Margaret Soraya who lives on the island and is a wonderfully creative soul has offered this lovely blog post. We live on such a special little island, it can be a beautiful retreat from the hurly burly of everyday life.
One of the highlights of the Creative Light Festival, held in Harris in early October, was a private evening at the Harris Distillery with Amanda from A.S Apothecary. As the rain lashed down outside and the fire crackled, a group of over 50 people from around the world gathered to enjoy a taste of Wild Eve or Harris Gin while Amanda spoke with her usual vibrant enthusiasm and deep love for her craft. Her heartfelt stories of developing, making, and sharing her products were inspiring and entertaining and helped the group understand more about the island they were visiting. The Creative Light Festival was designed to bring together a community of creative people who want to share inspiration, experiences, and a sense of belonging and take a step out of their everyday lives and find time for their own wellbeing. That could take the form of being creative, learning new skills, being outdoors, or simply making new friends in a caring and supportive environment. Amanda’s approach to life and her business, rooted in nature, creativity, and authenticity, was the perfect fit for everyone that evening.
Amanda invited us to explore the botanicals she uses in her balms, creams, tinctures, and plant-based drink, Wild Eve, from familiar local plants to rarer ingredients. Many in the group enjoyed their first taste of Wild Eve that evening, brought to life by Amanda’s storytelling and the sense of connection to the land that infuses her work. As a non-drinker myself, I love having a special drink like Wild Eve on hand for those moments when something feels worth celebrating. The group left the distillery with a real flavour of the island and deep sense of Amanda’s real passion for creating natural, wild, and beautifully restorative products that are rooted in both wellbeing and nature itself