It’s been a while. The end of the year is always a busy one with other work and it takes me out of the practice of my regular foraging and capturing nature. I don’t ever stop being outside, but my walks become more about distance and time and getting it done and seeking shelter from the cold as quickly as possible compared to the careful treads of the harvesting seasons with its focus on seeking and gathering and creating recipes. I am still working through my abundance of stewed apples, pears and plums from a brilliant autumn bounty but I am beginning to have that craving for spring flavours and overwhelming curiosity to see what is happening out there. While walking along the outer ring last week I saw the first of the hazel flowers (one of my favourite things to spot in this early season) and I was reminded that things don’t really stop even if I have and I think it gave me a bit of a fear of missing out that I haven’t felt for a long time.
For the past eight months I have been backing and forthing with trying to resolve some health issues and powering through difficult days. It’s made it hard to make time and honestly give this little business my very best. But things seem to finally be on the up and feeling better has been a great motivator to get on with things for 2026. Today I looked out to see the three cornered leek thriving at the back of my garden and I thought, maybe today is the day to be back at it. So here I am. And I gathered and I made a big lunch (see below.) And I am making plans..!
What’s coming up..
Firstly, food. While I haven’t been neglecting my stomach, I have definitely not been topping up my recipe section like I hoped I would so new year feels like a good place to start being better at that. One thing I haven’t stopped doing, of course, is eating. This winter has been an abundance of overnight oats with crispy toppings, elaborate bean salads, big chunky vegetable soups, sticky rice with fried eggs and a hundred different toppings, and many kilos of potatoes served in any way imaginable. I will be sharing more old and new things. I promise! Secondly – events. Last year’s events were numerous and wonderful and while I am scaling things back a little for 2026 I will be running more events myself that will be more regular. In fact, the first one is this month and then every last Sunday-ish for the rest of the year. More about this over here. I will also be back at the very lovely Ulster Folk Museum for my regular seasonal walks with lunch. Dates and tickets for the first sessions will be up very soon. That’s it! See you soon x
First-forage-of-the-year in a flatbread
Not a recipe – just a suggested arrangement. I have used the Loopy Whisk’s brilliant recipe for naan as a basis for this flat bread which is great if you’re avoiding wheat like me but you can use anything you like.
Ingredients
One nice big flatbread suitable for wrapping lots of filling
– 100g Greek Yogurt (I used soy)
– 15g tahini
– 1 clove garlic crushed
– Pinch of salt
– 100g or half a tin of black beans
– Shredded cabbage and radishes
– Roasted red pepper from the jar or any other pickles of choice
– Greens from the garden – three cornered leek, wild radish and sorrel washed and shredded.
– Chilli sauce – your favourite (optional but good)
Method
– Mix together the yogurt, tahini and garlic with the salt in a medium bowl. Add in the beans, cabbage and radishes and mix well.
– Warm the flatbread to make it pliable.
– Add the cabbage mix to the middle of the bread and pile the other ingredients on top.
– Wrap burrito style, slice and eat with the chilli on the side.
feasting on weeds 
Leave a comment