14/08/2020
The team descended upon our private woodlands in Telford in the west midlands,
we established camp and set up for the next days teaching. once we set up we had a leisurely stroll down to the river with crayfish traps in hand we placed the traps and headed back to camp. Dinner time, paul our chef decided it was fine dining that was required for the children it was pan fried salmon and jacket potatoes for the instructors it was something deserving a Michelin star! duck a l'orange.
15/08/2020
D/DAY
07:00am the fire is lit the camp is being tidied,
dean heads off surveying the area to gauge a food grid for the clients.
09:30 the clients arrive eager for knowledge and hungry, we start with an introduction and last minute toilet use.
paul gives them a quick intro to bannock bread and starts to get the coals on the fire nice and hot for the rest of the days cooking.
10:15
Dean, Helen and Gav take the group out into the designated food grid, the first edible is an old but gold favorite NETTLES Dean teaches the group how to eat them raw, the group moves along the grid with mild hesitation as to what else they might be asked to try! Bread and cheese yup the clients looked confused when dean said that too! as Dean picks a handful of hawthorn leaves and hands them out with the promise of a fresh apple flavour , the clients are shocked and cant believe what they are tasting. We keep moving, we find an array of greens, roots and berries. Dean asks the group if they like the smell of christmas then wafts a clump of small roots under their noses and automatically people start to recognise it as cloves but they are actually smelling wood avens a woodland plant that smells and tastes of the christmas spice. along the rest of the food grid the clients eat blackberry, elderberry, silver weed, blackberry buds, lemon balm and stinky bob aka herb robert.
11:30
The group heads back to camp, paul has collected the traps from the river and the group are in for a surprise!
The group heads under the canopy and take their seats, something smells divine but what is it? theres a giant saucepan on the fire and paul opens it and the smell explodes under the canopy it smells like it has wine in says one of the clients. After around another 15 minutes paul comes with loaded plates that contain jacket potatoes and beef bourguignon in a red wine reduction topped with morel mushrooms.
On to the second course! planked trout with honey glaze,
paul nails a fresh beautifully pink filleted trout onto a thick wooden board. he attached bracken to a stick and used it to baste the fish with honey. Its set beside the fire and basted every five minutes, we keep the fire at a moderate heat making sure there's not too many flare up that could burn the beautiful flesh.
20 minutes have passed and the fish is looking about right, paul makes the call to serve it. he disappears to his mobile kitchen, when he returns its plated on the cooking board dressed with the freshest of fruits and the clients tuck in. Gasps and smiles all round another job well done.
