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 the popular books, "Edible Seashore" and "Mushroom Handbook". 

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 who are dining at the hotel on the evenings of the dates below.

In the evening all foragers can sit down to a suitably themed dinner.  Signed copies of John’s books also available, which we can send you in advance of the day.

Saturday 18th September 2010 – Hedgerow Forage - from £385*
John is working on a hedgerow foraging book which should 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 9.30am with a short talk by John.  The afternoon session starts at 2.30pm, again with a brief talk.  In between, hungry foragers review the morning’s haul and can enjoy a hearty lunch at the Acorn Inn.  You can do either session, or both, and lunch is optional.  At 6.30pm everyone will gather in the hotel to examine and discuss all the different “finds” with John, before sitting down to dinner at 7.30pm.

Saturday 30th October 2010 – Mushroom Forage - from £385*
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 mushrooming days of the season.

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 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 Sundays

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.