7 wild herbs you can forage in the UK
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Wild greens and herbs have been part of our diet since the dawn of time, and it was only at the beginning of the 20th century, when food and farming became heavily industrialised, that their popularity dropped off. In the 2010s, however, they saw a resurgence, with high-end chefs like Rene Redzepi in Copenhagen, Michel Bras in Laguiole, France, and Dan Barber in New York incorporating hyperlocal, foraged ingredients into their menus. You don't need to be a chef to take advantage of the many edible treasures in Britain's fields, hedgerows, woodlands and gardens, however — just a sense of adventure and, unless you have the requisite know-how, a guide.
A few tips: avoid anywhere near polluted water or heavy traffic, or popular with dogs. If you have doubts about identifying something — especially plants in the wild carrot family, which can vary from delicious to deadly poisonous — choose a safer option, such as nettles or dandelions. Here are Britain's herby highlights.
1. Yarrow
A native herb with fine, feathery leaves and a froth of tiny white flowers in summer, yarrow grows in meadows and hedgerows. James Wood, who runs Totally Wild foraging courses across the UK, adds the young leaves to potato salad, and after flowers appear he uses the leaves in stuffings and stews, replacing thyme or rosemary. At The Small Holding restaurant in Kent — which holds a Green Michelin star — you might find sprigs of yarrow dotted on top of ricotta and tomatoes. Not suitable for people with aspirin allergy.
2. Chickweed
Many people think of chickweed as an annoying invader, but its dainty leaves are delicious, with a flavour like spinach crossed with sweetcorn — so if it rampages through your garden, eat it up. There's a long tradition of doing so, with burnt chickweed seeds found at Neolithic sites. However, it has a nasty lookalike, petty spurge, but it's easy to tell them apart: chickweed has a single line of hairs on each stem. Even more obvious, if you pull the stem until it snaps, you'll see a thin strand or core inside it, while spurge has milky sap.
3. Alexanders
Also known as horse parsley, Alexanders arrived with the Romans, and it bullies our native bluebells, so harvesting it is no bad thing, especially in places like Norfolk, where it's abundant. Although the whole plant is edible, with a concentrated celery flavour, the seeds are the most exciting part, says James: 'They're quite similar to sichuan pepper — it's like having masses of wild peppercorns growing unnoticed on our doorsteps.'
4. Sweet cicely
Originally found on European mountainsides, sweet cicely can be used in place of fennel. Jekka McVicar, a herb expert and founder of Jekka's, a herb farm in Bristol, likes to cook it with rhubarb, as the herb's sweetness cuts the amount of sugar needed. Sweet cicely could be confused with poisonous hemlock, but the former's aniseed scent sets it apart.
5. Ground ivy
Not be confused with actual ivy, ground ivy is a native, low-growing wild herb related to mint and dead nettles, with purple, funnel-shaped flowers and small, slightly hairy leaves, which are very fragrant when crushed or chopped. It's invasive and one of the UK's most common weeds, so light foraging can be helpful to the ecosystem. Use the leaves where you might use mint, especially in tzatziki or to garnish a gin and tonic.
6. Sweet woodruff
Once you identify sweet woodruff's star-shaped whorl of narrow oval leaves and tiny four-petalled white flowers, you'll spot it everywhere. Jekka uses the almond-scented leaves in salads, but you can dry them for a more intensely vanilla-like flavour and infuse them into drinks. They must be dried fast and thoroughly, though, and kept in an airtight container, or they can develop a dangerous toxin.
7. Meadowsweet
Found in damp lowlands all over the UK, meadowsweet has a long history of medicinal use, and some people find the leaves smell medicinal, too. One of the most sacred herbs of the ancient druids, its name comes from mead, which the flowers were used to flavour. Using them in place of elderflower in elderflower 'champagne' brings out notes of hay, almond and vanilla. This is another herb not suitable for those with an aspirin allergy, though.
