TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS

The Herb School offers a diverse range of talks and presentations that bring the world of herbs and wild plants to life in an engaging, accessible, and practical way. Led by Denise, these sessions are carefully tailored to suit different audiences and settings, from small community groups to large-scale events and festivals.

Each talk blends hands-on knowledge with storytelling, offering both inspiration and clear, actionable insights that participants can apply in their own lives. Whether the focus is on gardening, food, wellness or sustainability, audiences come away with a deeper understanding of the value of plants and a renewed connection to the natural world.

People We've Worked With

GARDEN AND HORTICULTURAL CLUBS

The Herb School talks and demonstrations are designed to inspire gardeners to see herbs as more than just decorative additions to their gardens, but as practical, versatile plants that can enhance everyday life in so many ways.

Denise brings a wealth of hands-on knowledge, guiding audiences through how to grow, harvest, and use herbs for food, flavour, and wellbeing. Her engaging style combines clear, practical advice with deeper insights into plant uses, making the sessions suitable for all levels of experience.

GARDEN AND HORTICULTURAL CLUBS TOPICS

Growing Herbs Successfully
Medicinal Herbs for the Home Garden
Designing a Productive Herb Garden
Herb Care and Harvesting
Cooking with Fresh Herbs
Herb Tea Making Demonstration
Plants for Pollinators and Biodiversity

ENVIRONMENTAL AND COMMUNITY GROUPS

The Herb School offers talks, workshops and foraging events that strongly support sustainability and biodiversity by highlighting the importance of native plants and their role in supporting pollinators, soil health, and local ecosystems.

The focus on traditional culinary and medicinal uses of native wild plants provides practical, achievable ways to reduce reliance on imported and ultra processed foods. As a result, these sessions not only educate but also empower communities to take small, meaningful steps towards more sustainable lifestyles

ENVIRONMENTAL TOPICS

Introduction to Wild Herb Foraging
Seasonal Wild Foods and Their Uses
Wild Herb Teas
Native Plants and Biodiversity
Medicinal Herbs for Everyday Health
Urban Foraging
Allotment and Community Gardens

GARDEN FESTIVALS AND FOOD FAIRS

The Herb School offers a wide range of talks and demonstrations that showcase the richness of local, seasonal edible and medicinal plants. Denise’s sessions are lively and informative, incorporating tastings, live demonstrations and storytelling to create a memorable experience that attracts and captivates audiences.

Visitors are introduced to new flavours, techniques, and ideas that they can easily take home and try for themselves. Event organisers benefit from increased audience engagement, while visitors leave with a richer understanding of how herbs and wild plants can be used in everyday life.

GARDEN FESTIVALS AND FOOD FAIRS TOPICS

Festival Foraging Walks
Wild Food Cookery Demonstration
Wild Drinks and Cocktails
Wild Preserves and Condiments
Herb Tea Tasting Experience
Edible Wild Plants Showcase
Celtic Calendar & Traditional Plant Wisdom

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

With over 30 years of professional experience in herbs, wild plants, food, and herbal medicine, Denise brings both depth of knowledge and a warm, engaging presence to every event. Her ability to translate complex knowledge into practical, accessible insights makes her an inspiring speaker for a wide range of audiences.

Denise weaves together science, tradition, and storytelling, creating talks that are not only informative, but deeply memorable. As a keynote speaker, she can set the tone for an event, sparking curiosity, encouraging sustainable thinking, and leaving audiences with a lasting sense of connection to the natural world.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER TOPICS

The Power of Herbs in Everyday Life
Rediscovering Ireland’s Wild Food Heritage
Medicinal Herbs for Health and Wellbeing
Connecting with Nature Through Foraging
The Role of Herbs in Modern Cooking
The Future of Food: Local, Seasonal and Wild
Herbal Wisdom for Modern Living

Testimonials

What our participants say about their learning experience at The Herb School

Denise is a natural teacher, wears her knowledge lightly but engages her audience with her vast knowledge of the natural world and its medicinal bounty.

Máírtín Mac Con Iomaire, Chair, MA Gastronomy and Food Studies, TU Dublin

Delighted to host the excellent talk ‘Growing Herbs’ with Denise from The Herb School here in Blanchardstown library. The talk was sold out with excellent feedback from the attendees asking if we could schedule more of the same. We have booked Denise in for a further three talks here due to high demand!

Anne Tierney, Blanchardstown Library

I really enjoyed your talk and the follow up email. I’m a beginner to growing herbs, I’ve only really used dried herbs before. I found your talk very inspiring, that I could grow my own herbs, and it’s really much easier than I imagined.

Padraig Finnerty

Thank you very much for sending on the basil e-book. I am looking forward to the next three talks.

Maire Jones

Contact Us

Please leave us a brief message with your enquiry and we will get back to you!

Email denise@theherbschool.ie or fill out the form below.