Trendspot: Foraging Finds
Foraging is becoming increasingly popular across various industries, particularly in food and beverages, cosmetics, and in health supplements. In this article we look at 10 brands using foraged ingredients as well as exploring the reasons why this activity is so on trend at the moment. Not only is it a practice that promotes sustainability and connection with nature, but there is also a significant educational aspect to it as well.
Products that incorporate foraged ingredients are becoming increasingly popular across various industries, particularly in food and beverages, cosmetics, and health supplements. For example:
Gourmet Foods: Restaurants and chefs often use foraged items like wild mushrooms, nettles, and berries to create unique, seasonal dishes that attract foodies.
Craft Beverages: Breweries and distilleries use foraged botanicals such as spruce tips, wild herbs, and berries to flavour beers, gins, and other spirits.
Teas and Herbal Infusions: Many specialty teas include foraged ingredients like dandelion, nettles, or elderflower, for their unique flavours and suggested health benefits.
Natural Cosmetics: Foraged ingredients like seaweed, wildflowers, and herbs are used in skincare products for their natural benefits and their appeal to eco-conscious consumers.
Health Supplements: Companies use foraged superfoods like wild blueberries, mushrooms (like chaga and reishi), and other herbs in supplements aimed at boosting health and wellness.
Artisanal Jams and Preserves: Small-batch producers often incorporate foraged fruits like wild berries and wild plums to create unique, high-quality preserves.
Fine Chocolates: Some chocolatiers use wild ingredients such as nuts, berries, and even wild spices to flavour their chocolates, adding a foraged twist to their gourmet offerings.
Baking Ingredients: Wild yeasts are sometimes foraged and cultivated for making sourdough breads and other fermented foods.
Home Decor: Elements like wildflowers, moss, and driftwood are foraged for creating natural, rustic home decorations and arrangements.
Craft Projects: Foraged materials like pine cones, acorns, and branches are popular in DIY crafts and seasonal decorations.
We looked at a few companies that are marketing their products with a focus on foraged ingredients:
Earth Ale Brewing
Oxfordshire-based Earth Ale Brewing forages wild ingredients from the countryside and coastlines of the South of England, and infuses them in a natural brewing process to create seasonal limited-batch recipes.
Noma's Fermentation Lab: The renowned restaurant Noma in Copenhagen uses foraged ingredients extensively in its dishes and has developed a fermentation lab to explore new flavours from wild foods.
Isle of Harris Gin: This Scottish gin is made using sugar kelp sourced from the local sea lochs, hand-harvested by a local diver, adding a unique maritime flavour.
