Healthy Holidays: food for free through foraging

It can be a struggle to keep the children healthy over the summer holidays - but what about combining exercise and hunting for food?

This summer, we're hoping to inspire you to get out and get active with our Healthy Holidays campaign. Take a look at Gareth Owen's report from the heart of rural Shropshire on the pleasure of hunting for the superfood whimberries.

But, there are a few things you should bear in mind if you want to go foraging. Lara Sproson is an experienced whimberry forager.

Here are some tips from botanist Patrick Harding on hunting for wild plants.You have to be very careful what you pick.

• Confirm the identification of the plant or mushroom with a good book/website and preferably by showing it to an expert. If there is any doubt do not eat/use it.

• Remember to use all your senses for identification, not just visual clues. Smell and texture may be just as important, as is the habitat.

• Don’t uproot plants in the wild – it’s illegal.

• Don’t disturb wildlife such as nesting birds when foraging.

• Only take a few leaves/flowers/fruits from any one plant.

• Young nettle leaves (from the tips of the plants) - best identified by touch – make a healthy tea and also a good beer.

• Broad, bright green leaves of Ramsons (wild garlic) grow in damp woods and smell strongly of onion. They are a great salad addition, or to wrap around baked fish or to put in the blender with olive oil, pepper and some walnuts to make a wonderful pesto.

• The leaves of Sweet Cicely – a plant that looks like Cow Parsley but smells strongly of aniseed when crushed, can be stewed with rhubarb to remove the sharpness. Remove the leaf before serving.

• Chunky grassland mushrooms found only in April and May that are white on the cap, stem and gills and smell strongly of flour/wet pastry are the edible St George’s Mushrooms. Fry and add lemon juice, thick yoghurt and fresh parsley.

• Elder flowers for making cordial or alcoholic fizz.