The Conscious Kitchen: Plant based eco-conscious alternatives
Summer solstice is the peak of the foraging calendar, a time when fragrant herbs, medicinal greens, and vibrant blooms are at their most potent. In this workshop you will learn how to capture these beautiful seasonal plants and transform them into a culinary pantry of botanical gins, restorative tonics, and medicinal preserves.
Our session begins with a mindful walk through OmVed’s meadows and hedgerows to identify and gather the season's most delicious and useful wild ingredients we use in the Omved’s kitchen. The core of our workshop focuses on preservation: the ancient skill of locking in flavour and medicinal benefits. Josephine will go through the craft of herbal tea blends, oxymel, fire ciders, and botanical gins. You will learn the science of infusions, discovering how to preserve infused vinegars, aromatic salts, and wild-crafted sugars that elevate your cooking to a climate-resilient form.
What to expect
After exploring the gardens and going through diverse flavour profiles, you will make your own bespoke infused vinegar, aromatic salts/ sugars to take home. Whether you are drawn to the medicinal heat of an oxymel or the delicate perfume of a wild floral cordial, you will leave with the confidence to identify, harvest, and preserve a handful of summer’s best wild ingredients.
What’s Included
Your ticket includes full access to the OmVed gardens and space, two-hour guided foraging and making session within our gardens, a tasting of wild-infused syrups and remedies, and all the ingredients needed to create your own bespoke preserve to take home.
What to bring
We kindly ask participants to bring 1 or 2 glass jars (max 500ml) as this helps us to keep the cost of the course down and encourages the re-use of old jars!
About the host
Georgia Dowling
Holistic chef and Co-Head of the OmVed Kitchen, she co-runs the space with Josephine Marchandise. Passionate about plant-based food, she specialises in nutritionally dense baking and spent over two years as a recipe writer for Minimalist Baker. Inspired by seasonal produce, Georgia champions low-waste, conscious cooking, always seeking creative ways to make food both delicious and planet-friendly. @everymoodfood
This workshop is open to all skill levels whether you’re a beginner in the kitchen or an experienced cook looking for fresh ideas.
This session is part of a wider series called the Conscious Kitchen. Explore the full programme here.
A note on accessibility: The gardens are set on a hill, featuring steep paths and may not be suitable for those with limited mobility. Wheelchair access across the site is currently limited while landscape works are underway. For events, there is drop-off access by car to the Barn main building. If you require wheelchair drop-off, please get in touch with us ahead of time. There is an accessible toilet located inside the Barn.
Subsidised Tickets: We have a few reserved tickets at a subsidised rate. If this workshop is not monetarily accessible, please write to us at events@omvedgardens.com to avail yourself of a subsidised ticket rate. Subject to availability.
Refund Policy: These tickets are non refundable unless the event is sold out and a wait list is open. In the case of an open waitlist, we offer exchanges up to 10 days before the start of the session.
