What do you think?
Rate this book
Food For Free
The ideal portable companion, the world-renowned Collins Gem series returns with a fresh new look and updated material. This is the perfect pocket guide for aspiring foragers. Over 100 edible plants are listed, fully illustrated and described, together with recipes and other fascinating details on their use throughout the ages. Practical advice on how to pick along with information on countryside laws and regulations on picking wild plants helps you to plan your foray with a feast in mind. This is the ideal book for both nature lovers and cooks keen to enjoy what the countryside has to offer.
239 pages, Paperback
First published October 23, 1972
147 people are currently reading
1725 people want to read
About the author
Richard Mabey
107 books166 followersRichard Mabey is one of England's greatest nature writers. He is author of some thirty books including Nature Cure which was shortlisted for the Whitbread, Ondaatje and Ackerley Awards.
A regular commentator on the radio and in the national press, he is also a Director of the arts and conservation charity Common Ground and Vice-President of the Open Spaces Society. He lives in Norfolk.
A regular commentator on the radio and in the national press, he is also a Director of the arts and conservation charity Common Ground and Vice-President of the Open Spaces Society. He lives in Norfolk.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
March 22, 2020
The cover might be different to what you were expecting (not that it matters anyway).
I am so impressed by this book, even if it wasn't a pocket book:
-It's got illustrations and photos for each for ease of identification (which is vitally important)
-It's got the common names and the scientific names for each
- It's got advise on how to use what you harvest
-It's even got historical significance.
It's hard to figure out If i need to do further reading because it is so packed full of information.
LOVE IT!
I am so impressed by this book, even if it wasn't a pocket book:
-It's got illustrations and photos for each for ease of identification (which is vitally important)
-It's got the common names and the scientific names for each
- It's got advise on how to use what you harvest
-It's even got historical significance.
It's hard to figure out If i need to do further reading because it is so packed full of information.
LOVE IT!
May 9, 2021
Probably the most useful book I’ve ever read in my life! All other knowledge is rendered relatively useless in the face of such practical information. It’s astonishing actually, just how much tasty food is out there, just growing wild, even locally, there is so much stuff to eat on your doorstep! I mean, you can make a coffee from dandelions! Or some pissenlit au lard! Elderflower has more uses than any other single species of blossom! Or why not some rouget flambé au fenouil! You can even eat ‘sticky willies’! (Goosegrass) And even make coffee from the seeds! Genevrette? Tilleul? Apparently thistle makes “one of the best salads that is eaten, and surpasses even the finest cabbage” and you can make ‘nettle haggis’ too!
Stinging nettles are a versatile ingredient and have high levels of Vitamin A and C, iron, and lots of protein! And then there’s the fungi, the fun stuff! Of the 3000 species of fungi growing in Britain, only twenty are poisonous! You can make ketchup from many mushrooms!
I Will be viewing my surroundings in a whole different light now as I start to become aware of each species and their uses. Amazing how a little of the right knowledge can completely transform your view of the world! An extremely useful book full of great recipes and easy to identify wild food! Brilliant.
Stinging nettles are a versatile ingredient and have high levels of Vitamin A and C, iron, and lots of protein! And then there’s the fungi, the fun stuff! Of the 3000 species of fungi growing in Britain, only twenty are poisonous! You can make ketchup from many mushrooms!
I Will be viewing my surroundings in a whole different light now as I start to become aware of each species and their uses. Amazing how a little of the right knowledge can completely transform your view of the world! An extremely useful book full of great recipes and easy to identify wild food! Brilliant.
October 18, 2017
This is a great reference book with interesting descriptions of edible plants (and some poisonous) accompanied with very pretty illustrations in colour (eleven artists contributed).
I was reminded of some things I knew, but also learned new stuff. For example, I knew that rosehips Rosa canina contain 20 times more vitamin C than oranges but did not know that in 1941 the Ministry of Health in Britain distributed rosehip syrup to families.
I thought I knew all about blackberries Rubus fruticosus which I look forward to picking every year. I knew that the berries grow in clusters at the end of shoots but did not know that the older shoots die after two or three years' cropping. I enjoyed being reminded that "the berry at the tip of the stalk is the first to ripen and is the sweetest and fattest of all. Eat it raw."
