Get stung, get bitten - but don’t poison yourself!

Alysia Vasey has enjoyed foraging her whole life, and now passes on her expertise and experiences to others.

“I’ve always felt at home in the woods,” Alysia says with a grin. “You come across remarkable things - deer, birds, interesting plants. It’s the closest thing you’ll feel to peace of mind.”

The woods are her place of work. So is the TV studio, the restaurant kitchen, the video call, the farmyard and the meadow. Alysia wears many hats. She loves all her roles and embodies them with exuberant curiosity and fascination.

The role demanding her time right now is ‘Alysia Vasey, author’ as her second foraging book, ‘How Not To Poison Yourself’ is due out later this year.

“You really need to know what you’re doing and it’s not easy to teach the kids to do it,” she says. “Foraging is complex.

You find what you think is a plant you can eat, but you have to ask a lot of questions to be certain.”

Questions foragers should ask

“Has a dog peed on it? Has a badger rolled on it?” she asks, bluntly. Alysia doesn’t sugarcoat anything, which is why her chefs value her - and her TV audiences too.

“Are there chemicals in the soil? Is it growing on a poisonous tree? Is it fit for human consumption - or is it a lethal lookalike that will kill you? I can’t stress how dangerous foraging can be. “It’s quite difficult to find things, so when you think you find something, you need to check it’s the plant you want it to be. That’s why my book has checklists, it’s a workbook. I want people to forage safely.”

She reels off several cautionary tales of accidental poisonings that sound more like Grimm’s Fairy Tales than real life: yew tree berries with seeds of cyanide that cause heart failure; wild morel mushrooms which, if not poached in clear liquid, will cause organ failure; and more.

Connecting with nature

Alysia doesn’t want to put people off foraging. It’s simply a matter of plugging the ‘foraging skills gap’ with empowering information.

“There’s lots of enthusiasm for foraging because people want to embrace the slow life,” she says. “Our relationship with nature gives us a sense of wellbeing. It’s a primitive instinct. We need it. Experience it! Get stung, get bitten, eat a wild raspberry warmed by the sun, watch the ways of birds and animals. And yes, forage. Don’t fear it, but don’t poison yourself.”

Embracing the slow life has held Alysia in good stead in recent years amid the whirlwind of her career change from chefs’ consultant to author and TV personality, and to life as a farmer’s wife.

“I’m reconnecting to myself,” she says, philosophically. “The older you get, the less change you want. But in middle age what you do actually want is a stable platform to launch from so you can fly! Rediscover what you’re about.

“What do I care about? I rock up at a restaurant with a bag of weeds and tell chefs how to cook and serve amazing dishes. I bring the safety aspect and can advise on the flavour profile. The respect from my peers is my biggest achievement,” she smiles, but her eyes have a faraway gaze and it’s clear this isn’t all that makes her heart sing.

“I’m a bit of a nerd,” she confides. “Soil testing is fun. The science interests me. I need the technical knowledge. I’ve got to know how to care for and work with the plants.

“Do you know that fungi have very sophisticated mating habits? And if you’re using Google Maps to find salt marshes, look for blue ryegrass. And did you know that juniper trees are male and the bushes are female…?”

PLEASE NOTE: If you are considering foraging, it is important to always take a knowledgeable and experienced forager with you.