Edible Forest Festival is back from Friday 15 – Sunday 17 September with a range of fabulous foodie events celebrating the food & drink producers in and around Charnwood. From live music in the forest at Cocktails & Canapés to a 5 course Celebration of Venison dinner at the beautiful Abbots Oak, there’s something on for everyone.
One of the events is a brilliant family morning out in Bradgate Park for the Edible Forest Breakfast. You’ll enjoy a guided walk around Bradgate Park with the Ranger and then go on to a cooked breakfast made with the best locally sourced produce. We caught up with Bradgate Park ranger, Pete Tyldesley, to find out a little more.
What can people expect from the walking tour around Bradgate Park?
1 hour is nowhere near long enough to explore Bradgate but we will take a route off the beaten track that people may not have walked before whilst talking about deer and venison and telling some of the stories of the Park’s history. This is not a foraging walk as such but we will also be looking to see what wild foodstuffs we can find on the way to breakfast. People have been living here for hundreds of years so we have a long tradition of hunter-gathering!
What’s your favourite thing about your role at Bradgate Park?
As only the third person to be in my position since 1928, I am very privileged to be able to guide Leicestershire’s favourite park into the 21st century, respecting our heritage whilst presenting it in a way that is relevant and engaging for a modern audience. Also, the office environment is pretty special!
What’s been the most unusual thing you’ve discovered at the Park?
We have a wide range of wildlife that is rare at either a local or national level. When a snow flea was found here in 2011, it was the first sighting in Leicestershire since 1949: this is an insect that hops about on snow – something that cold-blooded creatures are not supposed to do. More comically, we have a Widgeon (a type of wild duck) that could not find a mate so has adopted the lifestyle of a Mallard, even mating with a Mallard female to produce some very strange looking offspring.
What kind of foodie treats are found in Bradgate Park during the rest of the year?
I’m not going to tell you. You will have to come and discover them for yourself! If that is too much like hard work, Newtown Linford offers a wide range of places to eat and drink, so there is no need to leave here hungry or thirsty.
Edible Forest Breakfast takes place on Saturday 16 September and tickets (including breakfast) cost £13 for adults and £7.50 for children. All breakfasts also come with toast, jam, tea, coffee and Bucks Fizz. Vegetarian breakfast is also available.
For more information please visit the Edible Forest website.