Workshops
Home – Workshops
Personal Seasonal Home Skills
Keen to explore wild foraging food workshops in Ireland? Looking for unusual craft sessions, fun activities to enjoy with friends or as a couple? Or how about enjoying an unforgettable day out in Wexford while learning some traditional kitchen skills? We have just the thing!
Gallivanting runs seasonal workshops throughout the year – personally hosted in Lorraine O’Dwyer’s home in Gorey, Co Wexford.
Focusing on traditional home skills, hedge medicine and Celtic Paganism, these workshops are small and intimate and offer true personal and hands-on experiences.
Workshops are typically privately booked, so we are more than happy to curate a workshop to the needs and interests of a solo traveller or group.
Simply get in touch.
Things to Note
Group Sizes
Workshops are available for groups of up to 8 people maximum. Larger groups can be hosted at an alternative venue if requested.
Duration
All workshops typically run for 3 hours and are available mornings or afternoons.
Price
Workshop prices start at €65 per person for small groups and €140 for one person.
Seasonal Workshops
The Gorse Flower Marmalade Workshop
The bright yellow Gorse flower is often the first sign of Spring in Ireland: little yellow flowers with a powerful coconut scent which are rich in folklore. You’ll begin with a foraging trip to gather your flowers and then return to the kitchen to make your own delicious Gorse jelly or marmalade. The light coconutty scent remains while the taste is light and floral and very, very moreish!The Wild Garlic Butter Workshop
Learn the ancient skill of butter making combined with foraging, in this wonderful three-part workshop that comprises a visit to the woods, a dairy farm and Lorraine’s cosy kitchen! You’ll begin with a short foraging walk to gather your ingredients – wild garlic, nettle and edible flowers, all sourced from Courtown woods. You’ll then travel to Salt Rock Dairy farm to collect fresh cream and perhaps a bottle of milk too… then its back to the kitchen to get busy. You’ll make your own butter using our cream and a little Wexford Sea Salt – then chop and dice the garlic nettle to create a gorgeously rich and flavourful wild garlic herb butter. This can be frozen once you’re home and used in many recipes.
The Elderflower Syrup Workshop
Make your own supply of delicious Elderflower Syrup – a sticky, sweet and gorgeous pantry must-have! Poured into sparking water this syrup makes a wonderfully fresh summer drink or mix with sparkling white wine for a summer cocktail. And it’s perfect for drizzling over desserts and cakes as a wild alternative to lemon drizzle! You’ll start with a trip to a local honey farm to collect preservative and immune booster Ivy Honey, then stop and gather Elderflowers along the route back to the kitchen. Once there you’ll blend your ingredients together, and voila! If you choose to you can change it up a little and add other wildflowers such as honey suckle or rose petal.The Plantain Salve Workshop
Discover this amazing little heal-all herb! Plantain Salve is a traditional hedgerow medicine that has been used in Ireland for generations. While it’s traditionally made with lard, you’ll be using a very special organic oil from Kilkenny! You’ll first spend some wonderful time in our wild herb garden – identifying the plant and learning a little of its history, along with other plants that compliment it. Once you’ve made your selection, it’s back to the kitchen to start infusing, blending and mixing with beeswax and natural nut butters – creating a wonderful healing salve. This can be used to treat pretty much any skin condition including burns, bites, cuts and chronic dry skin.
Elderflower Syrup
With its rich, full-bodied flavour, this sticky syrup packs a powerful punch – but its real superpower is its anti-viral properties: just a teaspoon every morning will keep you fit and healthy all winter long! We’ll gather the berries together as you learn about the Elderberry tree’s particularly interesting folklore and history, as well as its association with witches and fairies. We’ll then return to the kitchen, and you’ll learn how to correctly sterilise your bottle and make a delicious batch of syrup to take home. Use it as a drizzle over desserts such as apple crumble, add to a cup of boiling water for a soothing drink or pour it over yogurt or into a smoothie – keeping you strong all winter long.The Hawthorn Ketchup Workshop
This is one of our most popular recipes – and you can choose to make a sweet or spicy version. This ketchup is gorgeous added to a hearty casserole or wholesome stew, and it’s amazing with cheese. You can even just pour a dollop over your chips or use it as a marinade. To start off we’ll head out to gather the hawthorn berries and learn about the tree’s long association with fairies as we go. Returning to the kitchen you’ll sterilise some bottles and get cooking. Sticky and simply sublime!Yuletide Drinks Cabinet Workshop
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to infuse alcohol – this is the workshop for you! We kick off with a fabulous foraging walk – on the hunt for sloe berries, hawthorn, blackberries and crab apples. Having found what you need, you’ll return to the kitchen and get busy making a cabinet of deliciousness: festive sloe gin, crab apple whiskey and wild berry vodka. If you want them in time for Christmas, remember that they need at least three months infusion time – so last chance is the start of October!
Cold Processed Soap
Using a simple three-oil recipe, get ready to start your love affair with soap making! This is a perfect beginner’s soap making class and a wonderful way to create your own beautiful gifts! Learn the basics of soap making, how and what oils work best, how to infuse either your oils or lye to create a soap specific to treat a skin condition as well as how and what natural additives to use to add exfoliants. Choose your own colours, scents and dried floral decorations to suit!The Practically Pagan Workshop
Keen to live your life a little more Pagan without committing to a particular belief or tradition? This is the workshop for you! Learn about the roots of our four ancient quarter festivals, how to celebrate and to honour the passing of the year. Discover the Deities that still lend their names to certain places and festivals, once worshipped by our Pre-Christian ancestors. And explore how the natural Elements can be used to keep your mental health regulated and aid you in general life. Plus discover how to best engage with Ireland’s growing Pagan community.Harnessing the Elements
Fire, Earth, Air and Water. Learn how they affect us every day and how to channel and use them for your betterment. This workshop is a deep dive into the Elements – providing a strong basis for any future work such as Spellcasting and Manifestation. It can help you get an ambitious project off the ground and guide you in managing conditions such as ADHD, depression and anxiety.Spellcasting & Manifestation
This is not a beginner’s class and you will need to have an understanding of Spellcasting to take this workshop. Learn how to effectively infuse an item to create a totem or charm and how to write your own spells combining sun or moon phases with certain days, colours, herbs or trees. You’ll also create your own tincture and use it in Manifesting – helping you discover the power inside you!Tarot Workshop
We provide Tarot readings to groups of up to four people and readings take approximately 45 minutes per person Come and find out what lies ahead for you!Elderflower Syrup
With its rich, full-bodied flavour, this sticky syrup packs a powerful punch – but its real superpower is its anti-viral properties: just a teaspoon every morning will keep you fit and healthy all winter long! We’ll gather the berries together as you learn about the Elderberry tree’s particularly interesting folklore and history, as well as its association with witches and fairies. We’ll then return to the kitchen, and you’ll learn how to correctly sterilise your bottle and make a delicious batch of syrup to take home. Use it as a drizzle over desserts such as apple crumble, add to a cup of boiling water for a soothing drink or pour it over yogurt or into a smoothie – keeping you strong all winter long.
Book a Workshop
Testimonials
“A great workshop very informative
No difficulties booking it and I would recommend it to others a great way to learn about our past, nature, and the healing herbs we have around us.
Well worth it.”
No difficulties booking it and I would recommend it to others a great way to learn about our past, nature, and the healing herbs we have around us.
Well worth it.”
Josephine Kelly, February 2022