Service Description

Before each mushroom forage, I spend 2 days scouting my best spots to ensure I can show you the most variety and abundance, to teach you as much as possible about these remarkable organisms. This offering is not intended as a group mass harvest of edible wild mushrooms, the aim is to share with you the incredible diversity of the fungi kingdom thriving in Welsh woodlands, and equip you with the skills to begin identifying mushrooms you come across in future. We will wander through beautiful Welsh woodland spotting, identifying & learning about the incredible variety of shapes, colours, reproductive & growth strategies, habitats, ecological roles, communities and chemical communication, medicinal applications, and all things magical about the incredible fungal kingdom! I will take you to some of the richest mushroom grounds in South Wales where we might encounter Ceps (Porcini/Penny Buns), Chanterelles, Chicken of the Woods, Hen of the Woods, Boletes, Cauliflower fungus, Hedgehogs, Oysters, Puffballs & more, as well as a fantastic variety of inedible but no less fascinating and amazing species! Once you sign up to a session, you will receive email confirmation of your booking, the exact meeting location will be shared the day before at the latest, after I have completed scouting, but it will always be within 20 minutes of Chepstow. Demand is very high, as I can usually only offer two 3-hour sessions per week and the season is so short, so please book on as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Wherever possible I will add additional sessions at late notice, this often depends on weather conditions & the associated abundance of mushrooms, and those sessions will be promoted on my Facebook & Instagram pages. 2 children 14 or under are welcome to attend free of charge with a paying parent/guardian. Please note that these forages involve several hours of walking, so appropriate fitness levels are required for uneven, often muddy woodland terrain, with overhanging branches, so please dress appropriately. As the season is so short, mushroom forages will go ahead regardless of poor weather conditions such as wind or rain, unless it becomes dangerous to do so. With climate change we are experiencing hotter, drier Autumns, if there is a drought most fungi cannot fruit, if that occurs or a mushroom forage is cancelled due to any other prohibitive weather conditions, you can retain credit and will be given priority for future forages.

Cancellation Policy

Refunds will only be issued if Gourmet Gatherings is forced to cancel an event due to circumstances such as dangerous weather. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please contact us 14 days or more, before the booked experience to be refunded or to reschedule. If the weather is prohibitive, we will contact you to rearrange. It is not possible to offer a refund for any cancelled bookings made within the appropriate time frame, for which alternative dates are available.

Contact Details