There are some interesting recipes. Here's one for elderflower Sambucus nigracordial. 1 lemon, 1 oz citric acid, 2 lb sugar, 10 elderflower heads, 3 c water. Dissolve sugar in boiling water. Add grated lemon rind, lemon slices, citric acid and flower-heads. Leave for 24 hours. Sieve through cheese cloth. Pour into bottles. I have made elderflower fritters from the elder in my previous garden. I feel the need to plant one in my new garden.
I was reminded of some things I knew, but also learned new stuff. For example, I knew that rosehips Rosa canina contain 20 times more vitamin C than oranges but did not know that in 1941 the Ministry of Health in Britain distributed rosehip syrup to families.
I thought I knew all about blackberries Rubus fruticosus which I look forward to picking every year. I knew that the berries grow in clusters at the end of shoots but did not know that the older shoots die after two or three years' cropping. I enjoyed being reminded that "the berry at the tip of the stalk is the first to ripen and is the sweetest and fattest of all. Eat it raw."
There are some interesting recipes. Here's one for elderflower Sambucus nigracordial. 1 lemon, 1 oz citric acid, 2 lb sugar, 10 elderflower heads, 3 c water. Dissolve sugar in boiling water. Add grated lemon rind, lemon slices, citric acid and flower-heads. Leave for 24 hours. Sieve through cheese cloth. Pour into bottles. I have made elderflower fritters from the elder in my previous garden. I feel the need to plant one in my new garden.
October 2, 2021
I feel like I got from this what I imagine people get from reading recipe books and u know what I understand why people do it
August 26, 2017
I remember this book from my childhood. It's gone through several editions since its first publication, the most recent one being in 2003, and now it's on kindle, with photos replacing the coloured drawings. It's a reference book rather than a cover-to-cover read, and specifically written as an introduction for those wanting to forage wild food in the UK. But it's also useful to the culinary minded looking for some different ingredients, and providing a number of recipes. I also find it pretty interesting as a historian looking into prehistoric hunter-gatherers of Britain. All in all a useful book.
August 25, 2024
Excellent and digestible guide to foraging in the UK, packing in identification guides, recipes and folk tales about a wide variety of scrannable plant and animal life. Could be improved by a “can be confused with” section describing some of the more dangerous plants and fungi that you really want to avoid.
March 19, 2020
An essential guide book to have with you when out and about.
April 14, 2024
Good information but a little sketchy in the fungi section.
April 21, 2013
I have two versions of this book, the modern one I love for it's bright, sharp, colour photographs.
The older 1976 version, that I picked up much later, from a rural book fair in the Fenlands, I love because it has old pen and ink drawings, and eight whole pages where these drawings have actually been coloured in!
More importantly I found it was packed full of words that don't seem to have made it into the 21st century version.
And also, I love it because in the front cover it says, "To Ann, with love, from Rodney."
You will need both.
The older 1976 version, that I picked up much later, from a rural book fair in the Fenlands, I love because it has old pen and ink drawings, and eight whole pages where these drawings have actually been coloured in!
More importantly I found it was packed full of words that don't seem to have made it into the 21st century version.
And also, I love it because in the front cover it says, "To Ann, with love, from Rodney."
You will need both.
August 6, 2024
The best
I've been using a paperback copy of this for a couple of decades, but it's become a bit tattered. This digital version is a handy replacement that's always available on my phone wherever I might be.
I've been using a paperback copy of this for a couple of decades, but it's become a bit tattered. This digital version is a handy replacement that's always available on my phone wherever I might be.
March 13, 2024
a classic reference that i will always return to
thank you richard
thank you richard
May 14, 2024
In 1972, concerned about the natural environment and the quality of our food, Richard Mabey wrote the first edition of Food For Free as a cheeky, challenging, a snub to domesticity as much as domestication. This remarkable book, was born of an increasing belief that foraging might be an excellent way to reconnect with the wild.
