About me
Hello there - thank you for visiting my website, whilst you're reading this I may well be stuck in a hedge somewhere, deep in a ditch, surrounded by stinging nettles, or half way up a tree wondering how on earth I get down. What I do know is why I am there - because in those hedgerows, ditches, trees and patches of stingers & prickles, wild food grows' the most delicious, seasonal, abundant, nutritious food on the face of the earth just waiting to be gathered and turned into something good to eat.
Ever since I was a little girl with a bowl hair cut and polyester dungarees I loved being outside, making mud pies, seeing if eggs really did bake on sun cooked crazy paving's, and filling my pockets with cones and berries just in case they were useful - fortunately as I grew older, I discovered that they were indeed of use - and more often than not, as food, which was luck because I was very greedy and liked food an awful lot.
After a few years wearing a badly fitting suit I swapped it for wellies and a basket and started foraging for a living, setting up a wild food preserves business in 2010, I made more grown up versions of the potions I concocted as a child selling my pots of seasonal flavours everywhere from school fetes to Fortnum and Masons. Since then I've been on a mission to show people food that grows around them and teach foraging and cookery courses across the country. (they sometimes involve making a potion or two) I've also written a best selling book called Forage - which introduces you to 50 of the most easy to find plants and recipes showing you how to make them into delicious things. (signed copies of Forage are available for sale on my online shop)
My foraging courses are run near Abergavenny at the beautiful location called Nantybedd - a forest garden high up in the hills, complete with rope bridges, tree houses and an incredible selection of weeds. If you'd like to come a-foraging with me in 2023, I'll be running full day courses, half day and family sessions. You can book onto a specific course date, or by a 12 month voucher (ideal if youre wanting to give someone a foraging course gift)
I also lead foraging courses at Humble By Nature, Tudor Farm House, Penson's Restaurant, Eckington Manor , Brompton Cookery School - take a look at their websites for dates and booking details (these courses as all priced differently according to the organising venues pricing structure)
Perhaps you might join me half way up a tree collecting wild things one day? You'd be very welcome if you do. (Just bring a ladder with you in case I'm stuck)