Turn the hedgerow into medicine at this St Ives workshop

The best first aid kit for a summer of nettle stings and sun-sore skin might not be in the bathroom cabinet. It might be growing in the garden, or along the lane, waiting to be picked.

A two-hour workshop at St Ives Orchard is offering a relaxed, hands-on way into making your own plant medicines, starting with a soothing skin balm you take home at the end.

A soothing balm, made by your own hands

Local herbalists Janet Hay and Phoebe Sampson will guide the session, walking everyone through the making of a skin balm designed for summer stings and sore skin. It is pitched as a gentle introduction rather than anything technical, so no experience is needed.

Alongside the balm itself, there is time to learn about other herbs that can go into balms, the kind of plants worth keeping in a home herbal first aid kit for the months ahead. The afternoon also makes room for tasting teas picked fresh from the orchard’s own herb garden. As introductions to a Monday afternoon go, it is a calm one.

What twenty pounds gets you

The workshop costs £20 and runs for two hours. That includes the balm you make and carry home, plus the knowledge and confidence to make more balms on your own once the session is over. The workshop is subsidised by the Herbal Medicine Trust, which helps keep the price where it is.

Children are welcome, with a careful eye

One child aged eight or over can come along with each paying adult. The organisers are clear that close supervision is needed, as the session involves warming oils and wax. It is an activity in St Ives that suits families happy to keep a watchful eye rather than one for very young children.

How to book

Places are booked through the St Ives Orchard What’s On page, where you can also check the date and confirm availability before the herbs are picked and the wax goes on to warm.

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