You will remember in my recent blog post about the Garden Press Event, I highlighted an amazing social enterprise called Hackney Herbal  – who promote wellbeing by connecting people with herbs and through creative activities.

Well, last Mother’s Day which now seems so long ago but wasn’t really – I went to visit Nat, the founder of the brand at her base in Hackney, London.
The day wasn’t initially for blogging purposes, as it was part of a special Mother’s Day weekend I had planned for just my mum and I.

We had such a fantastic time though and what Nat does is in her community is incredibly inspiring, so it needed to be shared so you can go experience the fun too.

The workshop we attended was the Herbal Wellbeing Masterclass; where Nat talks you through and shows the basics of how she turns herbs into products. You then get to have a go yourself and take the goodies home – this is what I was most excited about as I love getting creative and making things.
Always have done too, from bubble bath perfumes and homemade windowsill crystals in children’s chemistry sets as a kid – to grow your own and paint your own pottery at 29 years old – I love anything that is hands-on learning.

The totally interactive session covered:

– an introduction to a number of restorative herbs

– how to make an infused oil with calendula flowers

– how to combine oils, waxes and essential oils into a lip balm

– introduction to the properties of essential oils

– how to combine essential oils to make a relaxation spray

– the properties of a range of herbs as infusions

– how to combine dried herb to create your own herbal teabags

I chose to make a Rose Lip Balm, an awakening Orange, Rosemary and Cedarwood room spray and a selection of herbal tea blends. Camomile, Peppermint, Fennel and Sage were just a few of the herbs I selected, giving me a number of tea bags with all different benefits.

An afternoon of fascinating fun served with freshly made herbal tea and snacks – all for just £30. A fee which goes straight back into the enterprise and local community.

They do a number of wonderful herb based courses which I definitely recommend you check out – from growing your own to turning herbs into products. Nat covers everything, she is the self taught herb queen!