Places, people, & wildlife, with a dash of distilling and wild swimming
I’ve been invited to the Norwich Science Festival where I will be talking about juniper and gin , and also running a workshop exploring some of the other botanicals used to make gin. Expect plants, tastes, and aromas. At the end of October when a lot of our local plants are getting ready to be outdoors in all weathers is a good time to take a look at plants captured in gin, and enjoy a little armchair travel to warmer times and farflung places.
It was fun making Cocktails at Inshriach London launch till dawn in a leafy glade in Bow. Summer heat had provided plenty of blossomy ingredients, and we had a couple of types of chillies in some cocktails too. Everything was laced with juniper picked by the banks of the Spey only a short walk across the field to the Inshriach still where it gets turned into gin.
Here is a feature on swims with nearby distilleries I wrote for the Outdoor Swimming Society on some of my favourites around Britain and Ireland. I have also added these swims to Wild Swim Map in this collection of Swims & then gin (or whisky)
People who knew I ran workshops and training sessions for distillers looking to find and learn about botanical ingredients kept asking if I would run a foraging day that they could come to. Time off is precious so the venue is fun and weatherproof as well as an edible playground. Get in touch for details.
