Brushes & Whisks
May 9 (Friday)
10.30am – 5pm
£140
Venue: open air woodland setting in a 70 acre ancient coppiced wood on a family-run working farm: peaceful and beautiful Dernwood Farm Nr Heathfield, East Sussex.
Come and spend a day in the woods making beautiful, tactile hand brushes and whisks from wild grass, birch twigs, rush and wild willow. You’ll learn how and when to harvest the materials sustainably, and how to process them. You’ll also harvest some of the plant materials yourself on the day.
The grass & rush hand brushes are ideal for sweeping surfaces and tables, or a spot of dusting. The twig whisks are a beautiful addition to your kitchen, useful for pancakes, matcha tea, or simply admiring. There’ll be time for you to make one of each item.
The woods are very special at this time of year, flushed with new leaf and full of birdsong.
‘Weekend’ Offer: make a ‘weekend’ of it by booking Brushes & Whisks (May 9) and Rush Foraging Baskets (May 10) together for £255
As well as learning about harvesting / processing, we’ll cover knife skills and binding techniques. You’ll learn the traditional method for making a brush handle, and an elegant and efficient way of binding the twigs for the whisk.
There’ll also be a selection of sample hand brushes from around the world to be inspired by.
A simple but hearty vegetarian lunch is provided, we’ll have have a kettle on the camp fire, plus a huge tarp on hand for cover in case we need it. I aim to offer you a satisfying learning experience as well as an enjoyable time away from it all. To support you in getting the most from the day, we’ll connect to the woodland surroundings through a short and simple, guided mindfulness-based practice.
Accommodation: camping is available at the farm venue and details will be sent to you when you book. The farm also has glamping options, including cosy bell tents and cabins with wood-burners. The cost of accommodation is not included in the course. Read about accommodation options.
You can read FAQs here.
See you in the woods!
Featured in the Guardian lifestyle section. National Geographic & Toyota put Native Hands in their top 125 UK adventures.
