The Forager Handbook [Hardcover]

Having used my 1973 worn-out, unillustrated copy of Mabey's Food For Free for years, I was delighted to find that Miles Irving has written this grand, encyclopedic book on foraging for British wild plants.

The book is clearly divided into logical sections beginning with a comprehensive introduction to foraging itself, including: foraging basics, geography, botany basics, processing and preparing plants, potential hazards, the seasons, and what you will find in various ecological environments around Britain. The detail offered here is something I have not found in other similar books on foraging.

The main body of the book consists of monographs of hundreds of plants, divided into basic taxonomic groups. The flowering plants take up the bulk of the book and are arranged by their families in English alphabetic order (Barberry, Carrot, Daisy) with the botanical Latin underneath. Irving also includes sections on ferns, conifers, seaweeds and algae, and several excellent appendices with resources and further reading. Many of the monographs include recipes that Irving uses or has collected from friends and associates over the years. Most monographs also include a photo (many close up) of the plant being discussed. I have spent hours delving into the various monographs, and I often bring home foraged plants to sit and read about their traditional and modern uses.

I disagree with other critics here on Amazon who suggest that the book is too heavy and the photo quality not good enough for field identification. This book was never meant to be an excursion flora, there are plenty of those on the market. This book was meant to give an in-depth knowledge of foraging and how British wild plants can be used in the home and kitchen. It's a foraging course, a herbal, a cookbook, and a horticultural guide to wild plants all rolled up into one information-packed book. I recommend it to my students when I teach a course, and I highly recommend it as a must-have for anyone who is interested in wild-crafting plants in the UK.

H. Griggs Hardie MNIMH MCPP
Medical Herbalist

This book is another essential for the foragers library. The book covers a much wider range of plants than other similar books. It is more of a referance book than a handbook, its a bit large to be lugging around in your rucksack. The only dissapointing aspect for me is the photographic illustrations of the plants are in black and white and there are not many photographs of the plants when they are in flower, which is the easiest time to differentiate between similar specimens. Definately a good ref book for the library but you will need a decent field guide as well to enable you to confidently identify some of the plants.

Irving's book is incredibly in depth, inspiring, beautiful and a joy to read.
I think it's essential for anyone interested in foraging and cooking - and I've very successfully been using it both for identifying plants and cooking (the Sea-buckthorn Sorbet/caramel is brilliant!). I have read a few books on wild food and this is by the far the most in depth and includes so many plants, grasses etc that no other single book I've come across have covered.

The forum's discussion if it is useful as a field guide is however justifiable, as it's not perhaps the easiest guide for a novice forager or someone with little knowledge about plants. Though it is the most detailed.
I did for some time think the black and white photographs was a design 'flaw' (or made by someone colourblind) , because it looks pretty, but is not super practical for initial identification. Having read Irving's comment 'that it's mostly leaves and they are all green anyway' I have to say I don't agree. Even if they are mostly green, tones and details do get lost in black and white photographs (I should know- I'm a photographer)- and because what you see in nature is in full colour the illustrations in 'The Forager Handbook' become a little abstract (though beautiful) at times. Also they are in very varying sizes/scales. I can only mention that one of the reviewers here who don't find this a problem is herbalist (surely someone with in depth knowledge in botany) to prove my point.
Unlike some reviewers however - I still find this books incredibly useful and inspiring, but I would recommend using a small book like Food for Free as cross reference (though it hardly covers all the same plants). I don't normally bring any books with me when out in the field, but pick plants I come across (and who look familiar or edible) and take them home for identification. At home you can also use the internet for easy cross referencing.

But some criticism aside I would not be without this amazing book! I'm not sure if I'd recommend it as a beginners book on foraging, but Irving did after all say he wanted to fill the gaps of the information that is already available. And in that he has totally succeeded.