Soil to Gut 2025 - The Pollinator Edition
At Vallis Farm, Frome, BA11 3JQ
Join us for a day exploring the vital role that bees play in keeping our planet alive and our crops plentiful. Find out how, by supporting and preserving bee populations, we are making sure all nature around them thrive and we can occasionally dabble in their most celebrated creation: HONEY!
Overview
Price £80 (plus eventbrite booking fee)
Date Saturday 4 October 2025
Time 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM (Doors open 10:30 AM)
Location Vallis Farm, Egford Hill, Frome, BA11 3JQ
For more information, click below to expand.
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Join us for Soil to Gut, the Pollinator Edition! Organised by Paula Neubauer.
This year, we continue our journey exploring how we are all part of this big macrobiome that we call life.
Last year, we focused on our direct relationship with the soil itself, whilst this year we will look into a key component of this ecology: bees and their role as pollinators.
We have invited Rachel de Thample of River Cottage to lead us in this journey. She has been delving deep into the world of bees in her latest book, Bees and Honey, River Cottage handbook, Bloomsbury.
We will talk about the vital role bees play in keeping our planet alive and our crops plentiful and how, by supporting and preserving bee populations, we are making sure all nature around them thrives. In so doing, we can occasionally dabble in their most celebrated creation: HONEY!
Rachel is joined on this day of celebration of all things bee by:
Paula Neubauer from Get Pickled Somerset, award wining fermenter and educator.
Dr. Caroline Gilmartin PhD, microbiologist, ferment educator and author Fermented Foods: A Practical Guide and Vinegar: the Complete Guide to Making your Own.
Jo Webster, nutritionist, medical herbalist and fermentologist, currently doing research into herbal oxymels (a mix of medicinal herbs, apple cider vinegar and honey). She has named these products HOXYs.
Paul Webb, Founder of BLACK BEE HONEY.
We start our day with a tour of the farm, followed by a panel with our facilitators discussing the role of pollinators, and connection with healthy soil that leads to produce and ferments that sustain our gut health and overall wellbeing.
We will get to understand why supporting bee populations is essential for the future of the planet and us as a species.
We will learn how to source honey that is truly sustainable.
We are being supported in this event by BLACK BEE HONEY who is at the forefront of sustainable and fair honey production and beekeeping practices in the UK. We will have a chance to try their products and understand why this is core to their practice and an important role to play in UK agricultural practices.
Rachel de Thample will create a delicious honey based lunch, together with a side of all things fermented from Paula and the Get Pickled Somerset pickle fridge.
You will leave with a new found knowledge of all the amazing potential of honey creations:
Rachel de Thample will share with us some incredible honey ferments and its wonderful culinary uses. From live marmalades to chilli sauces, she will be sure to dazzle your palate.
Dr Caroline Gilmartin will explore the world of JUN: a honey based kombucha.
Jo Webster will share her research into medicinal uses of honey, in the form of her HOXYs (herbal oxymels).
We will finish with a Q&A and book signing by our authors.
You will leave this day with:
1 jar of Black Bee Honey.
2 honey ferment recipes by Rachel de Thample.
1 jar jun starter.
1 set of guidelines to make your very own herbal honey oxymel.
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Come appropriately dressed in comfortable clothes and footwear ready to make oxymels and explore a farm.
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The nearest train station is Frome. Vallis farm is a 45 minute walk from the station which you can break up with a bus but it is about the same time.
If you want to make a weekend of it, Frome is well worth the visit, as is nearby Bath and Wells.
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We are hosting this session at Vallis Farm, where will have a chance to explore their garden and their hives. A tour of the garden is included.
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Jo is an AFN registered associate nutritionist, a medical herbalist (with a special interest in gut health) and a fermentologist. She is currently working on her PhD, the subject-matter of which is kimchi. Jo is also conducting lab research into her much-loved herbal oxymels (HOXYs) as food and medicine. Jo is a proponent of being the change she wants to see in the world.
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Just wanted to say a massive thank you for Friday. Your passion and contagious enthusiasm truly inspired both the chefs and me. We had an incredibly enjoyable training session and gained a wealth of valuable insights about fermentation and gut health. I can't wait to see what the chefs do going forward with their newfound knowledge and skills within the BM restaurants. - BM Caterers
Thank you for such a wonderful time over the past few days. Thanks for being so generous and open with your knowledge and for the great atmosphere you created. I left inspired by your beautiful energy and the many conversations we had. - Lyson Marchessault
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Terms & conditions will apply to your booking. They contain important information, including about cancellation and refunds. Please read them.
This event is being run by Get Pickled and her terms and conditions are available on the eventbrite link when booking.