Journal
Meet the Maker
I talk with Kim Winter, editor at the Basketmakers Association, about my practice. KW: How did you get into making baskets with foraged materials? The training I had at degree level (3D Craft, Brighton Uni) was formative, being materials led. I remember in the first...
Nests and Baskets
It was made and laid last spring, during the first lockdown, in a town centre shrub, barely concealed, and less than half a metre from the ground. It was a time when there were few humans (or their dogs) on the streets, and so would have been a good location at the...
Wakehurst: Space Between
Site specific sculpture commissioned by Wakehurst in 2017 as part of the Wild Wood Festival. Situated in Pearcelands Wood, their newly-opened ancient woodland. The horizontal oak branch (from which hazel poles are suspended) fell in the great storm of 1987. The branch...
Joy of Clay
Ankle-deep and barefoot in the cold stream (or thigh-deep as we were one April after a long rainy period), grubbing away at an exposed seam of clay. It's just like being a child again, squidging clay between our fingers, stirring memories of making mud pies, not...
Foraging Plants for Wild Basketry; weaving a connection between land and self
‘Plants are integral to reweaving the connection between land and people. A place becomes a home when it sustains you, when it feeds you in body as well as spirit.’ (Robin Wall Kimmerer) There’s an arable field margin under two ancient oaks that is species-rich with...
Making an Oak Swill
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...
Forage of the Month
Forage of the Month- July
Nettle Seeds. Nettles are a truly amazing plant. They're a valuable food source for key butterfly species, and also edible for humans, plus their fibres are very strong and good for making cordage and textiles. Over recent years, the big nettle patch at the end of my...
Forage of the Month- June
Elderflower Cake. The fragrant, frothy elder flowers are out now, a lovely sign of summer. Elderflower cordial recipes abound, so here's a favourite recipe of mine for elderflower cake. I've created a vegan version for this recipe too, which you'll find further down....
Forage of the Month – May
Nettle soup. My favourite nettle soup recipe of all time. The green peas are the game changer: their creamy sweetness balances perfectly with the robust flavour of the nettles. Nettles are plentiful, easy to forage and packed full of nutrition. Pick the leaves before...