Wild Medicine Wild Food (Thursday, 2nd July 2026)

A three-hour walk through plant medicine and wild food with Simon Mills and Robin Harford.

For centuries, the plants growing along every lane and field edge in Britain were part of ordinary life. People knew what they were good for. They knew how to use them.

That knowledge sat in every household, passed down quietly from one generation to the next.

Then modern medicine arrived, and within a generation or two, most of it was gone.

That loss is worth taking seriously. Not because modern medicine failed — it didn't — nor because the plants stopped working. They're still there. Still doing what they always did. We just stopped paying attention.

What's covered in this walk

• Ancient but simple systems for classifying plant medicines — by taste, smell and immediate effects — that were used by people the world over to survive in nature, and how to apply these insights at home
• Which common wayside plants have been used as household remedies for centuries, and how they can help you
• How to identify wild edible plants safely and confidently
• The nutritional value, folklore and food history of the plants you'll find along the way
• How to forage without damaging a patch, and how to harvest at the right time
• Your legal rights as a forager and how to read land for contamination
• A handout to take notes on the day and continue learning at home

What makes this different

Most conversations about herbal medicine sit at one of two extremes. Either it's treated as folk superstition, something quaint that science has moved past. Or it's sold as a kind of magic, mysterious and powerful and beyond ordinary understanding.

Simon Mills holds a different and older view. After nearly 50 years in clinical practice and deep immersion in this subject he understands that these were survival skills that we have lost, and that can be learned again.

From a medical science background he also can show that plants can shift the body to better performance, much better than conventional prescriptions. 

Robin Harford brings the food side of the same plants. He has spent 15 years teaching foraging across Britain and has documented how indigenous cultures in Africa, India, South East Asia, Europe and the USA work with wild plants.

Where Simon looks at what a plant can do medicinally, Robin shows you what it tastes like and how to cook it.

The walk takes three hours. It covers a lot of ground, but slowly. The point is not to fill a notebook. It is to leave knowing something you can actually use.

Who this is for

This IS for you if:

• You're curious about plant medicine but want it explained honestly, without unrealistic claims or dismissal
• You'd like to be less dependent on a medicine cabinet for everyday ailments
• You want to understand wild plants as a source of both food and health, not just identification
• You're willing to walk at a learning pace and pay proper attention

This is NOT for you if:

• You are looking for quick fixes. Plants work with us not at us — we will learn to help the body fend off trouble, not replace modern prescriptions.
• You want a quick list of edible plants without the wider context
• You're after exotic or unusual ingredients

What you'll get

• A three-hour guided walk led by Simon Mills and Robin Harford
• Clinical and traditional knowledge of wild plant medicine from one of Britain's most experienced herbalists
• Wild food knowledge woven through the walk wherever the plants call for it
• A reference handout on the ancient classification of plant medicines to take home
• 15 people maximum — small enough to ask questions and get real answers

Book your place

Date: Thursday, 2nd June 2026
Time: 10.00am – 1pm
Location: Exeter, Devon
Places: 15 max
Price: £65.00

What people say

"Simon and Robin complemented each other well in talking about the use of each plant for medicine and food. It's really exciting knowing how much is right on our doorstep." — The Finnie Family

"I found it really interesting, especially as it was in a more urban environment than I'd expect. The amount to forage was quite amazing." — Paul Stevens

"I learnt a lot from the walk. Both you and Simon are very knowledgeable and approachable." — Beccy Hollingdale

"I really enjoyed the walk and learned so much in that time." — Paul Shepherd

About Simon Mills

Simon has practised herbal medicine in Exeter for almost 50 years. A University of Cambridge medical sciences graduate, he co-founded the world's first university complementary health centre in Exeter in 1987.

In the 1990s he led a major EU project on herbal medicine and served as Special Adviser to the House of Lords. He later coordinated a Department of Health project that helped pioneer social prescribing.

He is Self Care Lead at the College of Medicine, a contributor to herbalreality.com, and co-founder of the Mills and Bone Academy with Kerry Bone.

About Robin Harford

Robin has taught foraging full-time since 2008. He is the author of Edible and Medicinal Wild Plants of Britain and Ireland, with over 65,000 copies sold, and the founder of Eatweeds.

His courses are listed at the top of BBC Countryfile's guide to the best foraging courses in the UK. He has documented how indigenous cultures work with wild plants across Africa, India, South East Asia, Europe and the USA.

Book your place

Date: Thursday, 2nd June 2026
Time: 10.00am – 1pm
Location: Exeter, Devon
Places: 15 max
Price: £65.00