A little bit about me:

I am a rubbish gardener. This year for the first time after many years of trying I had a posy of sweet peas for my birthday in July. I planted three packets of seeds and have only just managed to coax three plants into producing a few short stemmed flowers.

That said I love to pick things, cook something wonderful with them and eat. I am eternally grateful that herbs thrive on neglect so I can add flavour to my food at home. But even better than eating from the fruits of ones labour in the garden is finding and eating food for free.

To be honest. I have been foraging all my life I just didn’t realise that was what it was. As children we picked slows, horse mushrooms, samphire, cob nuts, and of course blackberries. We sucked honeysuckle and dead nettle flowers. Chewed various grasses until we found the sweetest, ate sorrel and daisy stalks which taste of carrots andrubbed common chamomile in our hands to make them smell sweet. With my ponies I ate clover and pulled up ragwort from their fields. I knew where the wonderful wild garlic grew from its pungency and where the terrifying giant hogweed lined the river threatening terrible sores. Puffballs were sources of wonderful explosions when dry and later a delicious pepperyness to eat.

As the youngest of four siblings I loved to be alone and in the wild. I even adopted my own wild hazel and called it mine picking the nuts still white and unripe at the end of the summer holidays, because I knew if I left them til I came back at Christmas there would be none. In the spring I walked the river banks picking primroses to make Grey Rabbit’s primrose wine.

I grew up and I continued to munch from the hedges as I walked various dogs and children, teaching my sons some of what I knew. I thought this was just my oddity. But I am beginning to realise that this curious interest of mine is not something to hide as a strange idiosyncrasy, but something to be celebrated and shared. So I started Forgotten Paths.

Creative Ways

They say that something or other is the mother of invention, well this bit is kind of proof. Shortly after a mastectomy and with a very smart charity auction to auctioneer for, I had nothing to wear. Off the peg solutions just seemed to fall in all the wrong places, so I decided to make something. I of course would need fabrics - but wouldn't you just know it all the floaty fabrics and jewel like colours I so desired seemed to cost a small fortune and as I hadn't sewn since school, I didn't want to take the risk of ruining something so expensive so I started musing. Sarees, I had always loved the colours and the way the fabrics could drape beautifully, then I thought, why not second hand sarees? I buy many of my clothes second hand from charity shops so could I do the same with my fabric and upcycle.

It felt right, I've always liked taking something and giving it a second life, furniture, clothes, even plants, so why not fabric. I looked locally and there was a specialist charity shop in Leicester only a few miles away- perfect. When I visited them for the first time they must have thought I was pretty strange as I delighted in every moment as I found Saree after Saree in the most stunning colours and softness. By the time I left I was virtually dancing with joy and laden with a whirl of colours, and a car full of ideas.
So it began, my first dress was a hit, and no-one seemed to guess it was home-made. So for a wedding soon after I made another, then a work evening event, another, I was having fun.

Off I went away for a weekend and needed a lightweight bag, again the shops just didn't have what I wanted and prices were so high, so I thought about it and made one, a rucksack I could roll up into itself and clip to my handbag when I didn't need it. With my cache of fabulous sarees I could make them in bright colours and really make them fun, and up-cycling to boot, At Auction I began to come across fabric off-cuts and remnant rolls, so I added to my collection and to the range creating different bags for every eventuality, from the smallest - my foraging bag (also great for dog walking), to my largest and latest project the wild swimming bag, giving you a mat, towel and bag all in one. Unforgottabags were born.

In July 2025 I suffered a fairly life-changing spine injury, which led to me having to suspend my foraging forays. So I focussed on my sewing. My son's wedding was another catalyst. They wanted five single breasted waistcoats, all in differing shades of green with double breasted in cream for the groom. Wanting to stick to my ethos of sustainablilty, I sourced off-cuts of many greens, and some fabulously whacky fabrics for the backs. Success and Wild Waistcoats began. Since then I have been making bespoke waistcoats for everything from weddings to rostrums check out the new page on the website.