I think my passion for wild edible plants stems from my upbringing on a farm in the Venetian countryside in Italy. Early on, my grandmother would take me foraging and I soon developed an interest for what were then considered weeds, such as hop shoots and nettles. Later on, I begun growing such “weeds” on my farm and supplying them to local restaurants and herbalists.
Eager to take my interest further, in 1997 I moved to London where I worked as a chef/gardener and expert in wild foods. Since then, in between working and studying for a degree in horticulture, I have been sharing my knowledge of ethnobotany and herbal traditions and spreading the word about the value of biodiversity and responsible foraging. This latter in particular is a subject very close to my heart as I feel that the current fashion for foraging, so-called “food for free”, is endangering biodiversity and the natural habitat. In my view, every time you pick something, you are impacting on the environment. That is why it is very important people understand not only about when, where, and what they pick but also how much they can pick. If we learn not to be greedy, there will be enough for us, for the animals but most importantly for the plant itself to regenerate so that the ecosystem is not negatively affected.

I run walks, talks and workshops to teach people how to identify and use wild plants. I usually combine my walks with either a tasting or cookery demonstration, as I feel it is very important to show people the practical process of translating foraged products into food. Plus, something to eat at the end of a 2 hour walks is always welcome, I find.

Below are a couple of links with examples of my activities.
www.bbc.co.uk – Autumnal foraging: Is there anything left to pick? (Video)
www.telegraph.co.uk – On the trail of wild food with a master forager
http://www.writtle.ac.uk/pdfs/arena4/arena4.html (page 34 and 35)