Part of the Somerset Festival of Edimentals, our collaborative autumn programme with Pennard Plants and The Holcombe.
Join us for a day celebrating the extraordinary world of edimentals — plants that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Guided by horticulturist Chris Smith of Pennard Plants, a specialist Somerset nursery with one of the country’s most extensive ranges of edible ornamentals, this immersive one-day course explores how to grow, combine and enjoy these remarkable plants to bring richness, colour and flavour to both garden and table.
From chard and calendula to fennel, daylilies, nasturtiums and orache, edimentals reveal the connection between the aesthetic and the edible. Through demonstrations, hands-on planting, tasting sessions and discussion, you will learn how these striking plants can transform borders, kitchen gardens and containers while supporting biodiversity and expanding the culinary landscape.
This course runs twice: Thursday 8th October 2026 and Saturday 10th October 2026.
After a day spent between the kitchen table and garden at The Old Vicarage, guests are invited to join us later that evening at The Holcombe restaurant for a chef-prepared supper showcasing unusual edimentals — including preserved ingredients from The Old Vicarage garden and fresh harvests gathered during the course.
Our October edimental courses form part of the Somerset Festival of Edimentals to highlight this often-overlooked source of flavour and inspiration.
What the day covers:
Understanding edimentals
What defines an edimental and why these plants matter
The spectrum of ornamental edibles, from heritage varieties to modern selections
Soil, orientation and moisture requirements for reliable success
How to grow edimentals in borders, raised beds and containers
Designing with edible ornamentals
Using colour, texture and structure to create striking displays
Designing mixed beds that work well both visually and seasonally
Creating your own edimental container to take home
Growing and practical techniques
Choosing the right varieties for UK conditions
Combining foliage and flower to enhance both flavour and form
Flavour, tasting and the sensory garden
Guided tasting of fresh leaves and flowers
Understanding the flavour profiles of edible ornamentals
Identifying plants that elevate salads, garnishes and cooked dishes
Appreciating the visual–culinary connection from garden to plate
Ecology and biodiversity
How edimentals support pollinators, beneficial insects and garden resilience
Choosing varieties that enrich soil life
Hosted by Neil Crump, Founder of Asterion & Co., at The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, a former farmhouse with three acres of gardens, including a kitchen garden, productive borders of edimentals, and ornamental plantings. Guests will enjoy a garden lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
As the course draws to a close, guests are welcome either to head home for a break or to stay for a short garden demonstration on creating hydrosols and how edimental flavour develops through distillation to create a non-alcoholic distillate, led by Asterion & Co.’s head gardener.
Then the real treat begins, with a 6:30 pm supper at the local inn — an unforgettable culinary celebration of edimentals that shows off their full potential.
Take-home items
A planting guide for edible ornamentals with notes on design, flavour and biodiversity
Pennard Plants’ edimental list and recommendations
Your planted edimental container created during the hands-on session
Masterclass Details
Date: Thursday 8th October 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, followed by non-alcoholic distillation demonstration, 6:30 pm supper at The Holcombe
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset, followed by a relaxed evening meal at The Holcombe
Pricing: £330 per person
Includes: Tuition, all materials, daytime refreshments, a seated lunch, tasting sessions, hands-on planting, and a take-home planting guide, edimentals in a container, evening meal at The Holcombe restaurant
This one-day workshop is intentionally kept to a small group size to maintain a calm, hands-on learning environment, followed by an intimate supper to round off the day.
Need accommodation nearby?
Click here for a list of places to stay overnight before or after your course that we know well and would recommend.
Part of the Somerset Festival of Edimentals, our collaborative autumn programme with Pennard Plants and The Holcombe.
Join us for a day celebrating the extraordinary world of edimentals — plants that are as beautiful as they are delicious. Guided by horticulturist Chris Smith of Pennard Plants, a specialist Somerset nursery with one of the country’s most extensive ranges of edible ornamentals, this immersive one-day course explores how to grow, combine and enjoy these remarkable plants to bring richness, colour and flavour to both garden and table.
From chard and calendula to fennel, daylilies, nasturtiums and orache, edimentals reveal the connection between the aesthetic and the edible. Through demonstrations, hands-on planting, tasting sessions and discussion, you will learn how these striking plants can transform borders, kitchen gardens and containers while supporting biodiversity and expanding the culinary landscape.
This course runs twice: Thursday 8th October 2026 and Saturday 10th October 2026.
After a day spent between the kitchen table and garden at The Old Vicarage, guests are invited to join us later that evening at The Holcombe restaurant for a chef-prepared supper showcasing unusual edimentals — including preserved ingredients from The Old Vicarage garden and fresh harvests gathered during the course.
Our October edimental courses form part of the Somerset Festival of Edimentals to highlight this often-overlooked source of flavour and inspiration.
What the day covers:
Understanding edimentals
What defines an edimental and why these plants matter
The spectrum of ornamental edibles, from heritage varieties to modern selections
Soil, orientation and moisture requirements for reliable success
How to grow edimentals in borders, raised beds and containers
Designing with edible ornamentals
Using colour, texture and structure to create striking displays
Designing mixed beds that work well both visually and seasonally
Creating your own edimental container to take home
Growing and practical techniques
Choosing the right varieties for UK conditions
Combining foliage and flower to enhance both flavour and form
Flavour, tasting and the sensory garden
Guided tasting of fresh leaves and flowers
Understanding the flavour profiles of edible ornamentals
Identifying plants that elevate salads, garnishes and cooked dishes
Appreciating the visual–culinary connection from garden to plate
Ecology and biodiversity
How edimentals support pollinators, beneficial insects and garden resilience
Choosing varieties that enrich soil life
Hosted by Neil Crump, Founder of Asterion & Co., at The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, a former farmhouse with three acres of gardens, including a kitchen garden, productive borders of edimentals, and ornamental plantings. Guests will enjoy a garden lunch and refreshments throughout the day.
As the course draws to a close, guests are welcome either to head home for a break or to stay for a short garden demonstration on creating hydrosols and how edimental flavour develops through distillation to create a non-alcoholic distillate, led by Asterion & Co.’s head gardener.
Then the real treat begins, with a 6:30 pm supper at the local inn — an unforgettable culinary celebration of edimentals that shows off their full potential.
Take-home items
A planting guide for edible ornamentals with notes on design, flavour and biodiversity
Pennard Plants’ edimental list and recommendations
Your planted edimental container created during the hands-on session
Masterclass Details
Date: Thursday 8th October 2026
Time: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, followed by non-alcoholic distillation demonstration, 6:30 pm supper at The Holcombe
Location: The Old Vicarage, Leigh-on-Mendip, Somerset, followed by a relaxed evening meal at The Holcombe
Pricing: £330 per person
Includes: Tuition, all materials, daytime refreshments, a seated lunch, tasting sessions, hands-on planting, and a take-home planting guide, edimentals in a container, evening meal at The Holcombe restaurant
This one-day workshop is intentionally kept to a small group size to maintain a calm, hands-on learning environment, followed by an intimate supper to round off the day.
Need accommodation nearby?
Click here for a list of places to stay overnight before or after your course that we know well and would recommend.
