It is fair to say that foraging and the desire for people to learn about wild food is seeing a bit of a boom. As professional foraging tutors, we are riding a wave of interest from the general public looking to purchase experiences with an expert, who they can then use as a safety blanket whilst their own lack of confidence still prevents them from putting the exciting things they find in a book into practice. It’s the great paradox of our time: we are in an ecological crisis and our relationship with nature is more strained than ever, yet people know this and want to engage with their surroundings. More foraging tutors means more people learning to forage, which means more people are engaging with nature. I’m all for it. 

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But what does it take to become a foraging tutor in the first place? Knowledge is obviously an important facet of being able to do this job, but like any other presenting role, it requires a level of crowd-work, compassion and confidence. I often liken it to being a stand-up comedian: you need to know your material, you might have to deal with the odd heckle, some gigs go well, some gigs you can see might be a bit of a tricky one from the start, the venue is absolutely everything for getting the vibe right and you are likely to have to have a more ‘normal’ job on the side to pay the bills. There is also a similar ‘circuit’ whereby everyone in that world seems to know, or at least know of, each other - all technically competitors but actually far more likely to be supportive and encourage each other to flourish. I’ve listened to enough podcasts to know that comedians do it for the love of standing on stage making people laugh, not for the money (until you get TV work, I believe it is a very low-paid industry to be in). As mentioned, this is all remarkably similar to being a foraging tutor. You can read more about my own personal feelings about being a full-time, professional forager by clicking here.

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A couple of years ago, after working really hard to give Forage Box a well-functioning and professional looking website, I was contacted for the first time by someone looking for a job. It was a bit of a surprise as I’d never really considered employing anybody and planned to just hide behind the company name instead. Nor had I advertised any vacancy - this was just someone looking to get themselves set up as a foraging tutor who wanted a leg-up. I must admit I was a little apprehensive having previously worked for a different foraging company and, like so many who went through their books, found the experience more than lacking. I was underpaid and not given enough work, even ignored when winter rolled around. My departure from that company was after having not received any employment for a good few months, deciding therefore to make a go of it myself. I was worried that this previous working dynamic would be replicated here and would turn sour too - I definitely didn’t want it to, but so many people have had similar experiences to me, so maybe expanding to allow others to teach under your company name just wasn’t possible.

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So I made a decision. I was going to give this person foraging work but I would model our arrangement as an antithesis of that other company. Forage Box was going to pay well and provide work for those who wanted it, whenever they wanted it. Anyone running Forage Box events was to be happy doing so and would receive the largest portion of ticket fees. I certainly didn’t want anyone passing through our books to speak ill of us afterwards (none so far!) and this would mean tutors would be happy in their positions, which is inevitably picked up by paying customers who would be witness to our tutors’ passion and positive demeanor. 

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That arrangement is still the same model we use today for our tutors right across the country. It would be in poor taste to discuss the full breakdown of the payment structure of our tutors, but some key elements of the wider agreement are:

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• Foraging tutors can run as many or as few events as they so wish
• There is no exclusivity contract dictating who tutors can work for (but they keep coming back because we pay so well!)
• Forage Box pays for all tax, admin and promotional costs, plus we provide first aid kits, taster bottles and other equipment required to deliver an event

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I am a mancunian at heart and, as well as having to choose between Cantona or Kinkladze, cultural touchstones such as Madchester, Oasis, The Hacienda, The Smiths and The Stone Roses were actually taught on the curriculum round our way. Therefore, it is actually the famous contract between Factory Records’ Tony Wilson and Joy Division (written and signed in blood in the backroom of a pub, of course, which is probably one step too far for a little wild food company like ours) that inspired me to define our agreement:

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“The musicians own everything, the company owns nothing. 

All our bands have the freedom to f*** off.”

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That was it. That was the so-called contract between a record label and a band on the cusp of being superstars. It’s more of a haiku than anything overly serious. The understanding was that both parties were good for each other. That Joy Division made excellent music but did not know how to spread the word, in a time before streaming services and with a very London-centric bias at the heart of the industry. Tony Wilson, and by extension Factory Records, would be able to help with that because it was something he believed in. In his words, “we made history, not money”.

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Vignette aside, it turns out that those who are looking to teach foraging but don’t know where to begin are numerous. Foragers are more happy in the woods than at a laptop and don’t necessarily have the time or inclination to commit to the mountain of admin that is required to run foraging workshops. I need my time outside just as much as the next nature-lover, but I am also really rather good at admin and can see fiddly projects through to their end, almost to the point of enjoying the process. My life has always been meticulously planned through wall planners, diaries, spreadsheets and ring-binders. It’s perhaps slightly startling behaviour to some, but it works for me and, through Forage Box, I have channelled it into giving other, less-admin-prone foragers a platform to showcase their passion for this wonderful lifestyle.

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Fast-forward to now, and Forage Box has picked up more tutors across the country. I reached out to some of them directly but, more often than not, they’ve made contact themselves. I chat to each of them to check that they are the right sort of person for Forage Box (you won’t find a single grumpy tutor, for example!) and that they know their stuff. They might already be teaching or have their own venue, they might have a solid knowledge base and want to teach part-time at the weekend. Quite often they are existing members of the excellent Association of Foragers, but have run out of organisational steam and to quote one member: “cannot be bothered with the admin”. Whatever their intentions or background, I am proud to say that they are all super-talented, knowledgeable, vetted, charming, kind, professional and free to teach in their own image. They all operate in their own region and are all welcome to run their own events on the side or for another foraging company (if they’ll let them - most seem to have restrictive exclusivity contracts in place). Foragers are free spirits and I want that to continue to be the case, free to work whenever and however they want to. When events are finished, each workshop guest receives a courtesy follow-up email that includes direct links to their tutor’s own social media channels. Guests are also asked to name-check their tutor when leaving a positive review of their experience so we can let them know how well-received their workshop was. Forage Box aims to champion these independent tutors and I am fiercely proud of that. We even have good working relationships with bodies such as the Woodland Trust, National Trust, Forestry England, local councils and other private landowners, so can use those existing channels to open up venues for independent foragers who can’t even get a foot in the door.

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Forage Box is essentially just an administrative platform which happens to have a wide reach, partly earned through hard work and partly fluking it with some lucky breaks. It’s a glorified agency for scatty tree-huggers who wouldn’t be able to do the thing they love without someone doing the computer stuff for them. It’s no different to setting up a food festival in order to allow small producers the chance to reach a broader audience. 

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I’ve seen some foraging tutors start with Forage Box but now run workshops almost exclusively on their own and I am perfectly happy with that, proud to see a Forage Box fledgling take that leap with no bad blood between us and seemingly no impact on our respective ticket sales. There is more demand for foraging workshops than ever, so there is more demand for foraging tutors than ever. I am just glad we can be a part of bringing the joy of wild food to the great masses of the British public. If people want to run workshops, our doors will always be open to them, because aren’t we incredibly lucky to be able to do this beautiful job for a living?