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4 Wild Seasons: A Wild Food Dining Experience

4 Wild Seasons was launched in February 2018, with the aim of exploring the culinary potentials of wild and seasonal flavours from UK landscapes, including; forest, coast, hedgerow, meadow and mountain. Seasonal, Local, Organic, Wild = SLOW Food 😀

4 Wild Seasons: Game For It - Feb 2019 at 7 Arts
A Unique, Pop Up Dining Experience

4 Wild Seasons is all about creating a dining experience where dishes are comprised of between 90% - 100%, wild and natural ingredients and served in a relaxed, informal and communal atmosphere, where diners can chat amiably among themselves and with the chefs, about the ingredients, dishes and the foraging experience.

We actively encourage diners to lick their dishes clean and we promise not to tell anyone!

INGREDIENTS

Wild Plants, Mushrooms, Seaweeds and Fruits
Sea Kale in flower 
All these wild ingredients are seasonally hand-picked, as fresh as possible, always in their prime and gathered only from the cleanest habitats and environments.

Any ingredients that require preserving, i.e. pickled, dehydrated or fermented, are processed asap to prevent deterioration of their vital nutrients, flavours and textures. Where possible, sun drying is our preferred method of dehydration.

Wild Meat
Squirrel & Pear Taco
w/ Squirrel Liquor Re-fried Beans
& Wild Salad
All wild meat utilised is fresh. We only acquire wild meats that are legally shot in the UK, by licensed stalkers and hunters and therefore, our wild meats are fully traceable. We mostly access wild meats during the Autumn and Winter months. 
Our zero-waste policy ensures that any off-cuts or bones are used for making stocks and sauces. 
Offal, such as heart, liver, kidneys and tongue (the latter is solely for our home usage due to policies around, health and safety), are cooked with and we generally opt to cure and smoke them. Animal pelts are gifted to friends who work with animal hides.

Fur and feather sometimes escape our zero-waste policy, purely because of time constraints - some hides make their way to friends who work in the hide-tanning business. If anyone in the local area is interested in receiving feathers and furs and working with them, please feel free to get in touch: 4wildseasons@gmail.com


Japanese Quince Dessert
Mackerel Baked in Burdock Leaf & Wild Grasses
w/ Elderflower, Sweet Cicely & Scots Lovage Seed















Gena Making Butter w/
Organic Double Cream
Non-Wild: All non-wild ingredients are sourced directly or indirectly from local, organic, artisan suppliers and producers. We aim to support small scale, organic/naturally grown, regenerative growers and producers, whose products are free from all artificial fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and routine antibiotics. At times, this causes us some difficulties due to a lack of suitable producers and below par, farming industry, infrastructures. 
Basically speaking: we won't feed you anything, we wouldn't eat ourselves (and we are fussy!). 

Plastic Waste and Carbon Footprint: I think we are all aware of the times we live in. A time wrought with uncertainties and, immense pressures on local, national and international biodiversity, further exacerbated by political nonsense and ineptitude. Together, the mainstream standard, farming and culinary industries, generate and proliferate unacceptable levels of waste and environmental harm. We believe and know that, individual and business choices, through action and voices, must play their parts in alleviating and resolving all harms. Conscious food choices must be made. 
We can all help create and generate the future direction and practices so required in the food industries.  

We can only hope that the culinary industry as a whole, takes the time to reflect, reform and act accordingly: ideally, less reflection is required, positive action is what's required.

Some Dishes We've Served

Sorrel & Dukka Tart ~ Wild Winter Salad
~ Wood Ants ~ 3-Rosehip Vinaigrette
Jugged Hare & Horn of Plenty Ravioli
~ Horseradish ~ Hairy Bittercress ~
Ground Elder








 




4 Wild Seasons: Winter Table


             
Chocolate & Boozy Pacheran Tart  ~ Smoked Cep & Kelp
Ice Cream ~ Miso Caramel ~ Hogseed Honeycomb

4 Wild Seasons: Winter Table Menu

Heart of the Forest:
Reindeer Moss ~ Smoky Cep ~ Wild Garlic ~
Fermented Pine Flowers ~ Elderberry Balsamic ~
Douglas Fir Oil ~ Cured & Smoked Venison Heart


 









Collaborations: We love a collaboration and love working with guest chefs, especially those that share our passion for cooking with wild foods and share our general, good food ethics. 

In 2021 and 2022, we went wild and Italian, when we hosted 3 events with La Locanda, a multi-award winning, Italian Restaurant, located in Gisburn, Lancashire. La Locanda is owned and run by Maurizio and Cinzia Bocchi.
 
A Taste of Autumn: 

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