Roger Phillips, creator of Wild Flowers and its bestselling companion Mushrooms, turns his attention and his camera to the wide range of good things to eat from the countryside and seashore.

From the multitude of species that are safely edible, he has selected those that are actually attractive and appetizing as food. Beautiful colour photography shows each species growing in the wild – for accurate identification – and prepared as an appealing dish.

Well-known wine and food writers such as Jane Grigson, Katie Stewart and B.C.A. Turner are among those who have contributed the recipes that accompany Roger Phillips’ photographs.

Wild Mushrooms Online is a great website for fungi lovers and wild food foragers. It has become one of the largest in the UK for wild mushroom information.

Some of the topics covered include;

• Learn how to find, identify and pick wild mushrooms.
• Recipes for wild mushrooms.
• How to grow your own mushrooms.
• Information on buying dried mushrooms

The aim is to populate the site with fungi information from all over the world but a with a focus on mushrooms of the UK, it is an excellent resource for British Foragers.

A new Meet other Foragers section allows you can meet and communicate with other people who want to have a forgaing companion. It is always a very good idea to team up as you find more and can share the fun of identification. It also make a great day out with new friends.

Wild Mushrooms Online website

The seashore holds surprising culinary potential for the forager and the new book “The Edible Seashore” covers everything you need to know about harvesting the bounties of the shoreline!

Following on from the success of the first River Cottage handbook, Mushrooms, John Wright has excelled himself with Edible Seashore (Handbook No. 5). As essential as a bucket and spade for a trip to the beach.

In this authoritative and witty book John Wright takes us on a trip to the seaside introducing us to the various species to be harvested, the practicalities such as conservation and the ethics of foraging; safety from tides, rocks and food poisoning; before introducing us to all the British seashore species that one might be tempted to eat. Finally, there are thirty brilliant recipes.

Introduced by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Edible Seashore is destined to join the other handbooks in the series as an indispensible household reference.

Add Edible Seashore to your collection and to take it with you on your next visit to the seaside! Edible Seashore at the River Cottage special offer price of £8.99, saving £6 off the RRP of £14.99. Have your copy signed by John and River Cottage Members also get a further 10% discount too!

PLEASE NOTE: This item is available to order now from the River Cottage Website and will be dispatched once the book is published (currently expected 2nd May 2009)

To help you get the best from your weekly shopping and control a tight food budget, you may get some useful hints and advice from the following sites:

Student Cook

A great website designed to help students eat healthy food on a tight budget.

Full of general advice from cooking basics and methods to easy entertaining and great ideas for all occasions.

Designed as a one stop reference for student cooking, this site holds a wealth of information for all, regularly updated by journalists and experts in the field.

Visit Student Cook

Netmums

A website designed for mothers to swap all sorts of information related to bringing up a family.

How do you give your family good quality meals each day but stick to your budget at the same time? Netmums’ members have sent in their favourite recipes, amassing a great collection of meals that won’t leave you rummaging through your children’s piggy banks at the end of the week.

Good quality food that children like (all recipes have passed the stringent Netmums kiddie test, i.e. their own fussy children!) and that won’t blow the budget. You can also read some helpful money-saving – and stress-reducing! – tips. 

Visit Netmums.com

National Baking Week – 20th to 26th October – is a celebration of baking and what better way to use your hedgerow harvest, making crumbles, pies, muffins and much more.

Baking is nostalgia. It gives a warm glow. It makes us think of family times, licking the spoon and making pastry ‘shapes’ to bake alongside tarts, pies or cakes.

Visit The National Baking Week website to find out more.  Here they inspire you with recipes, games and ideas that will show what a good friend your oven is. Join them and ‘Get Britain Baking’.

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