In the diary entry I wrote after the first month of The Wildbiome Project, it was probably quite apparent that I was not enjoying myself. I had not connected with the project in the same way that others seemed to have done so. Sure, we generally only post wins on social media so my perception may have been warped, but I get the impression that the unity between participants and nature grew in strength, whereas mine was waning through repetitive menus and the lethargy that ensued. 

‍

I therefore decided that month two was going to be all about mind over matter. A positive mental approach to the daunting tasks that lay ahead, with all the belt-adjusting, protein-loading and pint-skipping that comes with it. I knew I would still have a fairly boring and repetitive diet (who wants venison stew for breakfast?) but I could at least cheer myself up through the process and people surrounding this project.

‍

My first month was a pretty lonely one. I missed proper socialising, eating with my family and enjoying the food that I was still surrounded by. But I also felt like I was isolated in this project. Regional meet-ups arranged by others in far off lands like Kent and Northamptonshire felt like reasonable ones to miss out on, but I also saw casual get-togethers hosted in old stomping grounds of mine like Anglesey - a rich, ecologically diverse space that I know intimately from my childhood and subsequent return to my home town of Manchester to raise my own family - and glimpses of beaches I knew well made my heart pang. Not only was it very much a case of NFI but I also knew what treasures could be found along those shorelines when the tide goes out. Images of fellow foragers rolling around in sea spaghetti with lobster and mackerel for every meal filled my idle thoughts as I wondered about what my new coastline further north could deliver.

‍

I needed to get out of this funk. First stop: community. I called on fellow Wildbiomer, Eleanor Jones, to get ourselves organised enough to visit the coast. A sunny afternoon along the western shores of Cumbria saw us exchanging ideas, sharing snacks, and gathering mussels and the elusive (in these parts at least) sea kale. It was soul-nourishing and provided a perfect setting to offload about anxieties surrounding the project, vocalise plans for meals and generally chew the fat with someone who won’t have had much fat to chew on in recent times either.

‍

After a bit of a grumpy outreach to the Wildbiome Project community about my lack of motivation, energy and certain foodstuffs, I also welcomed being offered a bed for the night by another 90 day participant, Alex McAllister-Lunt. In advance of my trip to his place in the Forest Of Dean, we also exchanged gifts via the post. He sent me venison tallow and in return I sent him dried mushrooms, alexanders pepper and various teas. It was a transaction that worked perfectly as we replenished each other’s stores with the bits we were short on. Community in action right there! Once I arrived at his, we spent the day butchering a wild boar for me to take back with me, plus we wined and dined like Henry VIII with smoked this and pickled that. Alex is a fellow fermentation nut, so sampling his creations was a real stimulation for my palette. 

‍

And to the Scottish Wild Food Festival. It has always been on my list but I had never quite gotten round to it. No excuses this year - I needed inspiration from the widest group of wild folk possible. I loaded up the car and made my way to just north of Glasgow to the beautiful Tir na nOg venue to bask in the gentle festival vibes as both a punter and a helper on the Association Of Foragers stand for the weekend. The night before the festival started, my good friend Michael White came to visit my new home on his way up there too, and we spent the evening chatting about all things wild food. He came armed with a crate of dried fish and other specialities and he showed me his incredible alexanders crab crackers, which were to die for. Essentially prawn crackers but made with the starch gathered from alexanders roots and then dusted liberally with dehydrated crab powder. I marvelled at his sublime culinary prowess.

‍

It was a weekend of relatively slow pace - just what I needed, frankly - but surrounded by friends and wild folk. Whilst this diet rendered joining in with many of the workshops a little pointless (there is no point going on a wild booze safari if you can’t taste anything being served!) there was much to enjoy. Highlights included scouting out 100% wild ingredients like sea buckthorn juice, exchanging ideas and snacks with other hungry Wildbiomers, and hanging out by the late night fire where I even got to enjoy some wild cider and a goose prosciutto produced by the lovely Gavin. I have made my own goose prosciutto (prosc-goose-tto) for this project but just having it made by someone else was a real treat.

‍

Then, of course, to the absolute highlight of probably my entire month, if not the whole project. With a band of merry helpers, wild food wizard Craig Worral created a five-course, ALL wild feast for thirty or so revellers. It was exquisite. Towards the end of the meal, I commented to those around me that I had been eating the vast majority of the ingredients we had just enjoyed but nothing like in the same way. Rich ragu, juicy meatballs, crisp salads, sweet custard. Yes, custard. If you had walked in then and wondered which of the diners were the ones on the wild-only diet, you would only have had to count the number of plates being licked clean - it was that good. My only regret of the weekend was not being around for the Sunday evening where leftovers were being served! 

‍

My thanks go to Eleanor, Michael, Alex and Craig, along with all those I hung out with at the Scottish Wild Food Festival, for reminding me about the power of community. Having a team around you, as our ancestors would have done, really helps with the preparation and motivational side of this project. I genuinely think I would have crashed out of the project by now had May not been the month of good company.

‍

As I write this, I am about to set off on a weekend of camping and hiking with friends, none of whom are taking part in the project. By Sunday there will be many more miles in my legs, many more conversations about the restrictions this project has (“what, EVERYTHING has to be wild?!”) but hopefully more energy drawn from a friendly crowd along with the food I’ve specifically set aside for a day spent in the Lakeland fells. I hope June offers me such rich offerings with fruit and fish, along with friends, very much now on the agenda.

‍

You can donate to the funding of this exciting project by either donating a few quid at https://chuffed.org/project/114196-wildbiome-project-2025-jim-parums . I will also be running a special ‘Wildbiome’ event in the middle of the project, aimed at showcasing some of the ingredients and recipes that have featured so far.

‍