As foraging has become common currency on TV food programmes and restaurants with courses and guided walks available to search for and collect all manner of wild foods, some varieties have become saught after as rare and exquisite treats.
There is much to gain from foods found in the wild as well as a feeling of wellbeing and fulfilment from the process of foraging itself. It does help us to reconnect with the wild, it is beneficial for our health and it’s a whole new world open to us to explore.
Wild food for free
I love reference books that have an interesting and informative introduction that shares the thinking behind the collection and where the information is coming from.
In this new edition of Food For Free published in 1989, Richard shares his interest in foraging, the history of foraging, some anechdotes and stories about foaging, his nostalgia for a simple life, and why foaraging makes him feel more intimately connected to Nature (shared by many of his readers)
It is true that concerns over modern methods of food production have led to something of a backlash. We have become conditioned by the shrink-wrapped, perfectly shaped produce we find in our supermarkets, and we are reluctant to venture into woods, pastures, cliff-tops and marshlands in search of food.
Richard goes on to tell us that: Those who are prepared to venture out will find substantial rewards. It is the flavours and textures that will surprise the most, I think, and the realisation of to just what extent the cultivation and mass production of food have muted our taste experiences.
Wild food through history
Wild food was once the only food available to mankind as we took our first steps on this Earth and had to learn everything from scratch.
Wild food seeds from some of our most common wild foods found today have been discovered in Neolithic settlements. Plants gathered from the wild grew near their pickers’ dwellings providing a readily available source of food and medicine
Such old skills and customs were eroded by industrialisation and the drift to the towns but the process has continued and the plants themselves continue to thrive.
The two World Wars provided one of the most striking examples of the usefulness of wild foods which provided vital sustenance and medicinal remedy in times of need.
Wild foods were invaluable during times of famine or crisis - quickly available, tough, resilient, resistant to disease, adapted to the climate and soil conditions. They were there, waiting for their moment, thriving under conditions that our pampered cultivated plants would find intolerable.
Wild food fundamentals
Food For Free is a superb index with an illustration for each item and a variety of recipes scattered throughout including oils, puddings, jams, fellies, soup, chower, salads, fritters, sauces, pickles, preserves, bread,scones, chutney, pate, omelettes and more.
There is information about how to gather wild food and things like pickling with some general rules that apply to all wild foods, and making a jelly the traditional way with muslin to ensure the clearest results.
There is a month-by-month calendar to check the availability of wild foods through the seasons.
General information about each type of edible plant is explained including roots, green vegetables, herbs, spices, flowers, fruits and nuts.
Wild food recipes
Here are some of the recipes I have noted, some of which to try and to share here with you over the coming months:
Spring - Nettle Soup, Wild Garlic Pesto, Lemon Balm Tea, Herb Scones, Hop Fritatata
Summer - Elderflower Fritters, Elderflower Cordial, Elderflower & Goosberry Preserve, Summer Pudding, Rose Petal Jelly, Mint Chutney, Gooseberry Fool
Autumn - Wild Fruit Jam, Lemon & Mustardseed Chutney, Bilberry Pudding, Autumn Pudding, Rose Hip Syrup, Sloe Gin, Mushroom Pate
Winter - Dock Pudding,Oyster Mushroom Omelette, Nut Cutlets, Chestnut Puree, Thyme Soup
I hope this summary was helpful and that you enjoy your forage into wild food and all the benefits this brings.
As foraging has become common currency on TV food programmes and restaurants with courses and guided walks available to search for and collect all manner of wild foods, some varieties have become saught after as rare and exquisite treats.
There is much to gain from foods found in the wild as well as a feeling of wellbeing and fulfilment from the process of foraging itself. It does help us to reconnect with the wild, it is beneficial for our health and it’s a whole new world open to us to explore.
Wild food for free
I love reference books that have an interesting and informative introduction that shares the thinking behind the collection and where the information is coming from.
