What to Forage in August: A Complete UK Guide to Five Hedgerow Harvests
Three things to take from this article
- Pick blackberries and elderberries from mid-August onwards, but leave the lower branches for wildlife and avoid roadside fruit where traffic pollution settles.
- Always cook rowan berries and elderberries before eating — both contain compounds that are neutralised by heat but can cause stomach upset if eaten raw.
- Look for green hazelnuts from late August in coppiced woodland and hedgerow edges, and pick them before the squirrels get there.
August is the month the hedgerow stops teasing and starts delivering. The blackberries that were hard and red in July soften into deep black. The elderberries, which were green clusters behind the flowers of June, darken into purple-black. The hazels, which you barely noticed as understory shrubs in spring, suddenly dangle clusters of green nuts in papery husks. The rowan, that bright-berry tree of the hills, goes from orange to scarlet. And in the old orchard margins and forgotten hedgerows, the wild plums begin to drop.
What to forage in August in the UK is a question with a genuinely rich answer: blackberries, elderberries, rowan berries, hazelnuts, and wild plums are all at or approaching peak season, each with a distinct nutritional profile and a particular way of being used in the kitchen. This guide covers all five, with identification, safety, and the research behind why each one is worth picking.
1. Blackberry (Rubus fruticosus agg.)
The blackberry needs little introduction. It is Britain’s most foraged fruit, and August is its month. The first ripe berries appeared in late July on south-facing canes — by mid-August, the hedgerows are heavy with them.
Identification: Thorned arching canes, compound leaves (usually five leaflets), and aggregate fruit made of individual drupelets. The ripe berries are deep black, slightly yielding, and pull easily from the receptacle. Red or pink berries are unripe and can cause stomach cramps if eaten in quantity.
Dangerous lookalikes: None. Dewberry (Rubus caesius) is a close relative, also edible, with smaller blue-grey fruit.
Nutrition: Blackberries contain some of the highest anthocyanin concentrations of any common British fruit, alongside ellagic acid and vitamin C. The full deep-dive on blackberry anthocyanins, gut microbiome interactions, and bioavailability is in our blackberry guide.
How to use: Fresh with full-fat yoghurt for bioavailability, frozen for winter, or made into jam, jelly, and compote. Pair with crab apples for a pectin-rich hedgerow jelly — see our crab apple guide for the recipe.
2. Elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
The elder that flowered in June is now bearing fruit. By mid-August, the flat clusters of berries turn from green to deep purple-black, drooping heavily on the branches.
Identification: A small tree or large shrub with pinnate leaves (5–7 leaflets), grey-brown bark with a soft, pithy centre, and clusters of small dark purple-black berries on red-purple stalks. The leaves have a distinctive mousy smell when crushed — a key marker against lookalikes.
Dangerous lookalikes: The berries could be confused with woody nightshade (Solanum dulcamara), which has red berries, or with the toxic dwarf elder (Sambucus ebulus), which is more herbaceous and has upright stems. Always check the leaf shape, the pithy stems, and the flat-topped cluster structure.
Critical safety note: Raw elderberries contain cyanogenic glycosides and a lectin that can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea. They must be cooked before eating. The flowers are safe raw or cooked.
Nutrition: Elderberries are rich in anthocyanins (specifically cyanidin-3-glucoside), and have been studied for their antiviral properties. The full profile, including the flower-to-berry cycle, is in our elder deep-dive.
How to use: Elderberry syrup, cordial, or compote. Always cook for at least 20 minutes to neutralise the cyanogenic glycosides. Never eat raw.
3. Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)
The rowan, or mountain ash, is one of the most beautiful hedgerow trees in August — its clusters of bright scarlet berries catch the eye from a distance. But it is also one of the most misunderstood wild fruits, because the berries are sharply astringent raw and must be cooked.
Identification: A small tree with paired, pinnate leaves (11–15 leaflets, serrated), grey bark, and dense clusters of round orange-scarlet berries in August and September.
Dangerous lookalikes: The berries could be confused with hawthorn haws (Crataegus monogyna), which are also edible, or with the less common whitebeam (Sorbus aria), also edible. No toxic lookalike shares the rowan’s distinctive pinnate leaf structure.
Critical safety note: Raw rowan berries contain parasorbic acid, which can cause stomach upset and kidney irritation. Cooking neutralises it. Always cook rowan berries before eating.
Nutrition: Rowan berries contain surprisingly high levels of vitamin C — roughly three times that of oranges by weight — alongside carotenoids, flavonoids, and sorbic acid (the natural preservative that takes its name from the rowan’s botanical genus). A 2023 review characterising rowanberry bioactive compounds found significant polyphenol content, including chlorogenic acid and quercetin derivatives, with strong antioxidant activity. PMC10536293 Evidence level: compositional review.
