Is there really anything better, ever, than getting together with the people you care about and then to do something new, fun and creative on top…and at the beginning of our wintery festive season?

Our afternoon in Juliet Gould’s fabulous kitchen filled us up on seasonality, immense laughter, discovering skills we didn’t know we had (for some of us anyway!) and then leaving with our own, home-made, craft in our hands.

Juliet Gould, is the lovely lady behind Cornish Farm Flowers; this really is a ‘home-grown’ family business. Her flowers are grown lovingly by her own ‘green-fingered’ hands, often from seed in her spectacular and magical garden. She crafts bouquets, arrangements, wreaths or whatever is required by her suppliers at home before delivering; making them super special with their extremely close to zero carbon footprint. Juliet’s flowers are often on fragrant display at Lower Barns and at our weddings. Juliet’s arrangements are incredibly elegant and sophisticated and always using what she has in her flower beds, making them intoxicatingly seasonal, which I always find exciting and grounding in equal measure.

Likewise, her husband Jonathan is Gould’s Cornish Cyder, growing the specifically chosen apples for their flavour and right type of juiciness at home. These apples go through the whole process, finally being corked into their bottles on site. He crafts a range of amazing cyders; the sparkling variety easily competes with top champagne for special occasions or the everyday. Popping a cork makes anything a special moment, creating joy in our memories, right?

On wreath making afternoon, some of us were to surprised to find we were going to make the actual wreath, before decorating! Juliet had soaked the willow overnight, giving it flexibility and us a whole lot of laughter in attempting to make them circular. Cath McGuinness may be a GP but she must be hiding having been a basket maker at some point, given the natural ease and skill she showed as her hands quickly worked her willow into perfect shape.

We decorated with all kinds of fresh and dried pickings from Juliet’s garden. We used Old Man’s Beard, Honesty, Yew, Holly (loaded with brilliant berries), chillies, apples, rose-hips, cow parsley and teasel being my particular favourite.

We had moments of poking each other with willow flicking around in it’s wacky way, hilarious laughter at the random shapes and mistakes we made, oh’s and ah’s at each others clever moves and ideas and sometimes moments of complete meditative silence as we were engrossed with our inspiring task.

Yes, and of course, we sampled cyder as we worked.

Juliet and Jonathan Gould will be at Trelissick, where you can buy their cyder and wreaths, on the following dates :-

2, 3, 4 December (please check the times on the Trelissick website)

16 December, 11 am – 7 pm

19, 20, 21, 22, 23 December 11 am – 7 pm

Also, very excitingly Juliet is hosting a Wreath Making Workshop, so you can do just what we did, on Sunday 11 December from 2 – 5 pm. All materials are supplied, including cyder, tea and cake for just £25. There are 8 places – so gather your friends and book up quickly!

You can book on 07944 253033 or email juliet.e.gould@gmail.com.

If you are unable to make it to Trelissick or the wonderful wreath making workshop – you can contact Jonathan and Juliet on :-

01726 884350 or Juliet on 07944 253033

juliet.e.gould@gmail.com to buy cyder and wreaths direct, for fabulous Christmas Cheer.

Follow Cornish Farm Flowers on Instagram too.

My warmest wintery, seasonal tidings to you all!

Love Janie x