Sloes are in the same family as plums and cherries so if you're brave you can eat them raw, though they are incredibly sharp and will dry your mouth out before you even finish your first one. Sloes are best used as a flavouring to deliver a rich plumminess, especially in sloe wine, whisky, jelliy, syrup and chocolate.

Can humans eat sloe berries?

Blackthorn or sloe berries from the prunus spinosa look like blueberries. But unlike blueberries, they have a tart flavour so are best cooked before eating. ... Sloe berries are found on thorny shrubs and small trees and are often planted as hedgerows.

Are Sloes poisonous to eat?

Safe foraging of Sloes

Protect your arms when collecting the berries, because the shrub has sharp thorns. The leaves and seeds (stones) contain hydrogen cyanide and should not be consumed.