Foraging tours in local forest have become a popular pastime with young people.
Photograph by Felix Russel-Saw
Where to go foraging in the UK
Fat Hen: The Wild Cookery School, Cornwall
Take a foraging 'stomp' along a coastal path before heading to The Gurnard's Head pub near Penzance for lunch and a lesson in turning the likes of alexanders and three-cornered leek into kimchi.
Healing Weeds, Bristol
Run by trainee herbalist Maria Fernandez Garcia, Healing Weeds offers foraging walks in Bristol's country parks and farms (finds include yarrow, meadowsweet or chickweed) as well as workshops on using flowers and herbs as remedies.
The Sharpham Trust, Devon
Wilderness psychotherapist Brigit-Anna McNeil hosts hosts wild herb foraging days in spring, summer and autumn, focused on their use as food and medicine. Expect to gather the likes of mugwort, wood avens and dandelions.
Food by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click
Published in Issue 27 (spring 2025) of(UK).To subscribe to(UK) magazine click here . (Available in select countries only).
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
13 hours ago
- Boston Globe
See photos from sunrise at Stonehenge with thousands of druids and revelers
Get Love Letters: The Newsletter A weekly dispatch with all the best relationship content and commentary – plus exclusive content for fans of Love Letters, Dinner With Cupid, weddings, therapy talk, and more. Enter Email Sign Up About 25,000 sun devotees and other revelers, including druids, pagans, hippies, locals and tourists, showed up, according to English Heritage which operates the site. More than 400,000 others around the world watched a livestream. Advertisement 'This morning was a joyous and peaceful occasion with the most beautiful sunrise,' said Richard Dewdney, head of operations at Stonehenge. 'It is fantastic to see Stonehenge continuing to enchant and connect people.' Stonehenge was built in stages 5,000 years ago on the flat lands of Salisbury Plain approximately 75 miles (120 kilometers) southwest of London. The unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2,500 B.C. Advertisement Some of the so-called bluestones are known to have come from the Preseli Hills in southwest Wales, nearly 150 miles (240 kilometers) away, and the altar stone was recently discovered to have come from northern Scotland, some 460 miles (740 kilometers) away. The site's meaning has been vigorously debated. Theories range from it being a coronation place for Danish kings, a druid temple, a cult center for healing, or an astronomical computer for predicting eclipses and solar events. The most generally accepted interpretation is that it was a temple aligned with movements of the sun — lining up perfectly with the summer and winter solstices. A man touched the stones at Stonehenge on Saturday. It's one of the few days when visitors have access to the site. Finnbarr Webster/Getty The crowd at sunrise. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Medical responders attended to a visitor during hot temperatures. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Visitors were dressed for the occasion. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Stones and phones for the sunrise through the monument. Finnbarr Webster/Getty The stones have been there for thousands of years. Why they are there is their secret. Finnbarr Webster/Getty A variety of people were at the site about 90 miles southwest of London. Finnbarr Webster/Getty The sky cooperated, with clouds overhead but clear light on the horizon. Finnbarr Webster/Getty
National Geographic
a day ago
- National Geographic
7 of the best things to do on the Amalfi Coast
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). A landscape of extreme verticality, where gelato-hued houses and terraced gardens cling to sea-facing cliffs, this strip of Southern Italy is justly famed for its beauty. Long a source of inspiration for writers and artists — from 19th-century composer Richard Wagner to Patricia Highsmith, who set her novel The Talented Mr Ripley here — the entire area is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ravello, Amalfi and Positano are its most celebrated towns, and stretching between the latter two is the 30-mile strada statale 163 Amalfitana (SS163), which curves precipitously past an endless series of captivating vistas. It's best to visit off-peak to avoid traffic jams — and overcrowding more generally. April or May is the time to catch spring flowers, while October benefits from warmer seas and seasonal mushrooms on restaurant menus. 