Waste not, want not workshop series: Nettle Pakoras with Wild Garlic Raita: Foraging & Cooking Workshop
Forage wild spring ingredients and transform them into delicious Indian-inspired fritters!
Join us for an adventurous foraging and cooking workshop where you’ll harvest fresh nettles and wild garlic from our farm, then create crispy, spiced nettle pakoras with cooling wild garlic raita. This hands-on session combines outdoor foraging with exciting cooking—perfect for anyone curious about wild food and bold flavours!
Completely free, and you’ll taste (and take home) everything you make.
Your foraging and cooking journey:
🌿 Introduction & Plant Identification We’ll start by introducing what we’re looking for and what we’ll be making. Learn to identify nettles and wild garlic with 100% certainty—safety and confidence come first when foraging!
🌱 Foraging Walk Head out onto our beautiful farm to harvest fresh nettles and wild garlic. You’ll learn:
- Safe, certain plant identification (being 100% sure is crucial!)
- Sustainable harvesting that protects wild populations
- How to pick nettles without getting stung (gloves essential!)
- The incredible nutrition and health benefits of these plants
- Where and when to find them throughout the season
🍃 Preparation Back in the cookery school, we’ll pick through, wash, and prepare your foraged ingredients, making them ready for cooking.
🥘 Make Nettle Pakoras Learn to create crispy, golden pakoras using traditional gram flour batter spiced with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and chilli. Your foraged nettles become the star ingredient in these delicious Indian fritters—far more exciting than your standard vegetable pakora!
🥒 Make Wild Garlic Raita Create a cooling, creamy yoghurt accompaniment infused with your foraged wild garlic. The perfect contrast to spiced pakoras, this fresh raita showcases wild garlic’s delicate, distinctive flavour.
🍴 Deep Fry & Taste Learn safe deep-frying technique to achieve perfectly crispy, golden pakoras. Then sit down together to enjoy your creations: hot, crispy nettle pakoras with cool, garlicky raita. Pure seasonal satisfaction!
What’s Included
- 2-hour foraging and cooking workshop
- Guided foraging walk on our farm
- Expert instruction on safe plant identification
- All additional cooking ingredients provided (gram flour, spices, yoghurt, oil, etc.)
- Hands-on cooking in our professional cookery school
- Recipe cards for both dishes to take home
- Tasting session—enjoy everything you’ve made!
- Take home any leftovers
- Small, friendly group with plenty of support
- All equipment provided (except gloves—see below!)
Essential: Washing up gloves or similar for safe nettle harvesting.
What to wear:
- Outdoor: Weather-appropriate clothing and sturdy, waterproof shoes/boots for the foraging walk (may be muddy!)
- Indoor: Layers are good—you’ll be cooking after foraging
- We’ll provide aprons for the cooking portion
Workshop details
Grow, Cook, Share, Care is a Hands of Hope programme engaging vulnerable groups, those with complex needs, families, especially those living in food poverty, and older people, in learning, wellness and social activities aligned to growing, cooking, and nature.
Suitable for all. Priority for spaces will be given to people meeting the criteria: aged over 50, young carers and young adults with learning disabilities.
There is no charge for this workshop, donations are always welcome!
Please ensure you arrive ten minutes before the start time to ensure we can get everyone registered, and please bring a container to take your home your goodies and rubber gloves for picking the nettles!
Each participant must book individually so we can monitor eligibility and ensure we’re fully prepared for everyone attending the workshop.