved and add your lemon 🍋 juice.

Shake the elderflowers to remove any insects, remove the stalks add the flowers to the sugar syrup.

Cover and leave to stand for at least 12 hours, ideally 24 stirring very occasionally.

Strain the elderflower cordial through muslin and decant into sterilised bottles.

Pop in the fridge and use within a week or two. Great for summery cocktails, soft drinks or freeze into ice lollies 😋

Alternatively you can simply brew your elderflower with hot water. Then cool and serve over ice or freeze to lollipops. Sugar free and still lovely and floral. Simply add flowers to hot water and steep for a good 10 mins, strain, cool and serve. Yum 😋

🏳️‍🌈 Q***r History Walk - coming up soon! 🏳️‍🌈
- Sunday 14th June-

As we head into Pride month myself and my wife will once again be hosting Nottingham's Q***r History Walk!

And EVERYONE is invited - Here's some more details and some photos from previous years.
There's a link for a FREE ticket in the comments / my bio.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Join Lucy & Shell Buckle for a guided walk around the city discovering our LGBTQ+ past and present. * NEW WALKING ROUTE FOR 2026 *

We meet at The Lord Roberts on Broad Street from 12 o'clock and the walk will be setting off at 1pm.

We will make our way around the city with several stops for refreshments along the way.

We finish at Mojo on Thurland Street with free buffet, local art show & special guests speakers to finish off the day.

This is our FIFTH year doing this and we hope to make this one bigger and better than ever. We have a new walking route with additional stops this year as well as some special guests lined up for you.

Tickets are FREE 💕 The Spencer Trust will be with us collecting donations on the day.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Any questions? Please ask.

See you there 👋

Upcoming session 👀

Saturday 6th June @ Windmill Community Gardens - Bobbersmill, near Aspley.

10:30am til 12:30

Join Lucy aka The Nottingham Forager for a 'Show and Tell' style session at the lovely Windmill Community Gardens in Bobbersmill near Aspley.

Suitable for all ages and ability, you will be guided through some of the seasons top forageables and learn all about safe, sustainable and legal ways to enjoy the wild food that grows all around us.

This is a DONATION session so there's no charge, but I'll be collecting donations towards the community gardens on the day.

At the end of the talk there will be opportunity to explore the community gardens and help with a little invasive species bashing in the wild space!

It's accessible by public transport and on street parking is available nearby. I HIGHLY recommend having a look on Google before you travel, it's a little tucked out the way off Ascott road. Happy to help with directions & buses etc if you need me to.

There's a loo on site and there will be facilities to make yourself a hot drink / squash should you wish.

No need to book, just turn up! 💕

Any questions? Please get in touch.

See you there 👋

Fun in the sun 🌞

I managed to time my short work break with the beautiful weather and we have certainly been making the most of it!

Spent the bank holiday Monday out in Derbyshire having a paddle 💧

It's important to remember safety when entering any body of water, no matter how shallow. Before venturing out I did my research! We all took swim shoes / sandles to paddle in and this particular place the water was never really deeper than your legs.

Wild swimming / paddling is often a divisive subject same as foraging! And I have similar feelings on both topics... Education is the key!!!

There are some places that are definitely not safe to swim in, but there are lots of places that are where you are told you shouldn't. It's hard to know the difference sometimes.

Educating yourself, and in turn others when you can is a far better option in my opinion. People need connection to nature! Whether that's swimming, foraging, exercising whatever... We need more safe ways to do it!

Of course you MUST remember to leave no trace you have been there and watch out for nesting birds and ducklings. They don't need the bother! If you spot some, move away.

We are blessed with the gang at Colwick lake who offer wild swimming in sessions with lifeguards etc. They truly are a fab bunch with great facilities and I highly recommend a visit.

BUT! It's not enough! I wanna see more river cleanups, better education, better access and less excuses as to why we can't enjoy them.

I've got a BIG project I am currently squirrelling away on - one I plan to get LOTS of you involved in and YES there will be paddling and foraging!!

Looks like we have today left with the hot hot heat before normal service resumes - I'm staying in Nottingham today but planning on finding a good paddle spot if I can 👀

Enjoy what's left of the sun (or stay hidden for one more day if that's what you prefer!)

Stay safe! If you plan on dipping your toes in anywhere I'll pop a link in the comments / bio with some helpful information.

What a lovely ☀️ walk yesterday with a fabulous group of humans! Whilst the mushrooms were a little shy we happily nibbled on other things and admired the fruit that's on its way.

The cherries and plums are forming so it's a great time to get out and explore your local area!

I hope everyone has a fabulous bank holiday. I'm off to a river (again! Yes I've got a bit of thing on rivers at the moment! 😆) I'm headed out in to Derbyshire this time. Update will probably be tomorrow, if I don't melt! 🥵