Fiadh

The shoreline never disappoints 🌊

Today was a seaweed harvesting day and, among the many other treasures I saw, I found this lovely goose barnacle.

They're filter feeders, using those tendrils (cirri) you can see, so it's great to find them near the seaweed I'm harvesting for hair and body products. They're making the water extra clean and hospitable 🫧

📣 Calling all budding Orkney social enterprises 📣

Firstport will be visiting Orkney next week to talk all things social enterprises; from funding ideas to lasting impact. They're running events and talks over Wednesday and Thursday in the Magnus Centre.

I'll be joining on Thursday to talk about how Firstport and its lovely staff have helped Fiadh and I grow. So come along to hear more about our journey and what help is out there for you and yours 🗺️

Book your free place here:
https://shorturl.at/SeWfy

Could my idea become a social enterprise?

You don't need to know the answer before you come along to our free in person workshop in Kirkwall, Orkney.

In fact, that's rather the point. Bring your ideas and the questions you've been sitting on for six months.

We will be in Kirkwall on 30 September and 1 October to talk social enterprise, funding, business support, community impact and what's possible.

Both events are free and in person. Which question would you ask?

🍄 Fungi season is here! 🍄

I found these wonderful Shaggy Ink Caps yesterday — these fun guys 🕺 just get more fascinating the longer you look at them.

They’re edible when young and fresh, while the caps are still white, but I’m not collecting these for the frying pan. I’m using them for natural pigments. As Shaggy Ink Caps mature, they gradually break down into a dark, inky liquid that can be used for drawing, painting and making natural inks (see my little shaggy ink cap painting with shaggy ink cap Ink - try and say that 3 times and fast!)

🌿 Fancy having a go yourself? We’ll be experimenting with natural colour at the upcoming Natural Pigments Workshop in Stromness on October 3rd. Come along and discover what pigments we can coax from the landscape around us!

🌿🎨 Natural Pigments Workshop – Saturday 3rd October

After such a lovely response to this workshop at last year’s Highlands & Islands Climate Festival, I’m really pleased to be bringing it back again this October.

We’ll spend the afternoon exploring how locally and sustainably sourced plants can be turned into natural dyes, inks and paints, before using them in our own creations.

You’ll also design and dye your own tote bag to take home. 🌱

📍 Stromness Library
⏰ 1–3.30pm
🎟️ £30 per person

No experience needed — just come ready to experiment and get a little messy!

Email [email protected] to book.

✈️ Fiadh is off on a little adventure!

I’m heading away from Orkney for a couple of weeks for my brother’s wedding, so things will be a little quieter here while I’m gone.

Back home, though, everything is doing exactly what it should be… 🌿
The latest batches of soap are curing away, and willow is drying ready for basket-making workshops when I get back.

I’m also taking the laptop with me, so I’ll be spending some of my quieter moments working behind the scenes on the Fiadh website — hopefully there’ll be a few exciting updates to share before too long!

And if you need a Fiadh Botanicals fix while I’m away, products are still available from Eerieorums in Kirkwall 💚

For now, I’m swapping Orkney for wedding celebrations — see you in a couple of weeks! 👋

🌿 And now we wait...

A fresh batch of Fiadh soaps has been cut and tucked away on the curing racks, where they’ll spend the next few weeks slowly doing their thing.

Soap making is definitely not a speedy process — each bar needs 4-6 weeks to cure properly, becoming harder, longer lasting and ready for your bathroom.

There’s something very satisfying about seeing the shelves fill up like this though. 💚

For now, it’s curing time!

Treats from our foraging walk this weekend 🍴 plantain seed crackers with nettle pesto, meadowsweet shortbread, and elderflower cordial

In between rain showers we managed to identify more than 20 different wild foods, a few funky fungi, and generally had a lovely time frolicing through the woods- always a special thing in Orkney 🌳

Recipes:

🌾Plantain seed crackers 🌾
70g green plantain seeds
70g other seeds (sesame, linseed, sunflower)
7 g /2 tbsp nettle powder (optional)
100 g plain flour
100 g wholemeal or rye flour
50 ml vegetable oil
200 ml boiled hot water
Salt
Roll between two sheets of baking paper to very thin and then score into squares.
Bake for 10-15 mins at 170c.

🌿Nettle pesto 🌿
(Makes 1 small jar)
60 g young nettle leaves
40 g sunflower seeds or walnuts
35 g grated Parmesan or similar hard cheese
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp lemon juice or finely chopped sorrel
70–90 ml olive oil
Salt and pepper
Finely chopped basil (optional)
Quickly blanch nettles then blend with remaining ingredients.

⚪Meadowsweet shortbread ⚪
(Makes 10-12 biscuits)
150 g plain flour
100 g unsalted butter, softened
50 g caster sugar
2-3 tbsp finely chopped fresh meadowsweet flowers, or about 1 tbsp dried flowers
Pinch of salt
Mix the meadowsweet with the butter and sugar first for a stronger vanilla/almond flavour.
Spread to 1cm thick and score with a fork.
Bake for 18-22 mins at 170c.

💮See reels for elderflower cordial recipe 💮