Wild ingredients, real benefits: Why operators are turning to foraging

Long associated with fine dining and seasonal tasting menus, the practice is gaining wider traction across the hospitality sector, from cocktail bars to gastropubs.

For Christian Amys, a former chef, the most immediate value lies in its impact on mental health.

“The best benefit from foraging is the therapy,” he said, describing time spent outdoors as a calm and restorative contrast to the pressures of service.

Having struggled with his own mental health earlier in his career, Amys said foraging “completely changed” his outlook, adding even short periods spent gathering ingredients can help chefs decompress while remaining productive.

This is also true for bartenders. Former head bartender of Cardiff-based Top 50 Cocktail Bar Lab 22, Max Hayward, believes foraging can deliver both personal and professional value.

While acknowledging it won’t appeal to everyone, Hayward said it gives team members the chance to step out of their usual environment and engage with ingredients in a more considered way.

Sparking creativity

“If you can go and get [the ingredients] yourself, it’s a lovely excuse to get out and go for a nice walk,” he told The MA.

In an industry known for long hours and high pressure, Hayward suggested building these moments into working life to help support staff morale and retention.

He also noted group foraging is an informal way to foster collaboration and new ideas, particularly in bars where experimentation and flavour pairing are central to the offer.

From a product perspective, Hayward described wild ingredients as an underused resource, adding foraging opens up a whole new world of flavours that are unavailable commercially.

Preserving freshly foraged ingredients and integrating them across food and drink menus also helps operators maintain profit, consistency and quality, cocktail bar owner Julien Barnett added.

Barnett, who ran Gungo Ho! in Brighton before its closure last year, highlighted a growing crossover between bar and kitchen techniques, pointing to the UK’s wide range of usable produce, from berries and rhubarb to wild garlic, which can be preserved and used on both food and drink menus.

At Gung Ho!, this approach led to the use of pea shoots to create light, fresh foams, alongside dried raspberry leaves to bring a green tea‑like profile to cocktails.

These unexpected local ingredients, Barnett said, often prompt curiosity and conversation at the bar.

“When people come and see all these mad ingredients, they want to try them,” he told The MA. “It’s always good to think outside the box.”

A similar emphasis on local identity and innovation was shared by Adam Handling Group’s previous bar director, Josh Linfitt, who said foraging encourages operators to shape menus around their immediate surroundings rather than relying solely on external supply chains.

“It promotes what you have to offer wherever you live. It also influences you and inspires you to create something,” he said.

The method, he explained, amplified the samphire’s green, vegetal character, while agave spirits helped bring out its natural sweetness.

Beyond creativity, Linfitt pointed to cost and environmental efficiencies. Using Nasturtium leaves as an example, he noted they are often purchased in plastic packaging despite growing freely in many locations.

By sourcing them directly, operators can reduce spend, remove packaging waste and cut transport from the supply chain, he said.

“Sustainable is a word that gets thrown around quite frivolously,” Linfitt said, adding genuine progress requires operators to consider not only ingredients themselves, but how they are produced, packaged and delivered.

However, Linfitt stressed foraging must be approached responsibly, particularly when ingredients are intended for commercial use.

He urged operators to build knowledge and confidence before introducing wild produce to their menus, recommending learning alongside experienced foragers.

Professional forager and founder of Gourmet Gatherings, Chloe Newcomb-Hodgetts echoed this warning.

Newcomb-Hodgetts, who hosts foraging experiences and courses in Wales, told The MA education was essential for anyone starting out, adding while plants form the basis of everyday diets, misidentification can out people at risk.

“Plants are nothing to be afraid of… however, foraging for a novice does need to be approached with respect and caution; you need to be 100% sure before you put anything in your mouth,” she said.

She added the most effective way to learn is through practical, hands‑on experience with professionals to understand how plants grow, how they change through the seasons and how to identify them correctly.

The professional forager also highlighted the importance of sustainable harvesting practices, urging operators to only pick from abundant sources and leave enough behind to allow ecosystems to regenerate.

Legal considerations were another factor operators must address. Newcomb-Hodgetts explained small quantities of ingredients can be collected for personal use on public land, but commercial foraging requires permission from private landowners.

“Anybody can pick a handful of something for lunch or dinner off public lands, such as your local parkland or your woodland.

“However, by law, to forage for commercial gain, you have to do so on private property with permission.

“It’s about educating yourself, so you know what you’re picking and then picking sustainably, mindfully and responsibly”, she continued.

While foraging requires time, training and care, its impact on the sector is becoming increasingly evident as operators face mounting pressures.

From supporting staff wellbeing to reducing reliance on external suppliers and igniting creative sparks, the practice enables venues to tell a clearer story about place, purpose and provenance, while delivering practical benefits that resonate with operators and customers alike.