Red Carnation Hotels

ADVENTURES IN FOOD WITH JOHN WRIGHT

Rediscover the ancient art of foraging, where you poke around in rock pools, hedgerows and ancient woodlands for morsels of free food, with acknowledged expert John Wright – star of TV show River Cottage and author of the popular books "Edible Seashore" and "Mushroom Handbook". Signed copies of John’s books are also available, you can buy these through the hotel and we can send them on to you in advance of the forage date. 

As John lives near Summer Lodge we’ve persuaded him to lead three very different forages to introduce guests and diners to the joys of these fascinating food adventures.  Any guests staying in the hotel on Friday or Saturday night are welcome to come on the forage for free, but the sessions are also open to non-residents joining us for the foraging-themed dinner in our restaurant on any evening of the dates below.

Saturday 18th September 2010 – Hedgerow Forage
John is working on a hedgerow foraging book which will be published on 4th August – so he has lots of information to share.  Taking place near the hotel there will be a morning session starting at 9.30pm with a short talk by John.  The afternoon session starts at 2.30pm, again with a brief talk.  In between, hungry foragers can enjoy a hearty lunch at the Acorn Inn and review the morning’s haul.  You can do either session, or both, and lunch is optional.  At 6.30pm everyone will gather in the hotel for an identification parade to examine and discuss all the different “finds” with John, before sitting down to dinner at 7.30pm.

Saturday 30th October 2010 – Mushroom Forage
Similar in format and schedule to the hedgerow forage, but concentrating on the search for edible and other interesting fungi.  Morning on the nearby chalk downlands, while for the afternoon session John takes everyone into the local woods.  Lunch at the Acorn Inn features a number of mushroom dishes, with a review of the morning’s harvest.  We’re very lucky to have John for this weekend as it’s one of the best mushroom picking days of the season.


The forage is complimentary and available to anyone eating our foraging-themed dinner or staying in the hotel on 17th April, 18th September or 30th October. You can reserve your place on the forage by calling 01935 482 000.

To reserve a table for the dinner created with several of the ingredients we will find during the day, please call 01935 482 000 to check availability. Remember to say if you would like to participate in the forage.

You can also book our specially created overnight package, saving £65. The Adventure in Food package includes two nights in one of our beautitfully appointed bedrooms, the forage with John Wright, the dinner and complimentary Full English Breakfast daily.