Plants often become unwanted plants when they’re especially prolific. Celandine is one such plant, quickly spreading to fill an area with its glossy green leaves and dizzyingly bright yellow flowers. But celandine is also a confusing plant, since the two varieties with the same name are not related. The greater celandine Chelidonium majus is a…

Dandelions are cheerful little splashes of colour in lawns and borders. They flower longer than any other plant, providing food for early pollinators. Sadly, not everyone loves them as much as I do. They’re often considered weeds, and are somewhat unwanted plants. But remember. Weeds are just flowers that grow where we don’t necessarily want…

In this 11th episode of Fabulous Folklore Presents, I chat with Rachel, the part-time storyteller and food lover behind the Folklore, Food and Fairytales podcast. The Folklore, Food and Fairytales podcast features storytelling & folklore with connected recipes and food history and the importance of honouring the stories despite how tenuous the link to the…

According to the Venerable Bede, what we call February was called Sol-Monath by the ancient Britons. This translates to ‘Month of Cakes’ and the people gave cakes to the gods as offerings. I don’t know about you, but that’s a practice I could get behind. It’s worth bearing in mind that what we think of…

The Widow’s Son pub in Bromley-by-Bow is famous for its collection of hot cross buns above the bar. But why are they hanging there? Let’s find out in this week’s episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and references on the blog post: https://www.icysedgwick.com/hot-cross-buns/ Water, Water, Everywhere class for Miskatonic London: https://miskatonicinstitute.com/events/water-water-everywhere-british-sea-based-folklore/ Get your free…

We’re told to eat fruit as part of our ‘5 a day’ but people of years gone by had a range of uses! Apples could predict your future lover, while pomegranates kept witches at bay.  Let’s discover some of these alternative uses for fruit in this week’s episode of Fabulous Folklore! Find the images and…