Heather Pollington review 27 Jun 2011
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The most memorable and exciting part of the holiday was drinking nettle beer as the sun went down on the Saturday night. We'd had a busy day digging, foraging and cooking, so seeing it all come together at the end of the day with a crackling fire and that beautiful view of the valley below was truly memorable. The company and the food were great.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The holiday is mentally very relaxing and you will feel rejuvenated after, but is it physically quite busy. Apart from digging and building the oven we were always walking, finding and collecting. This along with the fresh Highland air induced some of the best nights sleep we'd had in a while. The weather was changeable but this didn't spoil the weekend at all. Alex is expert at lighting a fire in the rain, but go prepared with walking boots and a waterproof jacket.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Absolutely. We were drawn to the area by the course, but Rosie and Alex introduced us to lots of other great aspects of this area in the Highlands: a local organic guest house, a great local pub and some beautiful walks. All the food we cooked was locally sourced or foraged and cooked over the fire.
4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The holiday was great. I booked it for my husband's 40th birthday because he's interested in cooking and the great outdoors. It exceeded both our expectations. Rosie and Alex are a fantastic team and couldn't have been better hosts, keeping us busy, fed and entertained the whole weekend. The other thing to say is that Rosie is an excellent cook and has designed some brilliant dishes with foraged ingredients. The quality of what we made from what we gathered was surprisingly good. On leaving, Rosie gave us some foraging bags of our own and recipe cards for us to try at home. The setting is absolutely beautiful and will revive the most frazzled of minds. We'd love to go again and try another season as my husband was a big fan of Rosie's sloe vodka.
