I like the yew arils, they're a sweet soft jelly-ish tasty thing. Very careful eating though.
Hawthorn, I'm not so keen on. I just find them mealy. Might just be the local trees, because like elders and apples they're all a bit different from each other.
I was taught to take pine needles in pairs. That's how ours grow. I know of the fives, but for my tea, I'll stick to the pairs.
There were a lot of imported species around here in the policies (grounds) of the big houses and castles, and the locals got cuttings for their own. Victorian and Edwardian times were very active plant gathering times. Lots of small local shows and associations, so some really weird things still pop up on occasion.