In this new edition of Food For Free published in 1989, Richard shares his interest in foraging, the history of foraging, some anechdotes and stories about foaging, his nostalgia for a simple life, and why foaraging makes him feel more intimately connected to Nature (shared by many of his readers)
It is true that concerns over modern methods of food production have led to something of a backlash. We have become conditioned by the shrink-wrapped, perfectly shaped produce we find in our supermarkets, and we are reluctant to venture into woods, pastures, cliff-tops and marshlands in search of food.
Richard goes on to tell us that: Those who are prepared to venture out will find substantial rewards. It is the flavours and textures that will surprise the most, I think, and the realisation of to just what extent the cultivation and mass production of food have muted our taste experiences.
Wild food through history
Wild food was once the only food available to mankind as we took our first steps on this Earth and had to learn everything from scratch.
Wild food seeds from some of our most common wild foods found today have been discovered in Neolithic settlements. Plants gathered from the wild grew near their pickers’ dwellings providing a readily available source of food and medicine
Such old skills and customs were eroded by industrialisation and the drift to the towns but the process has continued and the plants themselves continue to thrive.
The two World Wars provided one of the most striking examples of the usefulness of wild foods which provided vital sustenance and medicinal remedy in times of need.
Wild foods were invaluable during times of famine or crisis - quickly available, tough, resilient, resistant to disease, adapted to the climate and soil conditions. They were there, waiting for their moment, thriving under conditions that our pampered cultivated plants would find intolerable.
Wild food fundamentals
Food For Free is a superb index with an illustration for each item and a variety of recipes scattered throughout including oils, puddings, jams, fellies, soup, chower, salads, fritters, sauces, pickles, preserves, bread,scones, chutney, pate, omelettes and more.
There is information about how to gather wild food and things like pickling with some general rules that apply to all wild foods, and making a jelly the traditional way with muslin to ensure the clearest results.
There is a month-by-month calendar to check the availability of wild foods through the seasons.
General information about each type of edible plant is explained including roots, green vegetables, herbs, spices, flowers, fruits and nuts.
Wild food recipes
Here are some of the recipes I have noted, some of which to try and to share here with you over the coming months:
Spring - Nettle Soup, Wild Garlic Pesto, Lemon Balm Tea, Herb Scones, Hop Fritatata
Summer - Elderflower Fritters, Elderflower Cordial, Elderflower & Goosberry Preserve, Summer Pudding, Rose Petal Jelly, Mint Chutney, Gooseberry Fool
Autumn - Wild Fruit Jam, Lemon & Mustardseed Chutney, Bilberry Pudding, Autumn Pudding, Rose Hip Syrup, Sloe Gin, Mushroom Pate
Winter - Dock Pudding,Oyster Mushroom Omelette, Nut Cutlets, Chestnut Puree, Thyme Soup
I hope this summary was helpful and that you enjoy your forage into wild food and all the benefits this brings.
October 31, 2021
A book best referred to rather than read, but only after you have initially read it cover to cover. You'll find some information has embedded itself in the initial read, only to be recalled upon further referencing. The historical information referring to war, Roman occupation and Victorian eating habits is fascinating.
As the book suggests itself, a proper, photograph-laden field guide is best used as an accompaniment, particularly for the Mushroom section, which is the only section I have yet to successfully forage from, but alternative recipes for Dandelion Roots (Japanese style), Hawthorn Berries and Rosehips have yielded some wholesome, if not entirely tasty, results and I have successfully identified many seaweeds but not eaten them as they were found near pollution outflows.
As the book suggests itself, a proper, photograph-laden field guide is best used as an accompaniment, particularly for the Mushroom section, which is the only section I have yet to successfully forage from, but alternative recipes for Dandelion Roots (Japanese style), Hawthorn Berries and Rosehips have yielded some wholesome, if not entirely tasty, results and I have successfully identified many seaweeds but not eaten them as they were found near pollution outflows.
February 18, 2019
It is fascinating to consider how many things you can simply pick up and eat in the wild.
I am thinking of buying a second copy of this pocketbook to have in my bag for every time that I go out in the woods, just so I can pick up some of the things mentioned and try them out.
A great thing about this book is that it does not only tell which things are edible but also provides full detailed recipes on how to cook them. From basic soups to Elizabethan style candy!
