Herbal Medicine and Wild Food, Consulting Medical Herbalist, West Didsbury, Manchester, Bolton, Hebden Bridge, Jesper Launder

Events

This events listing is updated through the year. For bookings or enquiries please contact Jesper.

Testimonials

"My partner Sir Cameron Mackintosh has, for many years, foraged for mushrooms in our local woods and I, for many years, have been terrified that he is going to pick something lethal! Having read about Jesper's private foraging walks I thought it was a perfect opportunity to put my mind at rest and to learn more about wild food. I have to say that our day with Jesper was more interesting and enjoyable than we could possibly have imagined. He is extremely knowledgeable and wonderfully enthusiastic with that knowledge not only of the mushrooms we found but all sorts of other wild plants and their uses both culinary and medicinal.

At the end of the day we had a great selection of mushrooms - many more in fact than Cameron had thought edible in the past - and also examples of the deadly ones to avoid.

I couldn't recommend a day foraging with Jesper more highly."

Michael Le Poer Trench, 2009

“The mushroom picking day was a lovely opportunity to learn about the wide varieties of edible and poisonous mushrooms that are freely available on our doorstep. Jesper has a flair for imparting his wide knowledge in an engaging manner. A fun filled day with the chance to meet like-minded individuals. I would thoroughly recommend it.”

Rashmi Chury, 2009

“Really enjoyed the day, you have an extensive knowledge of your subject and your bonus of cooking the food – it was amazing how many mushrooms we found. This is the second course I have attended of yours and I enjoyed both – learnt so much - looking forward to more courses.”

Wendy Ireton, 2009

Thursday 4th August Summertime Foraging at Chorlton Water Park with Cracking Good Food (6pm – 9pm)

Summertime foraging is some of the most diverse and rewarding. With berries, nuts, roots, seeds, edible greens and mushrooms in mind, we will spend the best part of three hours taking in a loop of Chorlton Water Park, making a collection of our best finds as we go. And what doesn't get nibbled straight away can be used at the end of the walk to make a variety of savoury and sweet seasonal wild food treats.

Meeting at the car park entrance to Chorlton Water Park for a 4pm start

Bookings can be made via crackinggoodfood.org or via Adele on 07910673113

Sunday 28th August Herbal Poultice, Ointment and Cream making session at Chorlton Ees (1pm – 4pm)

For this event we will head into Chorlton Ees to locate and find out about the many uses of our common native medicinal plants. The agenda is to make a harvest of a variety of easy-to-identify species after which we will set up an outdoor preparation space and make our very own herbal poultices, ointments and creams. Bring a few small clean jam jars along if you wish to take home samples of the products we make. This is a great opportunity to discover how to make your very own herbal first aid kit!

Meet at the car park entrance to Chorlton Ees opposite the Bowling Green Pub

Bookings via crackinggoodfood.org or via Adele on 07910673113

Friday 2nd September – Sunday 4th September Edible Mushroom Hunting Skills Weekend @ Alston Hall

This residential weekend course will give anyone wishing to develop their skills of foraging a real boost. Expect to gain confidence in how to correctly identify a significant number of delicious seasonal wild mushrooms. As well as classroom theory and identification, we will embark upon a number of local forays covering a range of habitats from woodland to meadow.

Contact Alston Hall on 01772 784661 or check www.alstonhall.com for further information and bookings

Sunday 18th September Edible Mushroom Foray with Slow Food Lancashire

Following the success of last year’s autumn forage with Slow Food Lancashire, the location for this year’s event will be a return to Silverdale. The limestone geology and unique microclimate of the area provided us with some fabulous fungal finds last year, and expect to find a similarly dazzling array of delicious edible finds again. Rain or shine we will be looking to find a suitable location to cook up and sample our best finds at the end of the walk. Expect some really wonderful taste sensations.

For enquiries and bookings please contact Phil Keenan at phil@thoroughlyfood.co.uk or 07968490469

Wednesday 21st September An Evening Mushroom Foray at Fletcher Moss Park with Cracking Good Food (5.30pm – 8.30pm)

This evening foray is an ideal opportunity to learn how to identify some of the tastiest early autumn mushrooms. Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury has an interesting mix of habitats so even if we’re having an Indian summer, there are locations which will still come up trumps. The walk will last a couple of hours and we’ll have a chance to sample some of our best finds at the end.

Meeting at the main park entrance on Wilmslow Road next to The Didsbury Pub for 5.30pm.

Bookings via crackinggoodfood.org or via Adele on 07910673113

Sunday 25th September Ness Gardens Edible Mushroom Hunting Day (9.30am – 4.30pm)

Ness Gardens on the Wirrall is renowned for its dazzling displays of horticultural plants specimens and is a truly beautiful location. However, for this event, the agenda is fungi, particularly of the edible kind. The grounds of Ness are rich with mature trees, grassland and managed floral beds – a surprisingly rich habitat for finding fungi – so expect to find a wide array of poisonous, edible, and even incredible medicinal mushrooms. Last year’s foray found in excess of thirty excellent edible species! The course will be introduced with some helpful theory and key pointers for aiding correct identification of mushrooms, before we head out for some serious foraging. There will be more of the same after lunch before we finally head back to class to assess our finds and enjoy the delights of freshly harvested wild mushrooms cooked in a variety of ways.

Cost £45 (includes buffet lunch and all hand-outs)

Bookings may be made via Ness on 0151 353 0123 (please note a £20 deposit is payable in advance to secure your place)

Sunday 2nd October Mushroom Hunting Morning at Delamere Forest near Chester (10am – 1pm)

Delamere Forest is one of the most enjoyable mushroom hunting sites in the North-West for its rich variety of woodland, supporting an equally rich collection of intriguing and delectable edible mushrooms. This forage kicks off early to give us the best chance of finding specimens in prime condition, and following the hunt we should have time to swing back to the car park to sample quite how good they taste. Advanced booking is essential. Meeting outside the Linmere Visitors Centre for a 10am start.

Cost £10 adults, £5 children

Bookings may be made via info@jesperlaunder.com or 07900544826

Wednesday 5th October Forest Of Dean Mushroom Hunting Day

This event is a great opportunity to take part in an intense day of foraging in one of the UK's richest habitats for fungi. Foraging will take place over three different locations and will fill the best part of the day. Previous forays in the Forest Of Dean have yielded hundreds of species including many of the highly sought-after edible varieties.

Please note: there are limited spaces for this event, making it an ideal learning ground for those keen to explore the fascinating world of fungi. Early booking is recommended.

Food is NOT provided so do bring plenty of food and drink with you for maintaining energy levels. Mushroom hunting can be tiring work! A (large!) basket is also to be considered essential equipment. Further details available on booking.

Cost £40 adults

Bookings may be made via info@jesperlaunder.com or 07900544826

Saturday 8th October Chorlton Food & Drink Festival Edible Mushroom Hunt

Take part in a fun group foray for wild edible mushrooms through Chorlton Ees as part of the Chorlton Food & Drink Festival. We wrap the walk up with an outdoor cooking experience to sample our edible finds. Due to popular demand there are two dates for this walk. Booking is essential for this event. The walk will last up to 3 hours. The terrain is gentle going and suitable for most ages. Meeting opposite the Bowling Green Pub for midday.

Cost £10 adults, £5 children