A good foraging guide ?

[Paullyfuzz]

I've got the Collins octet gem guides, but was wondering what else is out there.
Im after a foraging guide that must be,
Easy to read
easy to follow,
Good pictures,
Simple layout,

Not bothered about it being pocket sized but it must be above.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

I like http://www.amazon.co.uk/Food-Free-R..._0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339937331&sr=1-7

and use the pocket guide for out and about,

 

[Iona]

Roger Phillips Wild food is lovely, with great recipes, but limited in what it covers... Much more in depth and specific in it's IDing methods is The Foragers handbook, but the pictures aren't as good as they could be I don't think. I'd use that though, in conjuction with other field guides/google images, just beware of wrongly labeled things popping up!

 

[Paullyfuzz]

I've got the R Mabey Food for Free and it's great, but I'm after something that really describes each item with clear consise pictures to go along side each description and also a ' not to be confused with ' aat the end of each description.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

I've got the R Mabey Food for Free and it's great, but I'm after something that really describes each item with clear consise pictures to go along side each description and also a ' not to be confused with ' aat the end of each description.

Aye, we have the hard back which is (imo) laid out much better and has larger colour photos.

 

[demographic]

I'm not sure there is a definitive guide. Food for free is a great little book but could do with more info on identification.

I have that, Collins nature guide to Wild Flowers of Britain and Northern Europe (which is good for identifying loads of plants by the flower colours) and Herbs and healing plants of Britain and Europe which is good but for me I would prefer more scientific information and less yoghurt weaving, the faintest hint of homoeopathy mentioned in a book about herbs and I switch off a bit.

Both of those books have very good sections on identification and I tend to cross reference things I'm trying to identify with them.

As for mushrooms I have quite a few books on them, all seem to have their strong points and weak areas. I'm slightly irritated when a book on mushroom identification book doesn't have any mention of what the spore colours are as I think its one of the ways that really helps when you aren't sure.