Red Carnation Hotels

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 several popular foraging handbooks including ‘Edible Seashore’, ‘Mushroom Handbook’ and ‘Hedgerow’. Signed copies of all John’s books are also available through the hotel and we can send them on to you in advance of the forage dates.

As John lives near Summer Lodge we’ve again asked him to introduce guests and diners to the joys of these fascinating food adventures. Our award-winning restuarant will use the produce collected during the day to create a sumptuous feast. The forages are free of charge to guests staying in the hotel on Friday or Saturday night as well as non-residents with Saturday night dinner reservations.

The Seashore Forage - Saturday 19th May 2012
For the forager, the seashore holds surprising culinary potential and John will take us on a witty and authoritative trip to the seashore near Portland and Weymouth. It’s a full day’s adventure, leaving Summer Lodge at 10:00am and returning about 5pm. Before introducing us to the various species to be harvested, he touches on such practicalities as conservation and the ethics of foraging; safety from tides, rocks and food poisoning; the law and access to the shore, our right to fish, landing sizes and seasons; and equipment such as nets, pots and hooks. The Dorset coast provides many of the British species covered in his fascinating book ‘The Edible Seashore’. These include crustaceans, molluscs, sea urchin, plants, and seaweed.

The Hedgerow Forage - Saturday 8th September 2012
John’s most recent best-seller was ‘Hedgerow’ River Cottage Handbook No. 7’ and so he has lots of information to share. Over 40 species are covered, including blackberries, dandelions, hedge garlic, horseradish, sweet chestnuts and wild cherries. Taking place near the hotel, there will be a morning session starting at 9.30am 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. A hedgerow-themed Dinner is available from 7:00pm onwards.

The Mushroom Forage - Saturday 29th September 2012
Similar in format and schedule to the hedgerow forage, but concentrating on the search for edible and other interesting fungi. Spend the morning foraging 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 (lunch not inlcuded in cost). We’re very lucky to have John for this weekend as in the past few years it’s been the most bountiful week of the mushroom hunting season in the South West.

Our forages are complimentary and available to anyone staying at Summer Lodge on the weekends of 19th May, 8th September or 29th September 2012. They are also available to anyone eating our foraging-themed dinner menus on any of the above nights.

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.

The Adventures in Food package includes:

• Two nights in a beautifully appointed room or suite
• Full English Breakfast daily
• A complimentary guided forage with renowned forager/author John Wright
• A three-course dinner on Saturday evening prepared by our chef Steven Titman with several of the ingredients we find during the day

Guests can also enjoy a late check-out until 4pm on Sunday

From rates are quoted per room per night, inclusive of VAT and based on two adults sharing a Classic Room for a minimum of two nights. Additional nights are priced at our Best Available Rate. This package is valid on selected dates only and is subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply.