where the wild things grow: a forager’s guide to the landscape

Nestled by the roadside, peeking through the hedgerows, hidden in the woods and even in city streets and parks, wild food is all around us - if you know where to look.

From woodland mushrooms and riverbank redcurrants to garden weeds and urban cherry blossoms, Where the Wild Things Grow takes us on a journey through the forager’s landscape.

Drawing on 25 years of foraging experience, David Hamilton show us how and where to hunt for the food that is hidden all around us. Along the way he delves into the forgotten histories and science of wild foods and their habitats and reveals his many foraging secrets, tips and recipes. You’ll discover where to find mallows, mustards and pennywort, as well as sumac, figs and mulberries. You’ll learn how to pick the sweetest berries, preserve mushrooms using only a radiator and prepare salads, risottos and puddings all with wild food.

In all weathers, landscapes and seasons, David shows us that foraging doesn’t just introduce us to new tastes and sensations, it also brings us closer to the natural world on our doorstep. Beautifully illustrated and rich in detail, Where the Wild Things Grow is more than a field guide - it is a celebration of the wonderful and fragile gifts hidden in our landscape.

David Hamilton is a forager, horticulturist and explorer. He started experimenting with wild food as a teenager, making soup from nettles found in his family garden and has been foraging seriously for more than 25 years. He has hitched, walked, cycled and driven all over the world in search of wild food and has taught Mary Berry, Ben Fogle and thousands of others how to forage. He holds a degree in food science and nutrition and a diploma in horticulture and leads the Guardian Masterclass on foraging.

He is the author of several books, including Wild Ruins and TheSelf-Sufficientish Bible, and lives in the south west of England with his partner and two young sons. They are keen foragers and refer to wild food as ’Daddy food’.