The Wild Gourmets: Adventures in Food and Freedom

328 Pages·2007·134.83 MB·English

by  Guy Grieve

Adventures in food & freedom
J*
Guy Grieve & Thomasjna Miers
As seen on Channel Four
He hunts... She gathers...
Guy Grieve andThomasina Miers are on a
mission: to travel the length of Britain, subsisting
off the land. They will hunt, fish, scavenge, beg,
borrow and barter; they will Eve Eke paupers,
but dine Eke kings.
They may be sleeping under canvas, but luxury
is their ambition. So, first of all, Guy passes on
the secrets of a ‘good camp’, including vital skiUs
such as erecting a waU tent, making a soft mattress
from spruce and pine, tying failsafe knots, getting
a campfire going under the soggiest conditions
and purifying water naturally. He then shows
how to track down and prepare the finest raw
ingredients: pheasants, rabbits and other feathered
or furred game; crabs, mussels, seaweed and the
bounty of the seashore; mackerel, trout and other
watery quarry; and the best wild herbs, berries and
fungi. Meanwhile, armed with some rudimentary
kit, a heap of glowing embers and a great deal
of ingenuity, Tommi rustles up amazing feasts.
Depending on the day’s haul, these range from
warm beetroot and pigeon salad to rabbit, apple
and cider stew; pan-fried scallops with samphire
and dandeEon to mackerel ceviche; and nettle
vichyssoise to chestnut and blackberry cream pot.
(AU of which wUl taste every bit as wonderful
eaten at your kitchen table.)
With their easy good humour and generosity of
spirit, Tommi and Guy are great company, and you
may find that their adventures inspire you to set
off and hunt down some wild food of your own.
As they say, ‘If you can make the time to explore
the country, and to learn from it, you wiU bring
back so much more than just perfect ingredients
— you will find freedom in your own land.’
£20.00

First published in Great Britain in 2007.
Based on the television series
The IVild Gourmets produced by
Silver River Productions Ltd.
Text © 2007 Guy Grieve and Thomasina Miers
Photography © 2007 Jill Mead
(except photograph on page 263 © 2007 John Wright)
Illustrations © 2007 Dawn Reade
(except illustrations on pages 264—5 © 2007 Will Webb)
The moral right of the authors has been asserted.
Bloomsbury Publishing Pic, 36 Soho Square,
London W1D 3QY
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library.
The IVild Gourmets is a trademark of Silver River
Productions Ltd.
1 designed by willwebb.co.uk
Photography by Jill Mead
Illustrations by Dawn Reade
ISBN-13 9780747591573
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in Great Britain by Butler & Tanner Ltd,
Fronie.
All papers used by Bloomsbury Publishing are
natural, recyclable products made from wood
grown in well-managed forests. The manufacturing
processes conform to the environmental regulations
of the country of origin.
w vv w. bloom sbu ry. com
Quotation on page 47 taken from The Immense
Journey by Loren Eisley, published by Victor Gollancz,
an imprint of the Orion Publishing Group.
Every reasonable effort has been made to trace the
copyright holders of material reproduced in this book,
but if any have been inadvertently overlooked the
publishers would be glad to hear from them.
While every effort has been made to ensure the
accuracy of the information contained in this book,
in no circumstances can the publisher or the author
accept any legal responsibility or liability for any loss
or damage (including damage to property and/or
personal injury) arising from any error in or omission
from the information contained in this book, or from
the failure of the reader to properly and accurately
follow any instructions contained in the book.
(Prenions pages) Our camp at Treslmish, Isle of Mull.

Good Camp GUY 13
The Cook’s Camp TOMMI 31
Getting Wood GUY 39
Getting Water GUY 47
Making Fire GUY 53
Cooking in Camp TTOOMMMMII 63