Early spring is peak nettle season — harvest them sooner rather than later (with good gloves), picking only the top few leaves.

Wild garlic (also known as ramsons or bear garlic) is another popular pick, springing up in moist soils in woodland, hedgerows and alongside rivers and streams for a few weeks. In The Forager’s Calendar he lists well over 100 edible plants that flourish in the British countryside, grouping them according to the month when they are at their best and providing a detailed description and a colour photograph with each entry. The similarly bitter rowan berries are also brilliant for jellies and liqueurs; they grow in bright red clumps in their namesake tree.Head to the coast, as this is also a good time of year for seafood, including clams, mussels and mackerel — but be sure to fish in the cleanest waters possible (Blue Flag beaches are best). Blackthorn berriesare usually ripe enough by the end of the month (it’s these that are used for sloe gin). Don’t overlook dandelionseitheras their season peaks — full of nutritional value, you can eat the whole flower from the yellow petals right down to the root.

The latter has upward-pointing sprays of creamy white flowers and tends to bloom towards the end of the month. He is a fanatical forager himself, yet somehow the more he describes its benefits the less convincing they seem. Sweet chestnuts are synonymous with this time of year, too, and are usually roasted before eating to bring out their distinctive sweet taste.

Woodlands Awards This colourful guide provides a comprehensive introduction to the UK's wild food, from the meaty-tasting hen of the woods mushroom to salty marsh samphire.

John Carey * The Sunday Times * Praise for A Natural History of the Hedgerow: A beautifully presented field guide. Niki Segnit author of * The Flavour Thesaurus * John Wright is an authoritative and often funny guide . It’s easily identifiable by that intense garlicky scent and it makes a tasty alternative to spinach, so try it in pasta, salads and pesto. Plenty of fungi, including oyster mushrooms and winter chanterelles, will be appearing in woodlands, although it’s always safest to head out with a mushroom expert if you’re not sure. The pickings are decidedly sparse as winter sets in, although one highlight is the lurid purple wood blewit mushroom, which can be picked until February.Hairy bittercress grows all year and it’s now you’ll also find chickweed growing very close to the ground in rich soils, including garden lawns. Look out of your window, walk down a country path or go to the beach in Great Britain, and you are sure to see many wild species that you can take home and eat. From blackberries and beech nuts towild garlic andwild strawberries, here’s a taste of what to expect and when to find it. Christopher Hart * The Sunday Times * Under his expert guidance foraging just sounds like a gas, a kind of foody treasure hunt with a bracing hint of Russian roulette. not] just a delightful one-off read, but an invaluable work of reference that will remain on my bookshelves for good.