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    Ruby Taylor bio

    A trained teacher, with over 15 years’ experience, Ruby is appreciated for her ability to teach the techniques of basketry and pottery with clarity, patience and humour. Her courses have a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere. From both formal training and her own experimentation with foraged materials, Ruby has a breadth and depth of knowledge, including an interest in the origins and history of basketry and ceramics. "I enjoy providing a supportive space in which others can develop their creativity and technical knowledge as well as their connection with the natural world. It’s great to witness the sense of achievement and satisfaction that comes from making a basket or pot this way. I’m also inspired by seeing how people can feel deeply nourished and inspired by the whole experience of taking time out of an often busy and stressful daily life to be creative in the woods round a fire, with birdsong, creatures, wild plants and like-minded people."

    Articles by

    Ruby Taylor

    August forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 18-Aug-2021

    Nettles are a truly amazing plant. I recently found out about the ‘super food’ that is nettle seeds, and have been making the most of the nettle patch at the end of the garden ever since. Read more

    Nests and baskets: were birds the first basketmakers?

    Ruby Taylor 21-Apr-2021

    Featuring weavers, dunnocks and wrens, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands reflects on nests and baskets, asking if birds were the first basketmakers. Read more

    February forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 03-Feb-2021

    With the start of the ‘hungry gap’ a month away, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her February forage of the month, starring early greens. Read more

    September forage of the month: elderberry elixir

    Ruby Taylor 26-Aug-2020

    With autumn approaching, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares one of her all-time favourite recipes for an elderberry elixir. Read more

    May – June forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 10-Jun-2020

    Elderflower fritters, anyone? Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shows us how to make a delicious early summer delicacy in her May – June forage of the month. Read more

    April forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 28-Apr-2020

    In her April forage of the month, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands takes the sting out of nettles with a delicious soup recipe. Read more

    March – April forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 08-Apr-2020

    Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her March – April forage of the month, starring cleavers and nettles in a springtime tonic we can appreciate all the more in these challenging times. Read more

    February forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 05-Feb-2020

    Bramble tips are on the menu with spring approaching, as Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her February forage of the month. Read more

    December forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 29-Dec-2019

    With edible pickings thin on the ground for her December forage of the month, Ruby Taylor of Native Hands instead collects inedible fungi for fire making, commonly known as King Alfred’s cakes. Read more

    November forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 20-Nov-2019

    Learn how you can soothe your sore throat sugar-free with rosehip vinegar, as Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her November forage of the month. Read more

    October forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 10-Oct-2019

    Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her forage of the month for October with a delicious fruit leather recipe we can’t wait to try… Read more

    September forage of the month with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 10-Sep-2019

    Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares her forage of the month for September, with stress-busting nettle seeds the star of the show as autumn approaches. Read more

    Making an oak swill with basket maker Owen Jones

    Ruby Taylor 31-Jul-2019

    We hear from Ruby Taylor of Native Hands about her recent trip to the Lake District, learning how to craft an oak swill with basket maker Owen Jones. Read more

    Pottery on the wild side: digging your own clay

    Ruby Taylor 20-Sep-2018

    Digging your own clay – too much hassle or a whole lot of fun? We hear from Ruby Taylor of Native Hands about how to source your own clay, as she does for her wild pottery courses in Sussex. Over to her from here…  Read more

    Making a netted bag using looped cordage with Ruby Taylor

    Ruby Taylor 03-May-2018

    Ruby Taylor of Native Hands shares how to make a netted bag using looped cordage and explores the history of using natural fibres to produce wild cordage. Read more

    Making an ash pack basket

    Ruby Taylor 21-Nov-2017

    In a post kindly shared from the Native Hands blog, our basketry specialist Ruby Taylor recounts a recent trip to the woods to make a beautiful ash pack basket. Read more

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