A NATURE-LOVING duo are hoping to inspire families to beat the stress of modern life by embracing their inner wildness through ‘campfire cooking’ workshops.
Forest school and bushcraft experts James and Lea Kendall will be teaching parents and children about how foraged berries, herbs and plants can be used to make delicious food at this year’s Llangollen Food Festival with the aim to reconnect with nature and boost mental wellbeing.
The couple, who run the popular Woodland Classroom in Wrexham, will unlock the gastronomic secrets hidden in Wales’ hedgerows and forests by creating a range of mouth-watering treats. Children will learn how to toast popcorn over the campfire and make hedgerow tea, toffee apple slices, hazel chocolate parcels and hedgerow crumble from freshly foraged items. Parents, meanwhile, will be introduced to the medicinal benefits of a host of garden herbs and plants and the joys of hunting and gathering as a family.
Mr Kendall, 39, who previously managed a 300-acre woodland in South Wales, said: “Children absolutely love being outdoors. They always have and usually they don’t need to be pushed. It’s what they’re supposed to do.
“There are the obvious benefits of good bacteria and sunlight but it’s also about developing a love for nature and an appreciation for the outdoors so that we raise children who love nature and will look after it.”
He will be joined by Mrs Kendall, a qualified counsellor and practitioner of mindfulness in a woodland setting, who will discuss the stress-relieving qualities of camomile and how dandelions can detox the liver. “For years we’ve been brought up to believe hawthorn is poisonous but it’s actually a really good heart tonic and lowers or increases blood pressure,” she said.
“The gut produces 90 per cent of the serotonin in our bodies so if we are eating a bad diet and suffering from stress and depression we have to recognise the link. One of the best ways to increase the good bacteria in the gut is to go wild and forage to boost your health.”
The workshops are part of a packed programme of live cookery events at the International Pavilion, Llangollen on October 19-20.
For more details visit www.llangollenfoodfestival.com
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