I've always been interested in how some people still have the skills to live off the wild in the UK. Obviously it is not neccessary today, but it's a fascinatiing subject and somehitng I've always wanted to learn more about.

I know that one way to catch wild food is through fishing for trout and other fish, but what other methods provide food? Which kind of plants can you eat in the UK environment?

Did you see Ray Mears programme where he travelled the world visiting people who still live as hunter-gatherers in the wild? Some of these people lived in complete isolation from modern society - quite amazing really. The skills they have perfected have been lost to most other places in the world - such as being able to spot edible plants and hunt.

It is that program that reignited my interested in this subject, it was quite a surprise when Ray Mears who has to be one of the leading outdoor survival experts in the country couldn't spot a certain plant at all, while a woman who lived there seemed to have a natural sense of where this rare but nutritous plant (which name I can't remember) was.

We watched a programme in the last couple of months & it was about a guy who lives off natural things including 'Roadkill'. His challenge was to take over a restaurant & prepare an evening meal for invited guests. I can't remember where the place was but is was one of the southern counties. At first he had to convince the presenter of the programme by eating squirrel (sorry squirreller, but it had died of it's own accord!) in some sort of sauce & they said it was quite good. The meat however had to be inspected before he could serve it to the public. Wild mushrooms , nettles, & the like was easy. It was quite a success. Watch out for it if it is ever on again it was fun & interesting .
P.S. I would pass on it myself

I could stomach living off nettles, mushrooms and poassibly a squirrel that had died of old age (and I knew it was healthy in all other ways) but I would never be able to eat roadkill! Of course, if it was a matter of life and death survival I might reconsider

I know in the United States there are a few states which allow people who have a valid hunting 'tag' to fill their deer tag with an animal which has been killed by a vehicle. The problem with roadkilled animals is that where they've been hit, the meat is 'bloodshot', and it is not very appealing to eat.

There are also some states which allow roadkilled deer to be served to prison inmates...

Is the program you've listed above an English program? It sounds like something from the US.

Kingfisher

It was certainly english as it was in a village either in Dorset or Devon but can't remember which. This guy could tell approx how long an animal had been dead & I remember them finding something that was quite smelly but still Ok to eat, Yuk!!!

I would have thought that once something was that smelly it was really not fit to eat...on the other hand, the UK climate is vastly different from what we experience here. I know that when I visit relatives in Lancashire that they will leave things unrefrigerated that I would not dare to, and I live in a very mild climate.

I shall have to try to do some research on this program...it sounds very interesting.

Kingfisher

That's horrible! I hope they let the inmates know exactly what they are eating!

I could never eat roadkill! When you see an animal killed it is usually completely squashed beyond recognition unless it is a larger animal like a deer. Even in the reasonably cool climate we have here roadkill meat must go off very quickly, and with other birds and animals feeding off it after it dies I can't think of anything much more disgusting than eating it.........

Yes, the inmates know what they are getting. Some of them actually like it, because it's a bit different from the usual 'mystery meat'. Roadkilled meat actually goes bad faster than one would imagine, because the blood in the meat causes the fibres to break down even more rapidly (or so I've been told).

Kingfisher

On the original topic, obiously some mushrooms are edible in the wild, although I don't know how to tell the exact species. Meat from deer and rabbit if you had a way of catching them, along with fish from rivers and lakes you could catch quite easily.

The hardest part of surviving in the wild is the temperature and possible bad weather. Most of us can survive for a number of days without food. Water is a different story. Where to get potable water? Easier in the UK, but can be very difficult here in the US, depending upon one's location. Bad weather can kill! If you've left home with only a light jacket, or even less, the cold temperatures at night can chill you to the point of hypothermia. If it happens to rain (a very likely even in the UK) hypothermia can occur quite rapidly.

I think I would be able to survive in the wild with my knowledge of plants (at least in the US), and probably in the UK as well, but being properly clothed, and with at least some way of making fire, is virtually essential.

Kingfisher

The three important things in survival are food, water and shelter. It you can build a good waterproof shelter, build a fire, and find a source of water, which as Kingfisher has said shouldn't be too hard in Britain, you would be fine. Building a water and wind proof shelter isn't that easy though, to do it quickly you would have to know what you were doing (which I don't particularly).

all wild food is good and healthy, wether it be game or fowl, fungi and mushrooms, fish, nuts berries and fruits. i think the bigest problem posed is that the young english wife mother type has no idea how to prepare the above, the majority would be shocked if presented with fur or feathered meat. what do you guys think????

While it may be difficult, I have confidence that faced with the prospect of survival by skinning an animal before cooking and eating it, the majority of people would manage it. Just because it is not a part of todays society as supermarkets to that side for us, dosen't mean people can't!

Also, underestimate the british wife/mother at your peril!