Connecting you to nature through foraging and improving physical and mental health in the process.
Log in to Nature
What is Foraging?
Foraging can mean slightly different things to different people, but to me, foraging is searching for, identifying and gathering wild natural resources that can be of use – primarily as food but also for medicinal and bushcraft purposes.
Who am I?
My name’s James, lover of life and powered by positivity and perspective! I grew up on a North Yorkshire farm and fell in love with the countryside and nature from an early age.
My love of foraging started on nature walks with my parents, where picking wild food was just a way of life. In adulthood, I followed a different path but hit a low point in 2015 which re-ignited a passion for foraging. By the Spring of 2016, foraging was a hobby, then an obsession, and in 2022, The Forager Within was born with a mission to connect people to nature and improve physical and mental health in the process.
I also love hikes, James Bond, wine, astronomy, cacti and crocodiles! You can learn more about me and my journey to setting up The Forager Within here.
Driven by Purpose
I set up The Forager Within to teach people about wild food foraging, but with the higher purpose of connecting people to nature and helping improve physical and mental health in the process. I believe that both we and the planet would benefit from moving closer to nature. My mission is to help make that happen.
My Courses
My public foraging courses run in and around Huddersfield (West Yorkshire), Sheffield (South Yorkshire), Northallerton (North Yorkshire) and Manchester. All 2026 dates are now live! Gift Vouchers are also available.
I also run private events such as corporate foraging events for businesses, children’s foraging events such as for schools and scout groups, foraging events for hen and stag dos, and many more, anywhere in mainland UK. To enquire about private events please contact me via email (james@theforagerwithin.co.uk) or phone (07712 213470).
EXCELLENT Based on 145 reviews Posted on Stuart Hubbert27 April 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. A fantastic company offering different foraging courses. We opted for the half day with lunch in North Allerton. We had seen and enjoyed his many videos on Instagram demonstrating with great detail and passion the joys of foraging in the UK but still didn't quite know what to expect from the course. We were not disappointed, James was very friendly and helpful from the word go, organising the group before we made a start. He gave a great speech to begin with that made everyone excited to learn what he was about to teach, his passion really translates. We spent the next couple of hours wandering around his family's farm finding all sorts of edible plants and some examples of plants you weren't to touch or at least handle with care. His knowledge was vast and answered any and all questions with clear information we could all take away. The time went very quickly and we then wished we had booked the full day course instead! Lunch was fantastic, using a lot of ingredients we had just been foraging. All homemade by himself and his family. (His rowan tree cordial was especially nice) His farm itself is a lovely old working farm and their garden, where we ate lunch, was stunning. I can't think of anything that could have been improved and as we have already mentioned to James we will be booking on another of his courses later in the year. From booking to follow up, he has given great communication and it has all been fantastic. James and his family should be very proud.Posted on Virginia Hall27 April 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We enjoyed the foraging course at Northallerton on Friday 24th April. Impressed with James knowledge. Virginia and AmandaPosted on Holly Parsons-Hann26 April 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Spent an incredibly enjoyable 2.5 hours learning about various different wild plants. James was incredibly thorough, always asking if we had any additional questions and extremely knowledgeable. We felt we learnt a lot and the time went incredibly quickly. We had a very varied age range in our group (very young child to mature adults) and everyone seemed to learn and enjoy the day. Will absolutely book another course at a different time of the year - Would thoroughly recommend :-)Posted on Moira Neish25 April 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had a wonderful few hours in the sunshine discovering new and interesting things. James was very professional, thoughtful and reassuring. Lunch and a chat with fellow potential foragers was delicious and inspiring. Fantastic!Posted on Paul Bidgood9 April 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Had an all day foraging experience, which was informative, interesting and good fun. I don't live locally, but I would like to do the Autumn fungi course, when visiting again. The lunchtime soup and bread was really good and I had a second helping.Posted on Rooby Roo30 March 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Thank you for a well paced and informative walk. The food afterwards was delicious.Posted on Chris Burton29 March 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Just had a morning session with James -really enjoyed it , he has such a brilliant depth of knowledge really brought foraging alive !Posted on Veronica B28 March 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great and interesting morning and fantastic home made soup, pesto, cake and syrup for lunch. Information shared was easily understood. Not only what could be foraraged but what uses they had for health and how to use in cooking. The jam was sensational!!! You certainly know your stuff and can't wait for the summer and autumn courses. Thankyou!!Posted on Ellis Tolan21 March 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I attended The Forager Within course today, a 2.5-hour spring session led by James, and it was absolutely fantastic. James has an incredible depth of knowledge about all things foraging. He introduced us to a wide variety of plants, and mushrooms, explaining each one in a way that was clear and accessible for beginners, while still being detailed and fascinating. Impressively, he was able to answer every question with ease, breaking things down so they were simple to understand. What really stood out was his passion it’s completely infectious. The whole experience felt like a relaxed, enjoyable morning stroll, but I came away with so much new knowledge and understanding of the abundance around us. James created such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable asking questions and learning together. It never felt rushed, just genuinely engaging from start to finish. I can’t recommend this course enough and will definitely be returning! Thank you!Posted on Lisa Ashton15 March 2026Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. We had a wonderful morning foraging on the course in Sheffield. James had such a wealth of knowledge that he was happy to share and he answered everyone's questions. We stayed for a delicious lunch after the morning session which we thoroughly enjoyed. The follow up email was great, giving us more information about what we had found and book recommendations too. Thank you James.
