The Inspiration behind - Heavenly Hedgerows

Our Featured Seller this month is Heavenly Hedgerows.  With their Lavender Jelly they have just wowed judges in Great Taste 2013 by being awarded 3-stars.  Of the nearly 10,000 products entered only 125 foods achieved the three gold stars!

As well as their range of preserves and drinks they also produce an amazing all natural hand cream - we love it!

How did you get started? - Heavenly Hedgerows started as a hobby, borne out of an outdoorsy New Zealand childhood, in which my mum would take her three girls foraging for breakfast mushrooms and edible flowers. When I married an Englishman, Dave, I was delighted to discover he too had a love of foraging, so we used to hunt the hedgerows around Bristol together. I often had too much bounty for my own family, so started making liqueurs and jellies for friends and extended family. They enjoyed these Christmas goodies so much, that they encouraged me to have a stall at a farmers market. This turned out to be quite a success and the business grew from there. I needed a name for my produce, and ‘Heavenly Hedgerows’ seemed the obvious choice, as the berries they produce are just that!




Family consists of myself, husband Dave and our three kids Rosa, Stanley and Magnus (12, 9 & 7). Most weekends are taken up with the children’s swimming and cricket, but we try and make as much of the countryside as we can in our spare time, and love to go camping. I love it when the kids get feral, use their imagination and build dens in the woods – far away from technology.




Picking wild food for commercial purposes is illegal without the landowner’s permission, so we are blessed to have the green light to pick on three local farms with an acreage totalling nearly 2,000. This large area makes picking sustainable. We need never pick from the same spot and are careful to leave plenty for birds and re-seeding. We’ve also planted hedgerow around our property, and some fruit trees; these help make up some of our ‘limited edition’ range of liqueurs, which is coming soon.




Person you most admire -  My first boss. He started his business from a spare room at home, and is now New Zealand’s biggest ‘business seller’ – that is, he sells going-concern businesses. Where I considered myself a shy, nervous girl, he saw potential. And with consistent teaching, encouragement and support he gave me the wings to fly. Now, I’m able to help others do the same.

What do you like to listen to - When out foraging, I thrive on the so-called silence of nature – bird song, buzzing insects, the communication between animals and whisper of wind in the trees. But I love cranking up The Tallest Man on Earth and The National when I need to feel motivated!




Favourite Drink - My favourite tipple is something very English - a classic cup of English Breakfast Tea, followed closely by a quality G&T.




Perfect holiday - As you will have guessed, I’m a sucker for The Great Outdoors. My favourite holiday is anything that involves walking. It’s a wonderful way to engage with nature and see the world – and I have to recommend my homeland New Zealand for this. The native Bush (forest), extraordinary trees and exotic bird-life are to die for – and let’s not forget this is where you find Manuka and its healing properties.




Ideal evening - I love winter. It gives me a chance to relax after the busy picking period of Autumn. My favourite evening involves lots of good food, friends and family, the log burner on and a little whiskey to smoothly while away dark nights.

Favourite Item of Clothing - I picked up a red poncho from a car boot sale for 20p about 5 years ago. It makes me feel like little red riding hood – someone else who spent a lot of time in the woods -  without the hood!