The Simple Things

Taking time to live well
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Competition | Win a Cooking with Wild Foraged Ingredients course

David Parker April 22, 2026

ESSE is offering one lucky reader the chance to create fabulous food from foraged finds, all under the watchful eye of Michelin-trained chef, Dominique Ashford 

There’s something quietly thrilling about eating food you’ve gathered yourself. The sharp green hit of wild garlic, the faint sweetness of meadowsweet blossom, the earthy promise of something found along a hedgerow path. Foraged ingredients carry a story that no supermarket shelf can replicate, and this July, you could discover that magic, too.

ESSE Cookers and Michelin-trained chef Dominique Ashford are offering one lucky reader of The Simple Things and a guest the chance to win two places on their Cooking with Wild Foraged Ingredients course*, held on Saturday 11 July at the ESSE Cookers showroom in Barnoldswick, Lancashire. The prize is worth £350.

With a gentle guided walk local to the ESSE showroom, where Dominique will introduce you to the seasonal wild plants growing in nearby hedgerows and meadows. Back in the kitchen, the real fun begins. With just six places on the course, it’s an intimate, hands-on experience where you’ll make wild herb oils, a foraged savoury tart, wild garlic focaccia, and a meadowsweet and fruit tart, as
well as exploring techniques for drying, fermenting, and preserving your finds.

Dominique trained at Michelin-starred Roux Brothers restaurants and went on to become head pastry chef at the Houses of Parliament. These days she channels that exceptional background into teaching others to cook with confidence, and nowhere is that more joyful than in the company of wild, seasonal ingredients. The course is held in the showroom of ESSE, the beloved British range cooker manufacturer whose high-performance ovens have been beautifully hand-crafted since 1854.

For more information and inspiration, visit esse.com or follow on Instagram: @esse1854

How to enter

For your chance to win two places on ESSE’s foraged food experience with Dominique Ashford, enter our competition by clicking the button below and answering the following question by the closing date of 12 June 2026.

Q Where is the Esse Cookers showroom located?

ENTER

Terms and conditions

The competition closes at 11.59pm on 12 June 2026. One winner will be selected at random from all correct entries received and notified soon after. Subject to availability. *The winner and their guest must be available on 11 July 2026, no alternative date is available. Transport to and from the venue and any accommodation needed is the responsibility of the winner. The winner cannot transfer the prize or swap it for cash. Details of our full terms and conditions are on p125 and online at: icebergpress.co.uk/comprules.

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The Simple Things is published by Iceberg Press

The Simple Things

Taking time to live well

We celebrate slowing down, enjoying what you have, making the most of where you live, enjoying the company of of friends and family, and feeding them well. We like to grow some of our own vegetables, visit local markets, rummage for vintage finds, and decorate our home with the plunder. We love being outdoors and enjoy the satisfaction that comes with a job well done.

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