Specialities
Nothing to do with chickens, this Cornish wild-food cookery school takes its name from the vernacular term for Chenopodium album – a common edible plant that grows abundantly the UK, and which is frequently harvested on the school’s foraging expeditions into the wilds of West Cornwall. Set up in 2007 by food-lover and ecologist Caroline Davey, Fat Hen is dedicated to breaking down the barriers between the kitchen, the landscape and the dining table, so many of its most popular courses begin with a foraging session along the coast and culminate in a convivial feast on the results. Passionate, down-to-earth and endlessly knowledgeable, Caroline leads many of the courses herself, occasionally drawing on expertise of the chefs she’s supplied with wild ingredients over the years (River Cottage’s Tim Maddams makes regular appearances). This being Cornwall, fish and game are also specialities, but don’t expect to be working with dainty, pre-prepared cuts; if you’ve always wanted to know how to pluck a pheasant, fillet a gurnard or skin a squirrel, this is the school for you.
Forage, Cook & Feast Day: £95
Gourmet Wild Food Weekend: £195
Game Cookery: £125
Fish & Shellfish: £125
Foraging Walks: £160 (for 8–10 people)
