14 Days of Wild Eating: Halfway Through the Wildbiome Project

I’m halfway through the Wildbiome Project, 30 days of eating only wild food, and it’s been full-on.

No supermarkets, no plastic, no processed food, no sugar, no convenience, and definitely no waste. Everything I’ve eaten has been gathered, preserved, or stored by me. I’ve cooked every meal from scratch, using whatever’s in season or stashed away, wild garlic, dulse, rabbit, burdock root, hazelnuts, and more. Some things have worked better than others (crispy dulse in tallow: yes; nettle pasta: never again). 

I'm definitely a gatherer, not a hunter or actually even a fisherman, so where I've bought protein, I've bought as locally and organic as possible. It's really hard to do it all with a non-participating family in the house, not enough freezer or storage space for everyone, and I think they'd be a bit surprised if I started skinning a deer in the garden!

So far, I’ve gathered and eaten over 50 wild plant species, and I’ve learned something new with every one. 

This project is all-consuming! I’ve broken jars, burnt things, and had a few "why am I doing this?" moments, especially while watching my family tuck into delicious-looking roast potatoes! But I’ve also felt significantly better in my body, more calm and grounded, and more in tune with what’s growing around me.

It’s been a huge amount of work, and not remotely Insta-perfect, but it’s also stripped things right back. Eating like this forces you to slow down, pay attention, and really value what you’ve got. There’s no backup option, if you use all your acorn flour, that's it, there's no more until autumn.

Two weeks down, two to go. Let’s see what the next stretch brings.

Follow Along!

Follow me on insta @joyfuloutdoors to stay updated on my highs and lows as I progress, and get in touch with any questions!

What is the Wildbiome project (version 2)? 

Wildbiome is a citizen science research project being conducted in partnership with the University of Bradford and Rzeszów University, Poland, to track changes in the human gut microbiome and general health when eating only wild food. 

In spring 2026, a group of 100 foragers will be eating only wild food for a period of 3 months or 1 month and testing their health and gut, in order to determine the differences between that and a modern shop-based diet. 

This will be a fascinating piece of science and contribute hugely to the debate around gut health. The results will be published in late 2026, and will be covered by BBC's Dan Saladino (The Food Programme, BBC Radio 4).