Foraging
Scotland’s woodlands, hedgerows, moorland and seashores hold an abundance of delicious and nutritious wild food that awaits your discovery.
Once a means of seasonal sustenance, foraging is enjoying a revival among people keen to eat fresh, seasonal and local food.
More and more people are keen to reconnect with the land and learn more about indigenous, natural food. Foraging’s popularity today may be driven in part by awareness of climate change and a desire for a low-impact lifestyle.
Responsible wild harvesting means taking only what you will use and picking carefully to have minimal impact on the plant. It’s vital that you eat only those wild plants and mushrooms that you can identify as safe for human consumption.
You can download our colourful guide to Foraging for Wild Plants in Scotland and our Food from Nature workbook for children in both English and in Gaelic.
Foraging for Wild Plants
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A guide to some of the plants that can be gathered and eaten in Scotland. You must be 100% certain of your plant identification in order to avoid any poisonous plants which look similar. Please make sure that you gather plants in a way that is safe, mindful and completely sustainable. There is guidance for responsible foraging at the end.
Plenty of delicious and nutritious wild food can be found among Scotland’s woodlands, hedgerows, moorland and seashores. Of course, which foods are ripe for picking depends on the time of year.
Foods to forage for include:
- brambles
- chanterelles
- wild garlic
- nettles
- elderflowers
- dandelion leaves
- dulse
- sweet cicely
- sea buckthorn
- hazelnuts
- sloes
- wild damsons
Foraged berries, herbs, mushrooms and edible plants are on the menu in some of Scotland’s most innovative eateries. Wild foods can yield stronger and more varied flavours, meaning there’s less need for fat and seasoning.
Taking part in a foraging course can show you:
- what to look out for
- what to expect in each season
- how to harvest sustainably
Find out more
Listen to our latest Podcast 'Getting started with foraging' - September 2022
Read our latest news release 'Foraging festival encourages people to explore wild food' - September 2022
News release 'Foraging festival returns for 2021 with exciting online and in-person events' - August 2021
Scottish Wild Harvests Association - Facebook
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