Fruits of the Forage – two brothers finding flavours in the wild #Blog

Briony Wilson
26th March 2019

Fruits of the Forage are a sustainable preserves company established in 2014 by two brothers and their mother. Combining heritage fruits with wild foraged plants they create new flavours from the ingredients other people ignore, preserving a taste of the British landscape. Gathering fruit from ancient orchards & hedgerows they saved over 5 tonnes of fruit from going to waste in 2018 earning 10 Great Taste Awards to date including Sloe Seville Marmalade, Hedgerow Harvest Jam and Hot Crabby (Crab Apple Chilli Jam).

A new range of “No Added Sugar” and “Reduced Sugar” Sauces promise to appertise customers with “No Added Sugar” Damson Sauce, a purple twist on brown sauce, sweetened using British Conference Pears and “Reduced Sugar” Plum BBQ Sauce. In the process they’ve realized that most of the chutneys they make are already classified as “Reduced Sugar” and jams are close to being classified as “Low Sugar”. In the quest to champion wild ingredients, sugar has always been used sparingly, and in the right balance to enhance each flavour. A new Raspberry & Wild Apple Low Sugar Jam joins classic products Dam Sloe Chutney & Perfect Pear Chutney which are being rebranded as Reduced Sugar Chutney’s.

This community focused ethical brand are determined to fight food waste and conserve our botanical heritage. Far away from London’s buzzing foodie community and its emerging trends, these northern lads are shining a light on new and innovative approaches to sustainable food production.

The journey started when Fred, the younger brother realized the abundance of fruit going to waste around him and couldn’t understand why these treasures of the countryside fell to rot. Since the 1950s 90% of the UK’s traditional orchards have disappeared, threatening the survival of many old fruit varieties. Hedgerows and orchards are vital habitats for native species while reducing soil erosion and flood risk. Natural England classified traditional orchards as “priority habitats” which are a “a quintessential component of the historic English landscape” “important for the range of species they support”. Natural England’s target is for “no net loss of traditional orchards across the UK”, an ambitious target the brothers feel, considering current state of traditional orchards.

Bert, the head forager, is determined not just to take from orchards and hedgerows planted in the past, but to give back to the landscape by distributing fruit trees to plant new orchards and hedgerows. “Since starting the initiative in 2018 we have planted or distributed 500 fruit trees to farms, tree planting charities, community projects and schools.”

Orchards are focal points for communities bringing people together to work towards a common goal in places which are deeply rooted in our traditions and folklore. With so many reasons to plant trees Fruits of the Forage aim to explore ways of producing sustainable foods from these tree planting drives, an idea which they believe has not been explored enough. The brothers are currently seeking a major retail partner which would allow them to scale their company and goals for orchard conservation.
Source – Natural England Commissioned Report NECR077 -Traditional Orchard Project in England The creation of an inventory to support the UK Habitat Action Plan (www.naturalengland.org.uk) First published 05 May 2011