1. Wander clifftop gardens in Ravello Sitting high on the hillside, with no port or beach, Ravello is the least visited of the Amalfi Coast's triumvirate of famous towns — and all the nicer for it. Villa Rufolo hosts an annual classical music festival, but is worth visiting year-round. Spend time admiring the property's hand-painted tiles and Murano glass chandeliers before climbing the 13th-century tower for sweeping views over its cascade of ornamental flowerbeds. The gardens of Villa Cimbrone, a 10-minute walk away along steep, cobbled lanes, are even more impressive. With pockets of lush planting, tree-lined avenues and wisteria-laden pergolas spread across 14.8 acres, their beauty reaches a pinnacle at the ethereal Infinity Terrace, where classical statues peer out over the Mediterranean. Vila Rufolo in Ravello is one of the Amalfi Coast's most recognisable sights. Photograph by ezypix; Getty Images 2. Explore by boat Some of the area's best views are to be found out on the water — and travelling the Amalfi Coast using its extensive ferry network is often the quickest option, too, allowing you to circumvent congestion on its one coastal road. The towns of Amalfi and Positano have frequent boat services, as do Sorrento and Salerno, but there are also myriad connections between smaller destinations — use Ferryhopper to check timetables and prebook tickets. The comparatively under-the-radar town of Cetara is well worth exploring, as is Maiori, home to the region's longest beach. Campania's ceramics capital, Vietri sul Mare, is the best place to pick up artisanal souvenirs — everything from hand-painted decorative tiles to plant pots shaped like human heads. 3. Find peace in Amalfi's cathedral The architecture in Amalfi town is a striking reminder of its past glory — between the ninth and 12th centuries, this was the heart of a maritime republic to rival Venice. Today its narrow streets throng with visitors from April to October — but pay €3 (£2.50) for a ticket to enter the Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea, and you'll discover an altogether quieter atmosphere. Begin at the aptly named Paradise Cloister, where pointed archways surround a courtyard garden filled with lofty palms, before descending to gaze at the ornately patterned columns and muralled ceilings of the crypt. Don't bother with a sit-down lunch afterwards — instead, pick up a paper cone of deep-fried calamari or courgette flowers from street food outlet Cuoppo d'Amalfi. The medieval Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea stands at the heart of Amalfi. Photograph by Malcolm P Chapman; Getty Images 4. Walk the Path of the Gods Surely one of Italy's most scenic day hikes, Il Sentiero degli dei unfolds 2,070ft above sea level, offering the kind of views Icarus must've enjoyed right before the sun melted his wings. Begin in Positano and it's a 1,700-step climb to Nocelle and your first reward: a lemon granita, accompanied by the sight of awesome tufo stone bluffs descending to the sparkling waters of the Tyrrhenian. The path — around four miles long — then meanders through shady woodlands and sunny lemon orchards before reaching the village of Agerola, where a ceramic plaque records D H Lawrence's poetic precis of the route. Completing it takes between three and five hours, depending on pace and which way you choose tackle the path. 5. Discover an underground archaeological site The classic postcard image of Positano features the colourfully tiled dome of Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta but few realise that, beneath the church, lies a hidden Roman villa. Buried in volcanic matter during the CE 79 eruption of Vesuvius that also submerged Pompeii, this grand private residence was rediscovered two millennia later and finally opened to the public in 2018. Access is via a small group tour; book onto the last slot of the day and you may have its extraordinarily well-preserved frescoes — featuring real and fantastical beasts, plus scenes from classical mythology — largely to yourself. Also eerily fascinating is an adjacent 18th-century burial chamber, once used for the mummification of members of the local social elite. 