Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

I was picking hazelnuts in my back yard (for once I beat the squirrels) and starting to think about foraging for food at CH. Certainly we got hazelnuts, chestnuts, apples, mushrooms, various edible roots and (I am ashamed to say) various bird's eggs. My most memorable recollection was frying mushrooms and wild garlic in the Biology lab and folding them into a omelet of assorted eggs. Of course there was also brewing and distilling ventures: all equally disgusting.

The only foraging I recall, was for mushrooms, which one would then somehow find some butter, and gently fry.

I then re-call N.T.(Bogey) Fryer banning this practice in Coleridge B, on the grounds of a possible poisioning were far too great.

A very early case of 'Elf & Unsafety' in my view, as I was a Surrey Country boy who grew up in the fields and farms.

Chestnuts from the copses and hazelnuts from Shelley's Woods.
Used to forage at home as well and thought it was natural to do it.
Blackberries and raspberries in summer.
Not confident in my ability to recognise mushrooms and toadstools.

jhopgood wrote: Not confident in my ability to recognise mushrooms and toadstools.

Frightens me but I have the handbook and also local pharmacists have to know funghi and mushrooms to get their licence. Found some in the field like you get in the supermarket but a) not in the book and b) 8 inches plus across. Went to pharmacy and she spent a long time with the reference books and eventually had to advise against eating them because she couldn't identify them for certain (according to the books Champignons de Paris only run to 4 inches across). After destroying them I saw River Cottage where he was collecting and eating the same sized and apparently identical ones. Cooked them the next year and, unless I have an incredible ghost, I'm stilll here. Also picked 2 1/2 kg of ceps / porcini in about an hour - later saw ceps in Fortnum and Masons at £75 a kilo!!!!!!!

As for produce at CH I ran a Ginger Beer plant on the stairs in Col A. Someone wanted to sell something which smelt a bit like "off" rasberries which I am sure had boot polish in - no thank you

Remember making myself sick on blackberries. Otherwise lots of apples.

In England last week and went to a chain of would-be fancy French Cafés My wife had "mushrooms " as a starter - not perfect! It was one of subjects of a couple of complaints about that meal I am now told that they were oyster mushrooms miixed with another type - I had already told the place that they were Champignons de Paris which are the bigger version of the white type you buy cheap in the supermarket (see my River Cottage mention above) You would have thought that they would know what they are feeding people.
BTW - French café where they don't speak French - anyone know any Czech or Bulgar? I wouldn't mind getting to know Lucia better - at least she looked after her appearance unlike too many ladies

(I'll get my armour)

During rationing, which lasted long after WW2, I remember two other ways of foraging. At an appropriate season there were boxes containing apples at the entrances of some nearby farms, with the welcome invitation,

WINDFALLS, HELP YOURSELF.

Also in some nearby fields there were wild strawberries. They were much smaller than the cultivated ones, so easily missed, but often as sweet. One place I recollect where they grew was alongside the railway tracks leading to Littlehampton, about a mile south of the CH station.