Alongside our talks, demonstrations and Jekka's Herbetum tours we have curated a selection of wonderful artisan stalls from herbal chocolate and botanical skin care to hand thrown ceramics. All of them are independent family businesses with a connection to what we do at Jekka's.
There will be: 6 O'clock Gin, Amy West, Camelēr Spice Co, Gilbert & Swayne, Honey’s Cider, Seilich, Shorkk, South Gloucestershire Beekeepers Association, The Coffee Lada and The Village Pottery.
We asked the artisan stall owners about one of their products they will be selling and, as it is Jekka’s HerbFest, their favourite herb! Below are their response.
Tickets for Jekka's HerbFest are available here.
6 O’clock Gin
“Our favourite herb would have to be Winter Savory, one of the key botanicals in our Strikingly Smooth London Dry gin. A Mediterranean herb from the same family as Rosemary and Thyme it brings a green woody flavour and aroma.
Our gin of Jekka’s HerbFest, as we don’t currently have Jekka’s Edition, has to be Romy’s Edition, which is Mango, Ginger & Lime. Romy’s Edition is a deliciously moreish gin packed with flavour. We worked closely with celebrated chef Romy, to craft a gin that portrays the unique flavours of India, using herbs and spices commonly found in Indian cooking and infusing the gin with the juice from the native mango. The recipe is inspired by the memoirs of Romy and strikes the perfect balance between rich fruity sweetness and reserved spice. Romy Gill MBE is speaking at Jekka’s HerbFest on Friday.
Perfect for Jekka’s HerbFest, it is best enjoyed as a G&T over plenty of ice and garnished with a slice of fresh mango. The natural sugars of the mango add a honey-like sweetness to the gin, perfectly accompanying the restrained spice from the ginger, cardamom and cumin. Citrus from the Juniper, lime & lemon peel play a crucial role in keeping the pallet refreshed whilst the coriander gives the gin a pleasing savoury finish.” Murray McKee (https://www.6oclockgin.com/)
Camelēr Spice
“For us at Cameler Spice Co. Thyme is our favourite herb, and is the star ingredient in one of our blends, Bāqa. This beautiful mixed herb blend translates from Arabic to mean ‘bouquet’ or ‘bunch’ of herbs and it pays homage to the ancient trade of herbs. The use of Thyme has likely evolved over centuries, influenced by cultural exchanges, trade routes, and regional culinary practices.
Thyme's flavour and versatility makes it a natural fit for Arabic dishes, and it’s an essential herb in their culinary repertoire. Thyme has been cultivated and used in the Mediterranean and Middle East for thousands of years. Its use can trace back to ancient civilizations such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Assyrians. These cultures valued Thyme for both its culinary and medicinal properties. Between the 10th and 14th centuries, from Baghdad to Murcia, cookbooks flourished throughout the Arabic-speaking world, detailing the exquisite banquets of the Sultans feasts and the delectable treasures brought in through the herb and spice trade.
Bāqa is the highlighted spice blend for HerbFest. It features Thyme heavily and is an inspired variant on a lost blend recipe from the 13th century medieval Arabian era, found in an ancient cookbook, it has earthy, slightly minty, and lemony flavour that is unified in harmony and delicatly supercharges the simplest of dishes, like omelettes, pasta, and soups. Reaching for Bāqa, has become second nature to us at Cameler Spice Co. and we are sure it will be for you too.” Halle and Miles (https://camelerspiceco.com/)
6 O’clock Gin & Camelēr Spice Co
Amy West
“My favourite herb is Angelica whose beautiful flower heads look wonderful in my large gathering basket.
This basket is perfect for Jekka's HerbFest, as it is a generously sized, gently scooped basket that is great for gathering flowers and herbs. The open-ended design allows for transporting between garden and kitchen without damage to delicate foliage and blooms. Also makes an attractive herb-drying rack when hung from the ceiling, or can be used to create an informal flower arrangement. Handwoven from unstripped willow, the basket has a reinforced border and wrapped handle for extra strength and durability.” Amy West (http://www.amy-west.co.uk/)
Selich
“My favourite herb is wild carrot! It's the last thing to flower in our meadow and the last species we harvest, marking the end of the season. The smell from the seeds is incredible!
