A celebration in the growing & use of herbs
with expert talks, gardening workshops and cookery demonstrations
Jekka's HerbFest
Jekka's HerbFest is a three-day event running from Friday 30th June to Sunday 2nd July 2023, which will be filled with expert talks, gardening workshops and cookery demonstrations from Jekka and her team, plus Friends of Jekka’s.
We are also having Jekka’s Herbetum and Herb Garden tours, a range of artisan stalls as well as music from Phil King & friends.
The National Institute of Medical Herbalists will also be at Jekka’s HerbFest 2023 with their Health and Wellbeing Zone. They will be chatting to visitors about amazing medicinal properties of herbs and provide onsite advice.
The food on the day will be provided by Bristol’s Folk House Cafe & Bar whose ethos is ‘local, sustainable, ethical & nutritious’.
Below is the programme for Sunday 2nd July 2023. Each day runs from 09:30 am to 4:30 pm.
Festival Ground
We are so excited about Jekka's HerbFest and have organised a wonderful festival with two demonstration tents, food provided by the Folkhouse Cafe, the National Institute of Medical Herbalist Health and Wellbeing Zone and a selection of artisan stalls. All on the backdrop of Jekka's Herbetum and Jekka's Herb Garden.
Jekka's Marquee is where the cookery demonstrations and presentations will be occurring. This is a chance for visitors to watch the speakers practice their craft and hear handy tips that they can take home.
| Time | Speaker |
| 10:00 - 10:45 |
Nathan Outlaw - Fish for dinner Widely seen as a master of fish cookery, Nathan is owner of the self-titled Restaurant Nathan Outlaw (2 Michelin stars) and the less formal Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen (1 Michelin star) in Port Isaac, Cornwall. Having achieved many accolades throughout his career, Waitrose & Partners Good Food Guide scored Restaurant Nathan Outlaw a rare ten out of ten in 2019 and 2020. Nathan has appeared on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and Masterchef, the Professionals and has published 5 books; the latest being ‘Fish for Dinner’, a collection of seafood recipes. |
| 11:30 - 12:15 |
Simon Mills - Medicines from the Garden Simon has been a herbal practitioner in Exeter since 1977. He is an acclaimed international speaker on a range of topics, including herbal and traditional medicines, and natural approaches to modern health problems, and is author of standard textbooks in the subject. He is a Cambridge medical sciences graduate and has been at the forefront of the development of herbal, complementary and integrated medicine. Simon now works as Herbal Strategist at Pukka Herbs. |
| 13:00 - 13:45 |
Rob Howell - Summer cooking with herbs Chef and author Rob Howell has been gaining attention for his vegetable led cooking since opening Root in 2017, soon after being awarded a Michelin Bib-Gourmand. The restaurant is housed in shipping containers in Bristol’s Wapping Wharf. With a second site in Somerset that opened at the end of 2022. Rob works with fantastic local ingredients to create simple, honest and produce-driven food. He ensures that Root’s food offering stays unwaveringly fresh, sustainable and, ultimately, delicious. |
| 14:30 - 15:15 |
Jekka McVicar - Herbs to flavour and savour Awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour in Horticulture by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), 62 RHS Gold medals for her Herb exhibits, is Vice President of the RHS and has written 8 books, including Jekka’s Complete Herb Book that has sold over 1 million copies world-wide. She is well known for her herb expertise and designing herb gardens for hospitals, restaurants and private homes. |
Please note, you do not need to book a place at these talks
Informal chats led by Kate Durr with experts in their fields. Jekka's Gardeners' Corner will hold a number of "in conversation" sessions throughout the day. Pop in and ask the expert a question to help your allotment burst or garden bloom.
| Time | In conversation with |
| 10:45 - 11:30 |
Nick Wray Nick Wray is a professional horticulturist who has worked at the University of Bristol Botanic Garden for over thirty years. As curator at the garden he is responsible for curating the Botanic Garden’s plant collections and promoting them as an educational and conservation resource. He has many interests in plants, particularly the flora of South Africa, where he has spent years studying plants in the wild and leading tours to this biodiverse part of the world. He has been South African plant consultant to the Eden Project and a presenter of BBC Gardeners’ World. A member of the RHS Herb Advisory Group, he has judged at many RHS shows including Chelsea. In 2016 he was awarded the RHS Associate of Honour and became a fellow of the Linnaean Society of London. |
| 12:15 - 13:00 |
Jane Porter Jane Porter is a garden designer based in Bristol. She graduated from the Planting Design Diploma at the London College of Garden Design in 2021 with distinction and ‘Prize for Best Project.’ In May 2022 Jane won a Gold medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show and the ‘Best in Category’ award for the Still Garden – a Scottish container garden. More recently she designed the Choose Love Garden for Chelsea 2023. |
| 13:45 - 14:30 |
Simon Mills Simon has been a herbal practitioner in Exeter since 1977. He is an acclaimed international speaker on a range of topics, including herbal and traditional medicines, and natural approaches to modern health problems, and is author of standard textbooks in the subject. He is a Cambridge medical sciences graduate and has been at the forefront of the development of herbal, complementary and integrated medicine. Simon now works as Herbal Strategist at Pukka Herbs. |
| 15:15 - 16:00 | Gardeners' Question Time |
Please note, you do not need to book a place at these talks
Jekka's Herbetum Tours
Jekka's Herbetum contains Jekka's collection of culinary herbs grouped into families in separate raised beds. It is an educational resource to inspire the amateur, professional or enthusiast.
Join Jekka, a members of her team, a bee expert or a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists for an informative guided tour.
The tour schedule is:
- 10:00: Jean Vernon's Bee Walk
- 11:00: Jekka's Herb Tour
- 12:00: National Institute of Medical Herbalists Walk
- 13:00: Richard Rickitt's Bee Walk
- 14:00: Jekka's Herb Tour
- 15:00: National Institute of Medical Herbalists Walk
National Institute of Medical Herbalist
The Institute cannot wait to share with everyone the amazing medicinal properties of herbs.
In their Health and Wellbeing Zone they will have qualified herbalists with them throughout the weekend, who will be able to chat through your health with you in a private setting and look at how herbs may be able to help you.
They will have plenty of herbs in both their plant and medicinal forms for you to explore, and will also give you the opportunity to mix your own herbal tea to take home. If you are bringing younger herbal enthusiasts they will have some great activities for them to get stuck into, leaving you free to chat to one of their experts about how to forage or grow your own healthcare, how you could learn more about herbalism, and what consulting a medical herbalist involves.
Find more about the Health and Wellbeing Zone through the link below.
Phil King & friends
Phil King & friends will be playing twice a day next to the Folk House Café and Jekka's Herb Garden. Grab some food, a Gin & Tonic or a cider and enjoy his beautiful, soulful singing voice:
- 12:00: Phil King with Ruth Hammond
- 14:00: Phil King with Joe Wilkins and Ruth Hammond
Artisan Stalls
Local artisan businesses will be selling their crafts from delicious herb chocolates and ice creams to natural remedies. We are delighted to be joined by:
- 6 O'clock Gin
- Amy West
- Cameler Spice Co
- Gilbert & Swayne
- Honey's Cider
- Seilich
- Shorkk
- South Gloucestershire Beekeepers Association
- The Coffee Lada; and
- The Village Pottery
Plus stalls by the NFU Mutual Thornbury, Riverstone and Ice Cream from Ivor's Ice Cream.
Jekka's café will be open selling her herbal infusions, homemade cakes, coffee and tea as well as her shop selling tools and gifts.
