The Scottish Wild Food Festival returns from 17th to 18th May

From Forest Floor to Firepit: Scotland’s Wild Food Festival Returns with a Focus on Responsible Foraging, Boozy Botany and Coastal Flavours.

Article Source: Scottish Wild Food Festival
Last Updated: 22 April 2025 12:04

Scotland’s annual wild food celebration returns this spring – bringing open fire feasts, shoreline-inspired suppers, boozy botany and foraging ethics to the fore.

The Scottish Wild Food Festival, a pioneering celebration of wild ingredients and sustainable foraging, returns to the lush woodlands of Tir na nOg, by Balfron, Stirlingshire on 17–18 May 2025. Promising a packed weekend brimming with immersive tastings, wildcraft workshops, family-friendly forest fun and hard-hitting conversations on foraging’s rising popularity and environmental impact.

Since its launch in 2019, the festival has become a real focal point for the UK's wild food scene – and this year, moves for the first time from its traditional autumn slot to spring.

With support from Scotland Food & Drink’s Regional Food Fund, Forth Valley & Lomond Youth Local Action Group and The Association of Foragers, the festival invites curious eaters, nature loving families, adventurous chefs and wild food lovers of all ages to reconnect with Scotland’s natural larder.

A “Tipping Point” for Foraging?

With the upsurge in interest in wild food, organisers are directly addressing a key tension: how to balance increased participation in foraging in recent years, with sustainable and ethical harvesting.

“We’re at a tipping point. Foraging is no longer niche – it’s on cocktail menus, fine dining plates and Instagram feeds,” says Mark Williams of Galloway Wild Foods, who’ll be leading the festival’s wildly popular Drunken Botany Safari.

“This is brilliant – it reconnects people with nature. But it also brings responsibility. Festivals like this are crucial for sharing how to forage with knowledge, care and respect.”

Wild Banquets and Botanical Booze

Culinary highlights and bestselling events include the nightly Wild Banquets – an extraordinary five-course feast made from 100% wild ingredients, hosted by acclaimed wild chef Craig Worrall of 4 Wild Seasons.

“This isn't just a meal; it's a sensory experience. One that weaves a story of time, place and the seasonality of wild landscapes,” says Craig Worrall.

“Every ingredient, whether gathered, crafted or preserved, will be done so with the intention of showcasing the simplicity, complexity and diversity of wild foods in modern cuisine.”

Beyond the banquets, the festival offers unique adventures like the Drunken Botany Safari, a two-hour foray into wild mixology with intriguing concoctions such as bog myrtle bud martinis and elderflower and lemon balm gin fizzes. And for a taste of the ocean, the Coastally Infused Campfire Lunch with Jayson Byles of East Neuk Seaweed offers a deep dive into the world of seaweed and other shoreline delicacies.

“Seaweed is Scotland’s untapped superfood,” says Jayson Byles.

“This lunch is a celebration of the edible ocean – we’ll be cooking over fire, sharing stories and unlocking how coastal flavours can transform the everyday.”

Another standout event on this year’s programme is the Forager’s Fry Up with wild food cook Lucy Cooke, aka The Wild Cooke. Set around the campfire, this immersive brunch session invites participants to forage, prep and cook a full seasonal fry up – with every ingredient telling a story, from smoky mushrooms to nettle-rich greens.

“Each bite has a backstory,” says Lucy. “This isn’t just about eating – it’s about learning how our ancestors cooked with the land, and how we can too.”

Learning the Land: Workshops, Talks and Woodland Play

Over the two days, festival goers can choose from dozens of hands-on experiences – from medicinal mushroom picking and ancient food preservation techniques to making oak gall ink, weaving cordage from nettles and enjoying wild tea tastings.

For families, the Little Acorns Forest School zone returns with storytelling, bushcraft and campfire cooking, while kids can also join in herbal bath bomb workshops, mask making and enjoy a gentle foraging wander with Lucy Cuzzocrea of Wild Roots Foraging.

Other leading voices in wild food, such as Szymon Szyszczakiewicz of Foragerium, will run sessions on wild preservation and fermenting, while Fliss Freeborn, author of Do Yourself a Flavour, teaches the art of cooking bivalves on the fire.

Visitors to the festival will also have the chance to explore a woodland market area showcasing some of Scotland’s most exciting wild-inspired producers — from Seabuckthorn Scotland CIC's nutrient-rich raw juices and Charlotte Flower Chocolates' handcrafted treats infused with seasonal flavours, to an array of sustainably grown mushrooms from Mycobee Mushrooms.

Putting Scotland at the Heart of the UK’s Wild Food Revolution

Since its launch, the Scottish Wild Food Festival has inspired a wave of similar events across the UK – including the British Wild Food Festival. But as the original, organisers say it remains firmly rooted in Scotland’s unique biodiversity and cultural food heritage.

“There is no other wild food festival quite like this,” says festival co-founder Ruth Glasgow.

“It’s not just about food – it’s about healing, heritage and learning to live more lightly on the land.”

Key Event Details:

1. The festival takes place in the grounds of Tir na nOg Holistic Centre, Balfron, Scotland from Saturday 17 – Sunday 18 May 2025.

2. Tickets cost £19 adult / £6 kids per day | £35 adult weekend pass | Under 5s free. Banquets and workshops are bookable separately HERE

3. For festival updates follow @scotwildfoodfestival

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The Scottish Wild Food Festival returns from 17th to 18th May

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