My natural skincare I have chosen for Jekka’s HerFest is our Meadow Face Mask powder. We make this powder from meadow grown herbs and flower which we hand pick and gently dry. This is an award winning luxurious face mask treatment, packed full of meadow-grown leaves and petals to leave your skin not only deeply cleansed but also deeply nourished. A truly natural pampering experience!
This very special face mask is made from nothing more than British clay, powdered oats and meadow-picked botanicals (rose petals, chamomile flowers, plantain leaves, red clover flowers, blackcurrant leaves, cornflowers and calendula). When mixed with water or a hydrosol, the botanicals are activated and are able to not only cleanse and detoxify the skin but to simultaneously nourish, soothe and moisturise.
This product is Certified Wildlife Friendly as the ingredients have been grown in our wildflower meadows which are created first and foremost for nature conservation.” Dr Sally Gouldstone (https://www.seilich.co.uk/)
Shorkk
“Our favourite herb is Parsley, which is the main ingredient in one of Lebanon’s most famous salads, tabbouleh. Even UK supermarkets sell something similar. However, nothing causes more Lebanese outrage than a bulgur wheat salad which is pretending to be “tabbouleh”. If you can see more bulgur wheat than Parsley in your salad, you’re not eating what most Lebanese would call their national dish.
Tabbouleh is a Parsley salad, made with large bunches of soft flat leaf Parsley. Rich in antioxidants, and vitamins A and C, it seems strange that this herb’s previous life in the UK was only to garnish a dish. In Lebanon Sunday lunches are not complete without a large bowl of parsley, tomatoes, mint, spring onions, a tablespoon of fine bulgur wheat, seasoned with allspice and dressed in generous quantities of lemon and extra virgin olive oil. The soft leaves need to be sliced, gently with a sharp knife, insists Kamal Mouzawak, founder of Slow Food Beirut. Slicing rather than chopping the leaves means that your parsley won’t be spoiled and the flavour stays in the parsley and not on the chopping board.
Having just planted some parsley seeds, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the rain won’t have completely washed them away.
Our product for Jekka’s HerbFest is Sumac, which is a much loved spice in Lebanon. The berries from the sumac shrub are harvested by hand, dried and ground. It is a key ingredient in the za’atar mixture. This spice is grown in Beino, north Lebanon. It can be sprinkled over tomatoes, added to the Lebanese salad fattoush, folded into a yoghurt dressing for a citrus root salad or scattered over fried eggs. Sumac adds zing to a blueberry compote and hints of citrus to sumac biscuits.” Miranda El Khazen (https://shorkk.com/)
Village Pottery
“Mint is my favourite herb. My very first commissions was for a special teapot that infused fresh mint leaves. There were lots of holes in the lid which helped infuse the mint leaves. Then the liquid poured through the holes in the lid and then threw a spout straining it along the way. These days I tend to just tear the mint leaves straight in the mug and add hot water.
One of our favourite products, which we'll have on the stall at Jekka’s HerbFest, are mucky spoons. The perfect addition to any kitchen top!” Jen Hamilton (https://www.thevillagepottery.co.uk/)
Jekka's HerbFest
Jekka's HerbFest 2023 is on the 30th June, 1st July and 2nd July 2023. It will celebrate the culinary and medicinal delights in the growing and uses of herbs! We are very excited by the speaker line-up, artisan stalls, Jekka's Herbetum tours and health & well-being zone; plus much more!
See the full line-up on www.jekkasherbfest.com
Our programmes for each day of Jekka's HerbFest are now live, click on each day to start planning your itinerary!
Friday 30th June | Saturday 1st July | Sunday 2nd July
Tickets for Jekka's HerbFest are available here.