Adrian Boots has a passion for all aspects of nature and natural history, and particularly wild food.

As a professional landscape ecologist, Adrian's knowledge is unusually deep and wide, covering everything from the geology underlying the land, soil types, plants and animals, landscape history and archaeology and how the land has been shaped by our ancestors, to how it continues to change due to modern day farming, recreational use and conservation practices.

Adrian has a BSc (Hons) inGeography & Environmental Management, an MSc in Built Environment Research), and has carried out PhD research on the landscape ecology of the Mendip Hills. In addition to his academic qualifications, he has studied many other countryside and sustainability subjects as diverse as Permaculture (with Patrick Whitefield) and Bee-keeping!

He has worked as a Research Associate at the University of the West of England (UWE), and lectured in nature conservation, countryside management and ecology. Adrian has carried out consultancy, research & training for Environmental Consultancies, corporates, local authorities, universities, the Environment Agency and the Mendip Hills AONB Service. He has also worked on DEFRA's Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS), Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) and the new Environmental Stewardship Entry Level (ELS) and Higher Level (HLS) schemes, helping farmers and landowners achieve greater environmental benefits from their land. He has specialised in raised water levels and has been a DEFRA consultee for the Environment Agency's Catchment Flood Management programme. He currently works for Natural England as a Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer.

He is practical, approachable and very likeable, and makes all of his subjects interesting and relevant to our relationship with the land today. His events are always a journey of discovery and are enjoyed by all.

Adrian lives on top of the Mendip Hills, with his partner Renee and a collection of Arabian horses, miniature ponies & chickens. They have lived in their 150 year old cottage for almost 10 years, spending time renovating and extending it so that it can now host courses & events, and provide accommodation. The cottage has stunning views across the Severn Estuary to the Welsh Hills, and is situated in an acre of gardens and paddock, which is a microcosm of wild food, together with their productive greenhouse and vegetable garden. They have a further 8 acre meadow, just along the lane from the cottage, which has been unspoilt for many years, allowing a greater variety of species to develop naturally.This is a wonderful, sustainable resource for our foraging courses, right on the doorstep.

Publications

Adrian's published work includes research papers presented at conferences such as The British Ecological Society and The International Association for Landscape Ecology. He writes a popular monthly article for The Mendip Times on wild food and has written the opening chapter in the History of Blagdon Volume IV. Adrian has also recently completed the content for a series of Wild Walks for the Mendip Hills AONB Service. Adrian's own publication "Origins of the Mendip Hills Landscape" is available in hard copy or electronic format. Please enquire.

Health & Safety

Adrian has a current First Aid Certificate for Outdoor Pursuits and a current Food Hygiene Certificate. The health and safety of our course participants is of the utmost importance to us.