welcome ~ to my wandering hearth ꩜
You’ve entered a nomadic seasonal kitchen, a herbal journal and a quiet hearth for gathering & remembering. Here, we move slowly with the wheel of the year, conjuring & ritualising recipes like spells, whilst tending intently to the hidden riches of our earthly soil~ both inside & out.
My name is Giorgia — I find myself walking the path of a travelling hearth keeper alongside community-folk herbalism; weaving together my Italian-English and Celtic roots. I'm currently living and creating between the UK, the mountains of Northern Italy and more recently British Colombia, Canada
(we wander far & often over here)
I began working in hospitality at 14, and jumped into learning the rhythms of the kitchen alongside my Pap, a passionate foody and the heart & soul of the Italian restaurant he opened back in 2007.
On my mother-line~ Mum, Grandma, and my Great Aunt were the women who, in my eyes, held the form of our English side of the family. I carry happy memories of licking bowls & spoons, making dough dollies in the kitchen with my Mum, the sweet treats my Great Aunt made, though she passed when I was very young, I can still remember her attention to detail & passion for baking ~ And I'll never forget the best after-school sandwiches made by my dear Grandma!
What might seem like ordinary family rituals, have always felt like anchors to me, like tree roots holding steady the tree so she may wax and wane with the seasons ~ a timeless, living practice of connection, memory, belonging, renewal & love.
In 2020 the pandemic hit the world like a blazing wild fire (as we all know) We were each uniquely succumbed to having our own personal story & experience of watching a global (shit show) quarantine unfold..a 'tower card moment' for humanity.
Of course it was a difficult time for many, however I fortunately was in dire & desperate need for time and space as fuel & sustenance to unpack my life multi-dimensionally ~ & that is exactly the opportunity I received.
The years before had been an adventure, I'd been travelling, then working and living with a Sicilian family on the Island of Sicily, where I learned how to live and cook by way of the seasons, and felt in the marrow of my bones that something new yet known before was bubbling inside me..
Something like a remembering happened, and through a series of events there seeded the beginnings of what I'd been calling in for many moons... My gaze turned towards exploring the art of healing, crafting natural medicines with beautiful ingredients and sharing what I was discovering and creating with loved ones. I eventually signed up to studying Alchemical Herbalism with The School of Evolutionary Herbalism..led by my heart & the little girl hidden inside who would run around the woods with the fairies talking to trees and mushrooms..the little girl who believed so wholly in magick & wildness ~ was trying to recenter me.
Now, at 33, I carry the essence, the roots and florescent blooms of home & hearth as wild medicine gathered in a wicker basket upon my back as I set forth ever deeper onto the road of life ~ a wandering, winding road with sometimes hidden or obscured passages that keep me awake and on my toes.
A path of integration..spiralling in and out, up and down..again and again and again.
This journey is leading & expanding me into deeper dimensions of presence & reverence for the many subtle worlds and layers that crackle within and around us…
The medicine of trees, the quiet teachings of the wild land, the elements, the ancestors, the stars as well as health challenges I have traveled with since youth, ever walking with me as companion, compass & food ~as existential sustenance, as my North Star ⋆˙⟡
Sharing what I learn as I wander with purpose has become a calling. Through educational hands-on experiencing, from crafting soulful meals & healing balms infused with local wild medicines & regenerative organic ingredients ~ to the study & practice of Sylvatherapy (Forest therapy) & ancestral indigenous traditions, beginning with my own lands.
To me, this living practice shouldn't be a luxury but a birthright, one I feel devoted to keep tending & growing within, passing along to all who feel drawn to gather and listen.
From my experience, our mainstream education systems feel flawed and undernourished when it comes to equipping young people with the tools and the safe, open spaces to explore their Bodies, Health, Natural cycles, Nature & the vastness of Spirituality..I've often pondered on where I would be now if I had received this kind of education early on..
Through creative workshops, foraging walks, and feast circles, I aim to offer practical tools, nourishing recipes, wild plant & natural therapeutic wisdom to help heal body & spirit , supporting the inner rhythms ~ our own, and the greater mycelial networks we belong to; nurturing both the heart, humanity and the ancient spirit flowing through us all.
I see my herbal kitchen & cooking as cosy, soulful, and inspired by wildly changing landscapes & culture, woven intricately with my Mediterranean heritage ~ I passionately co-create with Mother Nature fully intending to reconnect with ritual and practice centred around the wild, the ancient, the notion of home/belonging and the deeply human, often unexplainable hunger for connection & community.
The intention of this publication is to evolve as a living portfolio and digital hearth ~ a different kind of gathering place. Rather than curating an algorithmic feed (which I've tried on many times & it just doesn't fit) Instead, I’ve chosen to root my words, recipes, and offerings here ~ an online space that feels a lot more resonant. A place to share my seasonal food and herbal musings, my often-hidden ponderings & reflections, and to commit to a ritual of deeper practice and service, both for myself, my community and beyond.
And so, I welcome you here with open arms, inviting you to pour a cup of tea and join me in this cosy space for the long haul., I hope we grow in openness & authenticity as we journey from here on. I'm not entirely sure what's going to unfold here ~ I guess we'll find out together.
Thankyou deeply for being here
