Ep. 16: Scotland's Wild Food Stories - Pioneering Research on the Culture of Foraging (feat. Leanne Townsend)

Today on Mushroom Hour we have the wondrous opportunity to interview Leanne Townsend. Leanne is the founder of Wild Food Stories which sees her leading a variety of courses, workshops and events throughout the year in Aberdeenshire, and throughout Scotland.

Let's travel to rural Scotland and hop from birch tree to birch tree finding beautiful golden chanterelles. We'll experience living and foraging in rural Scotland and then look more broadly at the wild food landscape across the UK. We'll also join the Association of Foragers and see the culture coalescing around wild foods. How is foraging culture viewed in the UK? What are the conversations surrounding forage culture and the opposing viewpoints?

Leanne is also an academic professional leading research with the James Hutton Institute. This role sees her analyze many dynamics effecting rural communities, including wild food! One of her new paths of research has given her the opportunity to examine different viewpoints in and about the wild food community. She aims to produce academic research on different foraging subcultures and foraging practices present in the UK, beyond just their economic impact. What are some of the questions her research is looking at? How can this research on foraging bring people together around an appreciation for nature?

Thanks for listening and Mush Love!   

Directed, Recorded, Produced by: Mushroom Hour 
(@welcome_to_mushroom_hour) 

Music by: Ancient Baby   
Art by: Wyn Di Stefano 

Episode Resources 
Wild Food Stories IG: https://www.instagram.com/wildfoodstory/ 
Wild Food Stories Website: https://www.wildfoodstories.co.uk/
James Hutton Institute: https://www.hutton.ac.uk