6. Shop and sunbathe in Sorrento Although strictly speaking not on the Amalfi Coast but the Sorrentine Peninsula, the latter's namesake resort makes for a delightful day trip, possessing a scale and sense of space that the area's smaller towns lack. Begin with a stroll along Corso Italia, a tree-lined and pedestrianised shopping street, before settling in for a pasta lunch of gnocchi alla sorrentina at L'Abate, a restaurant well placed for people-watching on Piazza Sant'Antonino. You'll need a lie-down after this, so pay €1.20 (£1) for a ticket to board the elevator down to the strip of sand at Marina Grande, where beach clubs like Bagni Sant'Anna rent out deckchairs and parasols for sunbathing on the pier. Charming Villa Treville in Positano is set among spectacular gardens that look out to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Photograph by Umberto D'Aniello (Top) (Left) and Photograph by Umberto D'Aniello (Bottom) (Right) 7. Stay at the former home of a cinematic legend Film director Franco Zeffirelli's guests at Villa Treville included Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor, and those staying at this serene, sea-facing property (now a hotel) today will no doubt feel they've ascended to the A-list. Guests are collected from the ferry dock at Positano by private boat — also available for trips to nearby islands like Ischia and Capri – before checking into one of 16 spacious suites. The property's look — epitomised by the Ripley-esque bathing deck and art- and sculpture-filled social spaces — is one of restrained theatricality, while service is informal but attentive. The charming mixologist at white-tiled Bianca Bar serves crisp, citrussy martinis, while terrace restaurant Maestro's is made for languorous al fresco meals, its lantern-dotted tables setting the scene for Romeo and Juliet-level romance. The Amalfi Coast is served by two airports — Salerno's is closest, but a wider range of carriers fly from the UK to Naples. From here it's a 1h40 minute bus ride to the gateway town of Sorrento. Travel onwards by ferry to Positano (40 minutes) or Amalfi (1h30). Stay at Villa Treville, from €747 (£636), room only. This story was created with the support of Villa Treville. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
National Geographic
2 days ago
- National Geographic
Amsterdam is 750 years old—here's how the city is celebrating
This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). This year, Amsterdam marks its extraordinary 750-year journey from medieval fishing village to global cultural capital with a festival programme as dynamic and diverse as the city itself. Everyday spaces will be transformed in unexpected ways — on the longest day of the year, locals will reclaim the traffic-heavy A10 ring road for a nine-mile street party featuring culture, sport and even 20 weddings. Meanwhile, in late August, the waters of the IJ will come alive with a grand parade of tall ships, along with 800 other vessels. The celebrations will also echo through lesser-visited neighbourhoods, each showcasing its own spirit with 24-hour festivals. Locals are throwing open their city to celebrate the rich tapestry of stories and communities that make modern Amsterdam — and everyone's invited. The Birth of the City 7 March – 1 July Housed inside the magnificent De Bazel building, the Stadsarchief is a landmark exhibition bridging the gap between medieval and modern Amsterdam. It explores the city's humble beginnings via curated artefacts, interactive displays and archaeological finds, including a striking facial reconstruction of The First Amsterdammer (circa 1200) and the pivotal 1275 toll privilege, which granted tax exemptions that fuelled the city's growth. Rare manuscripts and maps also chart the evolution of Amsterdam's layout and trade routes, while immersive digital installations conjure the landscapes of the era. Together, they paint a portrait of how politics and perseverance transformed a medieval fishing village into a global capital. 24 Hours Amsterdam Multiple dates Discover Amsterdam's diverse, lesser-known neighbourhoods through the remaining 24-hour celebrations: Noord (13 Sep) and Zuid (11 Oct). Each district will transform into a round-the-clock cultural playground offering visitors unprecedented access to local treasures, including late-night sessions at museums, behind-the-scenes tours and workshops with local artisans. There's also brewery tastings and chef-led food experiences that spotlight each area's favourite flavours. Then, when night falls, a whole host of live concerts and DJ sets take place in unexpected venues. From Noord's industrial NDSM Wharf to Zuid's cultural gems and Weesp's historic charm, these free festivals reveal the city's vibrant community spirit. Amsterdam's canals are