Early Greens (Photo top to bottom: ground ivy, 3-cornered leek, nettle tops (left), dandelion (right), cleavers) Soon we’ll be entering what’s known as the hungry gap (which lasts from March to May), when cultivated local veg are scarce. We’ll be relying mainly on stored roots and squash from last year, …
One of the first things you notice about Owen Jones, apart from his friendly, relaxed demeanor, is his hands: huge and work-worn. They’ve definitely seen some years of graft. I’m at his workshop in Cumbria, to make an oak swill. This is a traditional split wood basket from the region, …
A crisp cold November morning and I’m meeting a group of archaeologists at Fort Cumberland in Portsmouth for a day of basketmaking. During our discussions and through the making itself, a couple of very interesting revelations happen over the day, which make invaluable connections between archaeological research and embodied experience. …
In conversation with No Serial Number Magazine, a publication which explores environmental sustainability through traditional crafts and innovative design. We discuss my …
After a day of making cordage from foraged plant fibres, my grubby fingernails show evidence of all the separating and scraping. Once …
For ages I’ve been wanting to make a pack, or back, basket from wood splints. They’re best made in the spring when …
Space Between is a recently commissioned, site-specific woodland sculpture at Wakehurst, (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). It’s situated in Pearcelands Wood, their newly-opened ancient …
‘Plants are integral to reweaving the connection between land and people. A place becomes a home when it sustains you, when it …
One of the things that makes our Wild Pottery courses ‘wild’ is that we dig our own clay from the land What …
I’ve returned to Wakehurst on a bright autumn day to see if the rumours are true. One of my areas of research …