How to use: Rowan jelly, traditionally served with game. The high pectin content means it sets well. Pair with crab apples for a brighter-flavoured jelly. The berries can also be made into a sharp fruit leather or added to chutneys.
4. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana)
The hazel is the quiet provider of the British hedgerow. In spring it gives coppice poles and catkins. In August, it gives green hazelnuts — fresh, milky, and nothing like the dry roasted nuts in supermarket packets.
Identification: A multi-stemmed shrub or small tree with rounded, downy leaves, serrated edges, and distinctive papery husks (involucre) wrapping the nuts. The nuts cluster in groups of 2–5. In August, the husks are still green and the nuts inside are pale and soft.
Dangerous lookalikes: None. The hazel is distinctive and has no toxic lookalike in the UK.
Nutrition: Hazelnuts are rich in monounsaturated fats (oleic acid), vitamin E, folate, and minerals including magnesium and potassium. A human trial investigating a hazelnut-enriched diet found it modulated oxidative stress markers and improved lipid profiles in participants. PMC6637671 Evidence level: human trial. A separate meta-analysis found hazelnut consumption significantly reduced LDL cholesterol without affecting HDL or triglycerides. PMC5188407 Evidence level: systematic review and meta-analysis.
How to use: Green hazelnuts in August are a seasonal treat — crack them open and eat raw, or pickle them whole in brine and vinegar. As they ripen into autumn, they dry and sweeten and can be roasted, ground into flour, or stored in their shells.
5. Wild plum (Prunus domestica subsp. insititia)
The wild plum — bullace, damson, or greengage — is the forgotten orchard fruit of the British hedgerow. These are not truly wild in the same way as blackberries or hazels; they are descendants of cultivated trees long since abandoned to the hedgerow, but they grow freely, reproduce, and produce fruit without human intervention.
Identification: A small tree with dark bark, ovate leaves, and plum-shaped fruit (2–4 cm across) in colours ranging from deep purple (bullace) to blue-black (damson) to pale green (greengage). The fruit has the classic plum dimple at the top and a single stone inside.
Dangerous lookalikes: Cherry plum (Prunus cerasifera) is also edible. The only risk is confusing unripe fruit with something else — but no toxic plant in the UK produces plum-shaped fruit on a tree.
Nutrition: Plums have been shown to have a higher total antioxidant capacity than apples, grapes, and bananas, owing to their high phenolic content. A 2022 study characterising the physicochemical attributes of plums confirmed high levels of chlorogenic acid, anthocyanins, and neochlorogenic acid, particularly in dark-skinned varieties. PMC10606457 Evidence level: compositional analysis. A systematic review found plum consumption was associated with improved cognitive function and bone health parameters. PubMed 26992121 Evidence level: systematic review.
How to use: Damson and bullace are too sharp to eat raw for most people, but they make exceptional jam, gin, and chutney. The skin is high in anthocyanins, so leave it on when cooking. Wild plum crumble with a gluten-free oat topping is one of the best late-summer desserts you can make from the hedgerow.
Identification, safety, and the law
The golden rule: Never eat any wild plant unless you are 100% confident in your identification. If in doubt, leave it out.
Every plant in this guide has been chosen because it is relatively safe to identify, but August hedgerows contain other berries that are toxic — including woody nightshade, bryony, and the berries of lords-and-ladies. If you are not certain what a berry is, do not eat it.
The law: Pick for personal use only, with the landowner’s permission where needed. Uprooting any wild plant without the landowner’s permission is illegal (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). Never pick protected species, and do not forage in nature reserves, SSSIs, or anywhere local by-laws forbid it. Check local rules.
Ethics: Harvest sustainably — take a small share, leave plenty for wildlife, and never strip a patch. August berries are a critical food source for birds preparing for winter. Avoid polluted ground — busy roadsides, sprayed fields, and spots at dog height.
For more on the broader story of wild plant diversity and the microbiome, see our Hadza gut microbiome deep-dive, and for the prebiotic angle of wild plant fibre, our prebiotic wild plants guide.
Join a foraging workshop
All five of these plants feature in Chloe’s autumn hedgerow workshops. Blackberries and crab apples are the gateway; elderberry, rowan, and hazelnut are the next step. Find out more and book your place: foraging workshops →
📥 Spring Forager’s Field and Kitchen Companion
25 pages · 17 plants · gluten-free recipes
📅 Seasonal Foraging Calendar
Month-by-month · what to find · where to look
This content is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Wild plants can be dangerous if misidentified. Never consume any wild plant unless you are completely confident in your identification. Some wild plants can interact with medications. Always consult your GP before using wild plants medicinally, particularly if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medication.
