Current Day Retreats Archives

Kombucha Making Workshop

This is a super fun workshop! Learn everything you need to know on how to brew great Kombucha. – a super healthy fermented fizzy drink. We discuss ingredients, equipment, fermentation, how to achieve good carbonation, flavours, storing and propagate Scobys.

Making your own kombucha not only saves you money but gives you control over the flavour and freshness and means you always have a refreshing live probiotic drink always on tap.

An option to watch and take notes or get hands-on experience by making your own starter brew (extra cost for equipment).

Japanese Tea Ceromony

This is a beautifully done workshop with special attention to every detail!

James explains the art of tea drinking. From the cup you are using, to how you hold the cup and of course the very special tea James brews.

In this session we will share tea to learn about its health benefits and find the right tea for you. Tea is a plant full of potential. Some teas warm the belly, some enliven the mind. Others are grounding and pacifying. All we need to do to learn this is to quietly pay attention to the effect of each tea on our body and mind.

James is a mind full of information on the art of tea drinking!

James has chosen a life steeped in tea and medicine. As an acupuncturist, James used tea as medicine for his patients, sourcing living wild and biodynamic teas from Asia. His chayou tea house was listed #1 in the Guardian’s companies leading the new tea revolution.

In November he launches his latest project - animalltea - an organic tea company that gives 100% of profits to wildlife conservation.

Nutritional Talk / Workshop

Options available for talks & workshops to choose from:

Weigh Loss & preparing 1/2 healthy snacks
Fermentation – what it is? Why we need to know about it? and how to incorporate it in your diet
Fasting – how to fast safely, its benefits and ways to incorporate it in your lifestyle
Menopause – What it is, when does it happen and how do you know you are in it. Tips and ideas on how you can experience your Menopause in a holistic way.
Self-care – the new buzz word! What does this really mean? Lot of tips and ideas on how to live a more holistic healthy life without it costing the earth or taking up too much time. Many great take home ideas here!
A subject of your choice – let us know if there is a subject you would like to know about, and we will see if we can organise it.

Wild Food Foraging

Option A: 2 hours / £130 Thursdays & Fridays only
An empowering hands-on foraging guided tour, by an expert forager & herbalist in one Oxfordshire’s beautiful villages, Islip.

You will be shown how to identify, harvest and embrace nourishing wild plants with a sustainable approach - there will be lots of tips to help you forage alone.

We will make 3 wild crafted products a balm, oil and syrup.

Option B: 3.5 hours / £150 Thursdays only
We will begin with a short introductory talk, followed by a walk around the local area identifying the edible and poisonous seasonal plants, flowers, fruits and mushrooms that we come across.

There will be breaks along the way for some wild food tasters this could be anything from our wild mushroom soup to our elderflower champagne. We end our courses with a wild food meal based on what we have found.
April – October only

Raw Chocolate Workshop

Unwrap the magic of chocolate and learn to make your own raw chocolate treats at home from a real Chocolatier.

One of the most popular workshops we do!

After a brief introduction on where chocolate comes from and some healthier alternatives to sugar, it’s time to pop on your apron. You’ll make two types of raw chocolate - dark and ‘mylk’ - and raspberry truffles enrobed in smooth chocolate.

There will be lots of hands on experience, tasting as you go and great tips about healthy treats that you can impress your guests with or just enjoy yourself!

Goodie bag to take home. All recipes are vegan and nut-free.

Sep/Oct and Thursday/Friday only