Foraging Course, Wild Food Meal and Wood-Fired Sauna Experience
Saturday, 6 September 20252:30pm - 7:30pmIndulge all your senses in the delights of the wild.
Experience the edible world that surrounds you, unlock the magic of mycelium and notice more in your environment than ever before. Learn about the rich tradition of sauna, create your own herbal whisks and bask in the beautiful heat of a traditional wood-fired sauna.
The secrets of nature will be revealed with our expert leaders; Megan and Christine. Megan will lead you through the foraging course, offering unique perspectives on the folklore, history, uses and medicinal nature of the plants you see. Gain a new found appreciation for your environment by learning how to identify edible plants, fungi and berries on your own, and how to incorporate them into your routines. Christine will guide you through the journey of sauna, sharing the history and traditional uses, teaching about whisks, essential oils and best practices. Treat your mind and body to the countless benefits of sauna.
Enjoy a guided sauna session with paired foraged canapés, drinks, and essential oil blends with optional cold plunge.
Set in the stunning South Downs National Park at Hollycombe Home Farm. An email with full location and details on what to bring will be emailed to you 2 days prior so keep an eye out on your inbox and junk emails.
Step into the wild and clear the mind with a full day foraging course and guided sauna session through the beautiful South Downs woodlands, learning what the season has to offer. Learn the myths, folklore, history, medical uses and edibility of common and unusual wild plants, trees, fungi and berries.
The perfect gift for lovers of the outdoors, hiking, nature, herbalists and foodies. A great Christmas gift for those wanting to start a new hobby or learn more about nature. With events every weekend through the year, they are ideal for birthday surprises!
Plan for the day:
Please arrive 10 minutes before the start time to allow for introductions and get settled. The walk will start with a safety talk and overview where you can have any questions answered before we begin. We will head out into the South Downs woodlands to bathe in nature and learn about seasonal fungi, plants, berries and trees, learning how to identify them from their toxic lookalikes, their properties, edibility, uses and more.
During the foraging walk you will collect materials for your whisks to use in the sauna. We will then sit down to create your own whisks with a choice of herbs, branches and scents. Guided by the leaders, you will learn the properties, symbolism and benefits of the herbs.
Then, you can change into your sauna attire with handy changing rooms provided. Robes and sauna hats available. Learn how to use your new whisk in the wood-fired sauna with a guided session. Enjoy refreshing hot and cold foraged drinks in between the sauna as well as paired wild food canapés designed to be enjoyed with the matching essential oils and drinks.
All our food ingredients are grown or foraged on site, or locally.
Some of the foraged treats that may be available:
Dock seed crackers with wild mushroom pate
Plantain seed crackers with truffle and white bean mezze
Wild grain flatbreads with nettle hummus
Tomato water with wild herb garnish
Mixed wild herb gremolata topped potato cakes
Dandelion capers on wild yeast baked bruschetta
Crabapple, cheese and blackberry filo bites
Wild garlic scones with crabapple and wild berry chutney
Mugwort and ground ivy spiced sausage rolls
Seasonal veg sliders with creamy wild nut cheese
Wild mushroom tartlets
Stuffed magnolia flowers
Wild garlic flower fritters
Blinis with pickled wild berries and creamy wild garlic sauce
Wild sushi with local horseradish ‘wasabi’
Lemon and nettle posset
Chocolate and hogweed seed cake
Wildflower cheesecake
Wild berry jammy dodgers
Scones with wild berry jam and elderflower cream
Much more with seasonal menus changing each week
What is a sauna whisk?
It’s not like the whisks you find in the kitchen! A sauna whisk is a bundle of aromatic young branches, herbs and leaves that are used in the sauna to promote blood flow, release healing oils and soften the skin. Tied with a special twine all designed for the ultimate sauna experience.
All allergies and intolerances can be accommodated for if we have minimum three days notice, please include any requirements upon booking.
Private bookings are available, please get in touch with Megan at hello@terravitum.co.uk to enquire.
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As much as we love your furry friends, they unfortunately do not love foraging! We do not allow dogs on our walks due to them getting frustrated with standing still, slow walking speeds and not getting the true attention they deserve. There are also dangers of them eating poisonous plants and fungi that we are waving around and making look extremely interesting. For the sake of your own sanity and the safety of your fur babies we recommend you leave your pooches at home.
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We recommend a minimum age of 16 on our courses as we do talk about very complex scientific topics, touch on adult situations (such as illicit drug use through history) and we all handle extremely toxic and deadly specimens while out. If you think your child will absolutely love the course and are mature enough please get in contact and we can assess case-by-case but otherwise check out our brand-new family-friendly foraging courses!
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We head off into the wilderness of the forests and hedgerows where it is unfortunately not accessible with steep hills, rocky ground and wayward roots. Please do get in contact with us if you have any accessibility needs and we can see what we can do and if we have sites that are more suitable.
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Due to the size of Auna (the sauna) we are limited to a maximum number of 8 people. This means that we can communicate effectively with everybody, all the foragers can see and hear the important information and there is the least amount of impact on the environments we are foraging in. It is a more intimate day with everyone having time to use the sauna and facilities as they like.
Please be aware we need a minimum of 4 people to go ahead with the experience day. It the unlikely event we need to reschedule, someone will be in touch with you the week before.
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Sturdy shoes for walking through the hedgerows and woodlands.
A basket or bag for collecting your goodies.
Swimsuit.
Two towels (one to sit on in the sauna, one for drying off)
Flipflops or sliders for in between the sauna sessions.
