Coastal foraging: what’s safe in Torbay

The bay’s cliffs and hedgerows have been quietly fed local foragers for centuries. Three easy wins for the beginner.

Wild garlic

April and early May. The woods above Cockington and the cliff slopes at Maidencombe carry carpets of it. White flowers, distinct garlic smell, broad spear-shaped leaves. Don’t mistake for lily-of-the-valley (smaller leaves, no garlic smell, toxic).

Sea kale + sea beet

Late spring through autumn. Beach pebble at Broadsands and Maidencombe. Treat like spinach. Pick young leaves, leave the plant to recover.

Blackberries + sloes

September on the hedgerows of the South West Coast Path. Blackberries everywhere; sloes (small dark plums with a bloom) particularly good on the Berry Head walk.

Rules

Pick on public land only. Take what you’ll eat. Wash carefully. Cook anything you’re not 100% sure about. If you’re new to it, walk with the English Riviera Walking Festival’s foraging walks in September.