Francis Gimblett

How a quick forage adds fascination, texture and wellbeing to your event. Foraging has become a quiet thread running through all our Wild Weald events — not as a headline activity, but as a moment of curiosity between the main pieces of the day. There is emerging evidence that many wild foods contain higher concentrations of certain micronutrients and polyphenols than their cultivated counterparts. It isn’t universal and it depends on species and soil, but the principle is sound: plants...

We’ve been quietly developing an idea for a new Wild Weald experience: wild perfume. The spark came from Amy, who works with us at events and previously spent years in the perfume world. When I asked if she wanted to shape a new format, she suggested something beautifully simple — creating perfume from raw materials in the woods. We experimented for months: distilling leaves, needles, herbs and shrubs; testing different stills; comparing yields; learning what each gives. Then other events...

I awoke on Saturday morning with a head still swimming in red wine. I had consigned the weekend to gentle recovery, having heard nothing from Chris Pellett, the stonemason with whom, some months earlier, I had eagerly booked a weekend course. I brushed my teeth and, with only moments left before the possibility of making it to the start of a weekend of hammering, tried him one last time. He answered. I inwardly cursed. He told me I was expected. Now, on Monday, I consider myself highly...