I am thinking of buying a second copy of this pocketbook to have in my bag for every time that I go out in the woods, just so I can pick up some of the things mentioned and try them out.
A great thing about this book is that it does not only tell which things are edible but also provides full detailed recipes on how to cook them. From basic soups to Elizabethan style candy!
October 7, 2017
Forager's hors d'oeuvre
Good beginner's guide for anyone wanting to engage in a spot of foraging on shore and pasture. Would have give a 5* review if it had a picture for each item mentioned
Good beginner's guide for anyone wanting to engage in a spot of foraging on shore and pasture. Would have give a 5* review if it had a picture for each item mentioned
October 2, 2023
Perfect pocket sized. Ideal to take on foraging adventures. Food listed by month, which makes it easier to check. Includes some mushrooms - but I'd advise getting the other book solely on them.
Plenty of free food on this one.
Plenty of free food on this one.
September 16, 2018
Invaluable
A fantastic guide to the edible flowers and plants out there that can be foraged for free. With detailed descriptions, recipes and photos it is a great companion
A fantastic guide to the edible flowers and plants out there that can be foraged for free. With detailed descriptions, recipes and photos it is a great companion
September 20, 2018
Come on zombie apocalypse! I’m prepared!
July 9, 2020
Very informative.
January 1, 2021
I have a 1970s edition so the phenology isn't quite right in 2020, still a great reference book if you know what you have found and want to learn more.
January 23, 2021
I found the book helpful and accurate albeit somewhat more limited than I had hoped. That said, there is a very useful bibliography which will help in further study in the future.
November 2, 2021
Great little pocket sized reference book for foraging nubes like myself.
January 27, 2023
A really useful pocket sized reference book. The recipe ideas and illustrations are great.
December 13, 2024
A book that has changed the course of my life, somewhat. I've become an obsessive since reading Mabey's beautiful accounts of the early days of revived foraging
February 10, 2017
Neat little reference book to have about when delving into some woodland in the hope of finding wild food, particularly in the UK. Great for herbs and berries, a little scant on mushrooms but you'd probably turn to mushroom-specific guides for that, and a nice addition of seaweeds and shellfish.
I'd use this as a starting point for identification, growing seasons and some recipe ideas. The calendar for growing seasons is incredibly handy as it gives you an overview of when to expect wild food to appear. It's a shame this guide doesn't include pictorial summaries, for example: the identification of berries or leaves/barks of trees, which would have been incredibly useful as a quick method of identification when faced with something completely unknown. Also falls a bit short in terms of highlighting possibilities for mis-identification, but I guess that onus falls on more detailed books.
I'd use this as a starting point for identification, growing seasons and some recipe ideas. The calendar for growing seasons is incredibly handy as it gives you an overview of when to expect wild food to appear. It's a shame this guide doesn't include pictorial summaries, for example: the identification of berries or leaves/barks of trees, which would have been incredibly useful as a quick method of identification when faced with something completely unknown. Also falls a bit short in terms of highlighting possibilities for mis-identification, but I guess that onus falls on more detailed books.
Read
February 13, 2012This is the book that started me foraging for food. Well, actually it was this book and some friends in the UK that worked in tandem, but this book kept me going even when the friends weren't there to guide me. This is a great book to keep in the backpack you take on hikes or camping trips, and it's a great book to just paw through while you are bored in a bus station or airport, too.
January 8, 2012
About as much information as it's possible to fit into a very small book which you can carry with you when out and about. Not comprehensive, but how could it be? Instead it's a very good starting point for identification of edible plants and fungi, together with some ideas on how to prepare them.
July 10, 2019
Collins Gem version: colour photos, how and when to pick guidance, pleasant old and new recipes for those who’d like to sample natures produce unpackaged, unprocessed and generally not meddled with. Good stuff!
January 20, 2024
As a50th anniversary edition, it’s not worth your time. Disappointing compared to the original reference guide. Seems just copy/paste cobbled together from other works with no regard for readability or usefulness. Almost DNF
November 30, 2008
Not the sort of book one reads from cover to cover but useful to have around and take out when in the countryside and hungry ;)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews