Alan is a keen amateur beekeeper with hives in a number of locations around the Severn Vale including being the beekeeper here at the Herb Farm. He has been keeping bees for over 20 years and tries to adopt an approach of “bees first” so it often feels more like he is a person kept by the bees rather than a beekeeper.

In addition to his own bees Alan is the Apiary manager for South Gloucestershire Beekeepers Association training apiary and helps run training, workshops and courses in many aspects of the craft to existing beekeepers and those interested in finding out more about these fascinating creatures.

Saturday

Hannah McVicar grew up immersed in the life of the herb farm, surrounded by a world of plants and their stories. She is an accomplished botanical illustrator, drawing much of her inspiration from herbs. Her work includes original screen prints and murals, celebrating the beauty and intricacies of nature.

On the herb farm, Hannah is renowned for her engaging tours of the Herbetum, where she shares her deep knowledge and lifelong passion for herbs, offering visitors a unique and enriching experience.

Friday & Saturday

Helen Cross is a Scottish author, journalist and presenter as well as a horticultural educator and school gardening champion working with children across Glasgow, with an interest in teaching children where their food comes from and the social and therapeutic benefits of gardening. Writing regularly for The Scotsman, The English Gardener and The Telegraph, and presenting at some of the UK's leading book, food and gardening events, Helen is also a presenter on ITV's Alan Titchmarsh's Gardening Club and her first book Grow Cook Inspire was published in 2023, with her second eagerly awaited book due for release next year. 

Friday & Saturday

Jenny Chandler is a freelance food writer and cooking teacher based in Bristol. She's passionate about getting more plants on plates across the board; from committed carnivores to vocal vegans, we can all benefit from enjoying a wider variety of whole foods in our diets. Jenny aims to inspire and educate, giving talks and workshops to both professional chefs and enthusiastic amateurs. She works with many fabulous food institutions including Borough Market , Leiths School of Food and Wine and The Soil Association. Jenny is the author of several books, most recent is A Good Appetite: Eating for Planet, Body and Soul published by The National Trust.

Friday

Dr. Kim Walker is a trained medical herbalist, biocultural historian, and author. She completed her PhD at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, researching the history of the antimalarial cinchona tree (the source of tonic water) within the Economic Botany Collection. Kim is also the author of bestselling The Handmade Apothecary (Kyle, 2017) and the award-winning Just the Tonic: A Natural History of Tonic Water (Kew, 2019), and has a forthcoming book about folklore. Part of her work involves consulting on the historic use of herbs for Film & TV; her recent work can be seen in Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet (2026).

 Friday & Saturday

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.

Friday

Richard Rickitt is co-editor of BeeCraft, the UK's best-selling beekeeping magazine. Richard first learned beekeeping over 40 years ago and  as well as his own bees, keeps hives for a number of clients. He is beekeeper at Westonbirt, the National Arboretum, and gives talks and teaches courses on beekeeping, pollination and gardening for bees. He frequently speaks on the subject here, abroad, and on radio and TV, making him one of the UK's best-known beekeepers. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject and is author of the multi-award-winning book Beekeeping for Gardeners (Bloomsbury) which he will be able to sign on the day.

Friday

Amy is a Bath-based basketmaker, working with willow and hazel grown locally. Natural, bark-on willow is a very special material as there is such an array of colour and texture to choose from among the hundreds of varieties available, adding extra scope for creativity in the design process.

Weaving very much with the gardener, cook, forager and lover of natural materials in mind, Amy's baskets are a useful and beautiful addition to any home.

Seilich is a unique and award winning natural skincare company. Their products are natural in the truest sense of the word; their ingredients having grown-up freely in a pure and wild place. They are based on powerful Scottish botanicals, handpicked from our wildflower meadow in the Lothians of Scotland. As well as being the source of ingredients, the meadows provide sanctuary for a variety of pollinating insects such as bees, butterflies and beetles.

Jen creates individually hand-thrown ceramics for home and restaurants, designed to be used for many years to come. Jen makes pieces that hope to blend into the fabric of your day making little moments that bit more enjoyable. Working with a natural material which can endlessly be recycled until fired means she can create and develop ideas freely before deciding on the final pieces helping to reduce waste further along the making process. This is especially the case when designing for restaurants who want something little different.

Shorkk is a small, socially minded business based in Bristol with roots in Scotland and Lebanon run by Miranda and Philippe el Khazen. We are about putting premium, ethically traded Lebanese products in UK kitchen cupboards connecting with people, who like us, care about what they cook with, and where it comes from.

Returning for another year are our friends from the National Institute of Medical Herbalisits. First established in 1864, the National Institute of Medical Herbalists (the Institute) is the largest body of herbal practitioners in the UK.  

Medical herbalists make use of plants whose traditional uses are backed up by modern scientific research and clinical trials. Herbalists take a holistic approach to illness, treating the underlying cause of disease rather than just the symptoms. We are committed to creating a better, healthier future for everyone.

Visit their stall to understand stand more about herbal medicine and what it can do for you.

Feel better– see a herbalist.