Valentine’s Day & the herbal heart: History, folklore & tasting evening

£13 including a glass of wine or soft drink

Ever wondered what Valentine’s Day looked like before supermarket roses and pink cards? Local medical herbalist Kristine De Block invites you to an evening of tasting and storytelling that follows Valentine’s Day back to saints, secret notes, midwinter rituals about health, luck, and getting people safely through the dark of the year.

From there we turn to the medicinal plants. You’ll explore some of the herbs people have reached for when the heart is in trouble – racing with nerves, heavy with grief, tangled up in love, or simply too tired to care. Kristine will introduce a few classic “heart herbs”, share the folklore and real stories wrapped around them, and talk about simple preparations you can make in an ordinary kitchen.

You’ll go home with a very different sense of what Valentine’s Day can mean, and a handful of herbal ideas to play with at home. No prior knowledge needed – just curiosity and a love for natural things.

Notes

The talk will be in the Museum’s Woodcock Room which on the first floor, accessed by a platform lift. There is more information about accessibility here: Please get in touch with any queries about accessibility, or any requirements that we might need to know about to make your visit as straightforward as possible.

Please make sure you have checked details before ordering tickets. It is necessary for the museum to charge a cancellation fee of £1 to cover credit card and administration costs.