Notes from the Woods: Outdoor Wellbeing Blog

That’s the question explored in a recent BBC Radio 4 episode of What’s Up Docs? with Chris and Xand van Tulleken and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott. They dig into the science of why we laugh, and how it affects our health. A few key takeaways of laughing I think you’ll love: Laughter isn’t just about jokes, it’s a key part of communication and strong social bonds. A good laugh reduces stress, eases pain, and boosts our immune system.  Laughter is contagious and sharin

Here's an extract from my diary at the end of a month of eating only wild food... The Day After - Thur 1 May Awake today at 06.00. My sleep over the past month has transformed so that feels really good. What do I want to hang onto from the past month, what have I learned to carry forward? Eat venison, it’s delicious and abundant and culling a pest. Embrace other wild meats & stop relying on chicken.  Carry good snacks - dried meat, nuts, fruit leathers, small low honey biscui

I love dandelion, it's such a widespread and familiar plant and all parts of it are useful to herbalists and foragers. As it's a perennial plant, it is also common & abundant. We probably all walk past a dandelion (Latin name Taraxacum officinale ) every day, yet it is unnoticed by most people or is dismissed as a weed. The word Dandelion is thought to come from the French ‘dent de lion’, which translates as ‘lion’s teeth’ reflecting the toothed nature of the leaves. It has a

I’m halfway through the Wildbiome Project, 30 days of eating only wild food, and it’s been full-on. No supermarkets, no plastic, no processed food, no sugar, no convenience, and definitely no waste. Everything I’ve eaten has been gathered, preserved, or stored by me. I’ve cooked every meal from scratch, using whatever’s in season or stashed away, wild garlic, dulse, rabbit, burdock root, hazelnuts, and more. Some things have worked better than others (crispy dulse in tallow:

Wildbiome Challenge: Day 1 – And so it begins! The sun is shining, and after six months of anticipation, I’m relieved to finally dive into this challenge! No more holding back on my stored food, I can actually start using it. But have I prepared enough? Will I like what I’m eating? How will it feel living with my family while they eat ‘normal’ food? Already, I’m learning that every drop, every morsel is precious. Breakfast was a shaky start - burnt pendulous sedge pancakes, s

This April, I’m stepping outside my comfort zone in a big way! I’ve joined WildBiome , a citizen science research project where I’ll be eating only wild foraged food for the entire month. No bread, no pasta, no coffee (argh!), just what can be gathered from the land.  Why am I doing this? Well, apart from the obvious challenge (and yes, I do love a challenge), this project is a fascinating look at the impact of wild food on gut health and overall wellbeing.  Researchers from

'' Elspeth ran a Laughter Yoga session for our NHS Trust and it was absolutely brilliant. Her enthusiasm and laughter is contagious and all of the staff attending left with a big smile on their face and a spring in their step. Laughter yoga is the ultimate feel-good session and Elspeth was just fabulous. ' Hollie Montague, Staff Wellbeing Officer, Royal Surrey NHS Trust Laughter Yoga is a powerful yet simple tool that can bring huge benefits to the workplace, boosting morale,

What are the most important things to know as a beginner forager? Never forget the key rule - it doesn't go in your mouth unless you're 100% certain of a correct ID and you definitely know it's edible. It’s not enough to think you’re right, you have to know! You need to have a zero-risk tolerance approach to this. As a beginner, you don’t know what you don’t know….by that I mean that you might know what a certain plant looks like, but do you know all the things that look like

Article originally published in Round & About magazine March 2024. When was the last time you stopped on a walk and really noticed what was around you?  Are the trees in bud or flowering, are they native, which wild plants are growing? Many of us enjoy a dog walk in the park or a cycle down a river path, and that is a great way to boost our moods and get exercise, but really connecting with nature has proven health and wellbeing benefits. Researchers at the University of Derb