I went foraging with one of Glasgow's top chefs, it fulfilled a long-time ambition

I’m lost in a forest in the north of Scotland, towered over by pine trees and surrounded by fields of chanterelle mushrooms. The latter of these are why I am here.

Thankfully for me, Peter McKenna, owner at Glasgow’s The Gannet and one of the city’s best chefs, is not lost. This is a frequent foraging ground for the proprietor of one of the city’s top restaurants. Peter has been coming here for more than a decade since first being brought out by his friend and fellow chef Gary Goldie, who died in 2023.

The site is basically sacred, as these spots so often are for foragers once they find a spot, it is filled with chanterelle mushrooms - distinctive with their orange caps. Until the first frost of winter, this place will be filled with funghi. For those who know where to look, there will be opportunities for a bountiful harvest.

“You can get the best of Scottish foraging here, unless someone has got there before you,” Peter jokes.

Within yards of entering the forest, Peter and I have filled multiple baskets with chanterelles and I’ve already managed to get some ideas for how to prepare them when I get home. Even if someone had been here there is no way that they’d have been able to clear the place.

Not everything on the forest floor is for eating however. A basket of Angel Wings, known by their distinctive white caps are discarded as a precaution. Although Peter does admit that in years gone-by he’d have risked it. Responsibilities now mean he urges caution.

There is a fear about foraging, and funghi in particular. But, for Peter, gaining the knowledge gradually is important - “Start with one or two that you know and then go from there,” he tells me.

It is something I can acknowledge as true within how I perceived foraging. It has always felt like something that is tinged with more than a little danger. One wrong move and you could find yourself buckled over the toilet bringing the world up - or worse, dead.

But the reality is that only around 2-3% are considered deadly. The real thrill comes in finding those that are actually edible due to taste.

Growing up, I was a frequent forager for brambles with my grandfather - few made it back home but it wasn’t really about that. But I had always balked at the idea of foraging for mushrooms.

It is hard to overstate just how invigorating an experience it is to be in the forest with someone who knows their stuff about foraging, allowing you to learn a bit about those things that grow in our forests.

As was the case then though, foraging is about so much more than just picking what appears on our plates. For Peter it has become a chance to get away from the pressures of a kitchen, a place to decompress - “It’s good just to get out and into nature,” he said.

At a time when our lives are becoming more and more hectic, taking the opportunity to disappear into nature for a few hours. Enjoying the best of Scotland was a welcome relief and I almost instantly felt in a better place, despite the Scottish weather staying true to form.

I am sworn to secrecy on this particular patch, but in reality it doesn’t really matter. Find a woodland and take a wander or, better yet, join in with one of the many experts out there offering their services up to budding foragers.

Enjoy the experience of searching, without the need to find. If you do manage to bag yourself a few mushrooms for that night’s meal, then revel in the fact that they didn’t just come from the fridge in the local supermarket.

It’s a long drive back home after the afternoon spent out in the forest and I find myself frequently checking to make sure that the mushrooms are kept safe and well, they are golden loot from a day well spent.