Wild Wednesday - Sweet chestnut | Latest news

These trees belong to the same family as oaks and beeches and originated from the Mediterranean. Growing in Britain since the 12th century, having been introduced by the Romans as a stable food, they are well established in the UK and are found commonly in parks, woodland and in towns and cities.

Laden with yellow catkins in early summer, the sweet chestnut, scientific name, Castanea sativa is a large tree. It has long, glossy green leaves with pointed tips, toothed edges, these leaves turn golden before falling in autumn.

The flowers from sweet chestnuts are an important source of nectar and pollen for bees and insects.

The tree takes around fifteen to twenty-five years to bear chestnuts and can reach between 20 to 35 metres in height when mature and lives up to 700 years.

The seeds are edible and can be roasted and used in various dishes including stuffing, cake fillings, nut roasts. The Romans ground sweet chestnuts into a flour. Unlike the horse chestnut (commonly known as a conker) where the seeds are toxic to humans and animals and can cause nausea and other symptoms.

Fresh chestnuts must always be cooked before use and are never eaten raw, owing to their tannic acid content. You need to remove the chestnuts from their skins by either boiling or roasting them. Most supplies in the UK are imported as our climate is too cold for them to fully ripen.

Read more: Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa) - Woodland Trust