THE NORTH STARS
FORAGING AND FEASTING IS A RECIPE FOR A MEMORABLE BREAK, SAYS FIONA WHITTY
“WOULD anyone like more hogweed?” It’s not the normal question you hear over lunch, but then again our meal at The Rewilding was anything but normal.
It was far, far better than that. We were sitting in a barn with an open fire blazing away, the remains of a pot of venison gumbo gently stewing on top, and a pair of pineapples hanging above, roasting to perfection.
Wafting in were the calming bleats of sheep and their lambs, grazing on the rambling Lancashire salt marsh beyond.
Earlier that morning Rob Booth, our chef, had taken us out to find some tasty additions for the feast we were about to enjoy as part of a forage and lunch event organised by The Rewilding, which aims to connect people with nature from its base in Cockerham near Lancaster. Finds included lemony-tasting sorrel, garlic mustard – great for pesto – and nettles, good for preventing allergies.
We’d discovered that hawthorn berries boiled with tomatoes and onion made the perfect bacon butty ketchup.
Rob had added some of our haul to his venison and sauteed our hogweed with butter and salt for a broccoli-style side. For dessert he’d ground sorrel with sugar and drizzled it over the warm pineapple.
“Foraging is the ultimate way to de-stress,” Rob enthused. “Once you start you’re always on the lookout, searching through hedgerows for something you can use. Your eyes start to work and you slow down.”
And sure enough by the end of our forage I was barely able to take my eyes off the ground. In an age where weird and wonderful techniques like sound baths and forest bathing are supposedly all the rage, it was refreshing to discover that a simple walk can be so therapeutic.
It was part of a real back-to-nature break in Lancashire, a county too often sidelined in favour of the nearby Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.
Lancashire – characterised by farmland and picturesque villages, coastal plains and beaches, lively market towns and great country pubs, sweeping moors and proud fells – is arguably just as stunning.
The night before, my partner Tim and I had experienced another of The Rewilding’s treats – an Untamed
Supper, a celebration of seasonal ingredients, again cooked over the fire by Rob.
The nettles used as a pesto accompanying the mackerel starter – smoked nearby in Lancaster – had been foraged.
The tender lamb came from the farm next door and the queso fresco cheese had been made by Rob earlier that day from Lancashire milk.
It was finished off with thyme and blood orange cake in a Suzette sauce, and topped and tailed by drinks made from herbs and plants.
We were staying on-site at Patty’s Barn, a collection of beautiful four-star holiday homes that The Rewilding’s creator Michelle Parry also runs. Ours, called the Owl’s Lookout, had three comfy bedrooms, a sleek, newlyrefurbished kitchen and cool neutral colours.
We’d wake up to gorgeous views stretching out to Morecambe Bay and to sheep and lambs chewing grass right outside.
Recently Michelle unveiled the Ginger Hut, a cosy log cabin that is ideal for visitors to her supper clubs, with a wood burner inside and a bathroom and kitchen behind.
Lying close to the stunning Forest of Bowland National Landscape, there were beautiful walks aplenty on the doorstep.
For fabulous views across the coast we hiked up Nicky Nook then enjoyed a pit stop at Farm On The Fell, where delicious ice cream is made using milk from their own herd of Jerseys.
We rounded off at Goosnargh Gin, where Richard and Rachel Trenchard craft a raft of gins from their home in Goosnargh village.
Their unique selling point is using botanicals connected to or inspired by the fertile area they live in – and that has clearly paid off. They’ve won a string of awards, including a Gold at the International Wine and Spirit Competition.
But could Tim and I achieve our own great-tasting gins after just half a day of expert instruction from Richard?
At Goosnargh Gin School, he made us feel like we could. Richard explained how we’d start with a diluted neutral grain spirit which we’d heat in individual pots to release alcohol vapours into a still.
Once condensed we’d add our chosen botanicals to create the base for our unique brew.
When it came to choosing these, juniper, angelica root and coriander seeds were a given – the “holy trinity”, according to Richard – but we were free to select another five to eight.
Fancying a gin with floral/fruity tones I sniffed and tasted scores of jars before settling on a blend which included red clover, kaffir lime leaf and sloe. Students get to take home their 70cl bottle and while mine is unlikely to reach Goosnargh Gin’s acclaim, I’m very proud (Distillery Gin School, £95pp, goosnarghgin. co.uk).
Our last stop was the Cartford Inn, a country pub and boutique hotel on the banks of the River Wyre in Little Ecclestone.
With a reputation for food and eclectically designed rooms, it places emphasis on Lancashire produce and culture, an ethos that’s gained owners Patrick and Julie Beaume a clutch of awards.
Mulling it over with a pint of their Giddy Kipper Pale Ale, made especially for them by nearby Farm Yard Ales, and their own TOTI Gin – created with botanicals inspired by Cartford’s riverside garden – we settled on a selection of starters and nibbles, including pickled cockles with samphire and smoked Lancashire cheese beignets.
They were matched in the taste stakes by my tender confit duck leg main, accompanied by rhubarb grown on-site, and Tim’s calves’ liver with prosciutto and juniper, thyme and onion relish. The food was top-notch (thecartfordinn.co. uk).
Thanks to Lancashire’s incredible larder we went home from our break full and refreshed… and still
For fabulous views across the coast we hiked up Nicky Nook