always a hive of activity. For its 750th birthday, the city's seafaring history comes to life with a five-day festival where more than 800 vessels, from majestic tall ships to modern naval crafts, sail through the North Sea Canal in the SAIL-In Parade. Photograph by Getty Images, Sylvain Sonnet The Grand Ring road celebration 21 June For one remarkable day, Amsterdam's A10 ring road — which usually divides the city into 'inside' and 'outside' — will become a unifying celebration space. What's usually a busy highway will become a buzzing, nine-mile-long festival, where thousands of locals and visitors can come together to celebrate the city's 750th birthday. There will be zones dedicated to sports and games, art and culture stages, musical performances and even a knowledge and science area. In a particularly special touch, 20 couples will celebrate their love by getting married on the highway. Visitors can also participate in the festival's fun run, enjoy theatrical performances, savour local food and witness colourful parades. Women of Amsterdam — an ode Now until 31 August Honour the women who shaped Amsterdam's social, cultural and economic life at this landmark exhibition at the Amsterdam Museum. Here, immersive displays, personal artefacts and carefully curated collections all tell the tales of more than 100 trailblazing figures, including various artists, entrepreneurs, activists and community leaders. Newly commissioned pieces by contemporary artists Mina Abouzahra, Mounira Al Solh and Tyna Adebowale also offer fresh, modern takes on these powerful narratives. Part of Amsterdam's 750th-anniversary celebrations, the show casts a more inclusive, compelling light on the voices that built the city we know today. SAIL Amsterdam 2025 20–24 August The city's seafaring history comes to life during this spectacular, five-day festival where more than 800 vessels, from majestic tall ships to modern naval crafts, sail through the North Sea Canal in the SAIL-In Parade. For the best panoramic views, visitors should head to A'DAM Tower or NDSM Wharf, while Java-eiland and Piet Heinkade offer thrilling close-ups of the action. Beyond the sailing spectacle, visitors can board historic ships, embark on sailing excursions, enjoy cultural performances and take part in interactive workshops. This edition is set to be particularly special, marking SAIL's 50th and the event's 10th edition. With the last SAIL Amsterdam cancelled in 2020 due to Covid, 2025 promises to be an unforgettable comeback. Amsterdam's STRAAT Museum is the world's largest museum dedicated to street art. For 24 Hours Amsterdam, each district will transform into a round-the-clock cultural playground offering visitors unprecedented access to local treasures, including late-night sessions at museums, behind-the-scenes tours and workshops with local artisans. Photograph by Alamy, Travelpix Badass Tours Throughout 2025 Thoroughly researched via national archives and led by engaging storytellers, Badass Tours ventures beyond traditional tourist narratives. Its small-group guided tours spotlight the 'people who broke the rules and built the future of Amsterdam'. For example, the Hidden Gems tour weaves together BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Jewish and women's history to reveal Amsterdam's lesser-known pioneers. Travellers learn about figures like Bet van Beeren, who opened the city's first gay-friendly bar in 1927 — Bet's Bar, still open today — and turned it into a safe haven during Nazi occupation. Other stops highlight early resistance efforts against slavery and other stories of those who helped shape the city's diverse identity. Amsterdam 750 27 October While the full line-up's still under wraps, the city promises a showstopping finale to culminate its year-long schedule of events, with festivities popping up all across town. The medieval heart of the Dam makes a likely spot for official ceremonies, while Museumplein's open expanse could set the stage for major performances. Come nightfall, visitors can expect fireworks over the IJ between Central Station and A'DAM Tower — a tried-and-true crowd-pleaser. The Amstel River and historic Magere Brug (Skinny Bridge) have also provided stunning backdrops for floating stages and water shows in the past. This one-of-a-kind event will unite locals and visitors in celebrating Amsterdam's extraordinary story. Published in the European Cities Collection 2025 by National Geographic Traveller (UK). To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
