Brighton man makes supermarket savings by foraging mushrooms

Christian Amys, 41, began foraging for food during lockdown, with half the food he eats now coming from Brighton’s city streets.

The former chef estimates he saves £50 a week from finding wild mushrooms and seafood in Brighton and only goes to the supermarket for essentials like milk and pasta.

Christian, now a professional forager, said: "During lockdown, I completely focused on foraging.

Christian Amys (Image: SWNS)

"I had so much time to walk in the wild and I saw a lot of people doing the same.

"I would say 50 per cent of my food is foraged. If I am honest, if I had more time to forage it would probably be a lot more.

"I will spend around £5 to £10 on a food shop a week. If I am going home to eat I will pop round some forage spots."

Christian quit his job as a chef in March 2020 and decided to make a career from foraging - because he wanted to incorporate his passion into his life.

He will often walk around Brighton's busy streets and parks searching for his next meal. Looking out for mushrooms and plants.

He added that most of his diet is now mushrooms and that he would “much rather have them than meat”.

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Christian, who now runs Urban Forage to help educate people on how to forage themselves, added: "I rarely ever go to the supermarket, it is just the staples I get from there like tea and coffee.

"Over the years I have saved thousands. I am saving £50 a week on a food shop.

Christian at Urban Forage (Image: SWNS)

"There is a Back rock cliff in Brighton that I call my supermarket. When I go up there I will fill a basket with foraged foods."

Christian said people need to be careful when foraging and to avoid picking food from busy streets.

He said: "If you're not 100 per cent sure what something is then don't eat it - don't munch a hunch.”