Nick Weston has moved from London to live for six months in a treehouse he built himself in woods on the Kent/Sussex border. He is attempting to live as sustainably and self-sufficiently as possible, growing his own vegetables, fishing, hunting small game like rabbits and squirrels, and foraging. He has had to learn skills like hunting, skinning animals, brewing beer and cider, and building structures like a clay oven. While he misses aspects of modern life, he has appreciated how easy city living is and how much money he previously spent unnecessarily.

1. EVENING STANDARD TUESDAY 28 JULY 2009 17
News
BUSH TUCKER TRIAL LONDONER EATS RABBITS AND SQUIRRELS IN TREEHOUSE EXPERIMENT
TOM KEVILL-DAVIES
Survivor: Nick Weston, left, carries home some rabbits he
killed for dinner at the treehouse, above, which he built
himself in woods on the Kent/Sussex border
Shipwrecked in a Sussex wood
Daisy Dumas
NICK WESTON’S TIPS FOR WILD CUISINE
A YOUNG Londoner has given up his
city life and warm home to live in a Slow-cooked squirrel Nettle beer
treehouse for six months. Squirrel is a “springy little creature” and so has a Pick 200 tender stems of nettle. Boil in five gallons of
Nick Weston, , moved from Clap- tendency towards toughness. It is best slow-cooked — water for 15 minutes and add 3kg sugar. Allow to cool
ham to woodland on the Kent/Sussex he recommends browning the squirrel, “chucking it then add 100g of cream of tartar and 30g of brewers’
border during the spring and is half into a stock with some vegetables” and leaving to yeast. Leave for 7-10 days. FOR MORE
way through his experiment to live as cook over a fire for about 15 hours. LOG ON TO
sustainably and self-sufficiently as Meadowsweet cordial huntergather
possible. Eels à la treehouse Pick 200g of Meadowsweet flower heads (about half a cook.typepad.
With no radio, few visitors and mostly Best smoked for 24 hours in a hand-made cold carrier bag). Boil in 1.5 litres of water, stir and take off com
books for company, he must have been smoker, but failing that, skin, gut and fillet as you the heat. Add juice of two lemons, stir and leave for
one of the last people in the country to
learn about Michael Jackson’s death
— it took him three days to hear the
GROW YOUR OWN would a fish then fry and serve with freshly picked
salad.
an hour. Strain through muslin, boil again and add
700g granulated sugar. Add 50g citric acid and cool.
news. And he was feeling glib about
avoiding swine flu until he learned one
of his landowner’s sons had it. GROW GROW
tomatoes, potatoes, marrows, salads
and spinach. He fishes for trout and
YOUR OWN
weekends and has helped decorate the
treehouse, complete with wood-burn-
take longer here, even a simple cup of
tea is time-consuming. I miss being able
No stranger to the outdoors, Mr
Weston is a self-styled survival expert,
YOUR sets night lines to catch eel, as well as
hunting and snaring pigeons, rabbits
ing stove, hot shower, front door, win-
dows and balcony.
to flick a switch on a kettle.”
He has built hot and cold smokers to
having last year appeared in Chan- OWN and squirrels. It is all quite a change from his preserve meat and fish and is making
nel ’s Shipwrecked — a loosely Not for the faint-hearted, squirrels London life. Mr Weston said: “I’m miss- a clay oven, something that is taking
survival-based programme that pitches are a “nightmare” to skin but make ing seeing friends, visiting friends for some practice. He has no electricity or
teams of young Britons against one good eating after slow cooking in stock. dinner and my girlfriend. In London running water but has built a hot
another in the Cook Islands. Mr Weston has even eaten snails but everything’s so easy, it’s all on a plate, shower he says is “really nice — and very
Mr Weston, who left his job in the draws the line at slugs which, he has you do realise how lucky you are to liberating” and has a double bed.
events industry, taught himself to heard, are best avoided. have London when you’re out of it. He spends a month, which covers
forage and hunt and passes on his He has become a dab hand at making “I’ve only appreciated that since leav- his ammunition and supplies. “I’m
knowledge of foraging at a camping nettle beer and also has a batch of ing. The one thing I miss the least is shocked by the amount of money I used
centre. He has a ft by ft vegetable elderflower champagne brewing. music blaring from mobile phones on to spend on nothing. A Tube fare is half
patch, growing peas, broad beans, run- Mr Weston has a girlfriend in London buses. Everything’s a learning curve and a week’s outgoings for me. We don’t
ner beans, rocket, leeks, red onions, who works in fashion. She visits at is learnt through trial and error. Things need to spend as much,” he said.
50 per cent in capital still take no exercise, warns health watchdog
Sophie Goodchild found that only just over a quarter not participate in sport or exercise. vegetables a day, slightly higher trusts to use the findings to “dig
Health Editor worked out for up to three hours Hammersmith and Fulham had than the national average. deeper” into issues such as alcohol
weekly, and just under per cent the most active population. The However, more women than abuse and poor diet.
HALF of Londoners still take no for longer. survey also looked at participation men ate their “five a day”, and She said: “Diversity is a huge
exercise despite government Bobbie Jacobson, head of the by ethnic group. consumption was also higher in the factor. London may look good as a
attempts to increase participation observatory, said: “Unhealthy The least active were Asian Asian community. whole on five a day for example but
in sport, the capital’s health lifestyles put lives at risk. We want communities, where two-thirds of Camden topped the healthy eating that is because we have a large
watchdog warned today. to avoid people only taking action people did not exercise or take part league, with per cent reaching South Asian population, who are
The recommended amount is one when they’ve been diagnosed with in sport, compared with per cent the five-a-day target. Bexley did vegetarian. We need to understand
hour a day for children and a serious illness such as diabetes.” for whites. worst, with only two out of five how underlying ethnic differences
minutes at least five times a week The least active people were in Just over half of Londoners meeting the recommended daily affect people’s health.”
for adults. But a snapshot survey by Barking and Dagenham, where consumed the recommended five guidelines. The survey was based on figures
the London Health Observatory more than seven in said they did or more portions of fruit and Dr Jacobson called on health from NHS trusts.