Forage & Ferment with Rachel De Thample

Join award-winning author and fermentation expert Rachel De Thample to celebrate the launch of her new book. The Fermentation Year: Everyday techniques and recipes to rewild your microbiome with a magical and inspiring day making gut health-boosting ferments with seasonal and wild produce. The day will start with a forage in and around Petersham Meadows and our own gardens. You’ll then head back to one of our beautiful glasshouses where Rachel will guide you through making four different ferments to take home, including kimchi, a fermented pesto featuring wild greens, a sourdough starter and winter bitters (which she’ll show you how to use it to make a kombucha negroni). The day will also include lunch made by the Peterhsam Nursery chefs and an array of tasters made by Rachel. Overview of the day: 10.30am Start the morning with a taste of Rachel's apple sourdough and an introduction to the day be we venture out on a foraging foray. 10.30-11.30am Wander into the Petersham Meadows and around to gather wild foods which we will use to make some fabulous ferments which you’ll be able to take home. 11.30-1pm With Rachel’s guidance you’ll make an autumnal kimchi featuring wild ingredients married with seasonal produce. We’ll also make a fermented pesto with wild greens for you to take home. 1-2pm A delicious nourishing lunch full of seasonal produce made by the Petersham chefs, as well as tasters of Rachel’s green tomato kimchi from her new book. 2-3pm After lunch you'll make your own sourdough starter to take home as well as a bottle of Winter Bitters using herbs from the Petersham garden married with local honey, Rachel’s homemade apple vinegar and wild hedgerow berries. Rachel will also demonstrate how to make kombucha before making a gorgeous healthy take on negroni featuring the bitters you’ve just made. 3-3.30pm We'll close the day with questions for Rachel and a taster iced negroni’s.