Having grown up in a mountain village at the edge of Hardangervidda National Park in Norway, I've been learning about wild foods and plant medicines since childhood. Initially, what attracted me was the independence that comes from being able to find food, that most essential of requirements for survival, by relying on nature. As I grew older, the health benefits of wild foods (which are typically very nutrient dense) and the culinary potential of new ingredients heightened my interest.
My degree in biology from Oxford University has been incredibly valuable to me as a forager, not just for the knowledge about botany and plants, but also for the education in human physiology and nutrition, which is the other side of the foraging "coin". I have been based in the UK ever since, and greatly enjoy the diversity of wild foods that are found here.
I am inspired by indigenous peoples and surviving hunter-gatherer peoples, and I aim to bring insights we can learn from them into my courses and teaching.