Trelowarren introduces ‘foraged feasts’ for guests

Few restaurants have a thousand acres of land, woodland and foreshore with which to create foraging adventures but the ancient Trelowarren estate on Cornwall’s Helford River is celebrating its natural resources by doing just that.

The New Yard Restaurant’s new head chef Jeff Robinson will be marking the seasons with estate guests and expert forager Zoe Hawes, gathering such wild delicacies as fungi and herbs, wild watercress and three-cornered-leek, kelp and sea lettuce, along with home grown tomatoes, 15 types of apple and other seasonal fruit and veg.

Jeff Robinson with his freshly-picked apples

All this bounty will be added to Trelowarren’s gorgeous variety of ethically-raised, locally-sourced ingredients to turn into ‘Land to Table’ foraged feasts at the turn of each season through 2017.

Robinson said: “We’re so lucky to be surrounded by this wonderful, unspoilt Trelowarren landscape, “and we want to share this pristine environment with our guests, at the same time as helping them to seek out some of the delicious things which are freely available all around us.

“To be able to head back with our foragings to the New Yard kitchens and cook up a feast and eat it together is a really satisfying treat.”

Zoe Hawes, a Medical Herbalist and clinical nurse based on the nearby Lizard Peninsula, is a supporter of the RCI-affiliated property’s efforts. Her decades of study into the medicinal properties of plants has given her vast insight into the science and art of foraging, and she is the author of ‘Wild Drugs – A Foragers Guide To Healing Plants’.

Zoe Hawes

“We’re very fortunate in Cornwall with our favourable climate and variety of habitats making it is possible to gather a wide range of healthy and flavoursome foods in the wild all year round,” she said.

“As long as you know where to look and you’re meticulous with your identification our hedgerows and woodland, coastal paths and estuary margins are abundant with edible roots, weeds and seeds like burdock, sorrel and spice flavoured hogweed seeds. We’re looking forward to sharing this hidden world with guests on the beautiful unspoilt land at Trelowarren.”

Trelowarren’s 2017 ‘Land to Table’ events are taking place on the March 18, May 13 and October 7. They cost £95 per person, run from 11am to 3pm and welcome guests staying in the estate’s luxury holiday cottages as well as day visitors.

For more details click here.