At Hogarths our moto is simple when it comes to our food, our aim is to bring you, our guests, interesting food from the three counties of Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire, closet to where we are based. Using ingredients to honour the seasons, often grown for us, Organic where reasonably possible, sustainable fish, traceable and humanely reared meat, and poultry. Our surroundings influence our food in most ways and our chefs love to forage in the grounds for additional ingredients to supplement their dishes.
Foraging for fruits, in particular blackberries, is something that nearly everyone has fond childhood memories of. It’s something the whole family can do and enjoy and is a cunning disguise for a weekend activity for families across the UK. Homing in on those good memories from his childhood days exploring the Worcestershire countryside, Stone Manor’s Executive Head Chef Vince has led the way with his bigrade of chefs to encourage foraging within our 30 acres of land to utilise the natural larder on our doorstep! Nestled in the grounds of Stone Manor, our woodlands are home to a foragers retreat. Autumn is one of the best times to forage, with plants revealing their products, often hidden in the warmer months. From nettles and mushrooms to garlic and berries, Stone Manor has a variety of wild food on offer, and you may think greens such as nettles are foe not friends, but eating them is sweet revenge for those stung by a nettle, making a great substitute for spinach.
Vince’s top tips for your foraging journeys:
If you don’t know what it is – don’t eat it! A lot of plants will look very similar. However, many can be extremely poisonous to humans if digested. Alongside recognising what products you are searching for, you need to learn how to identify the most poisonous produce!
Make the most of your finds! Foraged produce such as wild garlic that can be found in abundance can compliment so many dishes.
