Believe it or not, Britain has a rich history of using seaweeds, including as a fertiliser for food, to form potash (important in traditional soap and glass industries) and - even - to clarify beer! But most of us have got them all wrong. They aren't just smelly piles that adorn our beaches. These misunderstood 'scourges' are actually surprisingly intelligent, adapting to survive all over our planet, from Antarctica to 50m deep in the Galapagos reserve .

In this seaweed foraging course, you'll find out just how much more to seaweed there is than meets the eye - for instance, fucoxanthin, the pigment that gives brown seaweed its colour, has been shown to have a sizeable effect on fat metabolism and blood sugar levels.

Spring is a wonderful time to go foraging, as the earth wakes up from its seeming slumber in the long months of winter and a bounty of highly nutritious, juicy spring greens and tonics appear, heralding the promise of spring. Foraging in the spring is a memorable way to mark the change of the seasons, to connect to like - minded people, to celebrate the smells and sights of different spring plants and to experience the outdoors in a sensory way.