The Really Wild Emporium

22/04/2025

Apparently today is Earth Day 2025... Whilst we believe we should celebrate the awe-inspiring natural ecosystems, flora and fauna around us EVERY DAY, it's a good chance to bring it to the spotlight!

St David's has officially been titled Wales first bee-friendly city! 🐝

Without bees our ecosystems would collapse - they are a vital part of our food chains, pollinating flowers, crops etc. which in turn feeds everything higher up the food web!

For those more fact-focused, these important insects contribute approximately £690million* each year to the UK's economic benefit in pollination to crop production! (*Source: WWF)

So the next time you see a buzzy busy bee frantically searching for a flower, maybe share a little thought of 'thank you' rather than swatting it away! We're proud to be part of Wales' first bee-friendly city!

18/04/2025

JULIA'S STORE TOUR! 🚪

Join us for a quick two minute tour round the Pembrokeshire Hedge-botherer's treasure trove of foraged fancies! Julia gives us a little insight into some of the things she'd been busy preparing over the last nine months, in preparation for her month of eating food only from the 'wild'!

You can read more about how she's getting on with her wild food diet (as part of the Wild Biome Research Project) on our latest blog (🔗 in bio) or through her personal channel .on.the.edge. We'll be back next week with a few more tips on how to use some of these intriguing ingredients!

15/04/2025

HALF WAY THROUGH! 🌱

Julia ( .on.the.edge ) is half way through her month of eating food sourced only from the 'wild', as part of the Wild Biome Research Project!

Find out how she's doing (and what this meal contains) by reading our latest blog here: www.reallywildemporium.co.uk/foraging-news/wild-biome and give her a cheer of support....she's doing amazingly!

15/04/2025

Torth y Tir - Loaf of the Land are calling out for BAKERS!

It would be AMAZING to see a city bakery back at 26 High Street as our neighbours. It would be the perfect piece of the historical St Davids puzzle having a bakery back where one once was (and let's be honest...this city is yearning for freshly baked bread...and pastries!).

If you're a baker and you fancy a new venture, check out Torth y Tir's post and get in touch!

URGENT CALL OUT FOR BAKERS 🍞 EXCITING OPPORTUNITY IN ST DAVID'S, PEMBROKESHIRE!

We are looking for a baker or two who would like to join us in an exciting project to revive the City Bakery in beautiful St David’s, Pembrokeshire!

First established in 1880, the City Bakery finally shut down its ovens in the 1960s with the advent of sliced white and supermarkets. Britain’s smallest city hasn’t had a proper bakery since those days.

Now 26 High Street, formerly Susan’s hair salon, is looking for new tenants, and the owner – whose great grandfather built the original bakery – would be interested in seeing the grand three-storey building, with a small courtyard, return to its baking roots.

There is space for a bakery, a small retail area, and a utility room on the ground floor. Above, on the first floor, there is a simple one bedroom flat, with two further rooms in the attic.

After a series of discussions with business consultants and local authorities, we are advised that the best way forward in terms of securing grants for refurbishment and equipment would be to first set up a joint partnership with a baker or two. Then we can make an offer to the owner on a long-term lease. This means time is of the essence.

We are a small community benefit society run mainly by volunteers. We are growing heritage wheat – Millers Choice and April Bearded – with a local farmer, and mill our grain at an ancient water mill in St Dogmaels. We have funds to start kitting out a bakery, but will need further investment. There is strong local demand for a good bakery, plus a seasonal influx of visitors.

Whether you live in the area or have long dreamed of leaving the big city behind to live and work in one of the most beautiful areas of Britain with a great community, then please drop me an email or give me a call.

We would love to hear from artisanal bakers with experience and energy who would help us shape and build this project.

PS: The surf and beaches are wonderful.

Email: [email protected] (m) 07767565880

07/04/2025

ANOTHER ACCOLADE? Oh...go on then! ⭐

We are incredibly proud to have been awarded SUPERHOST on Airbnb for our three beautiful, bespoke ensuite rooms based in the heart of St Davids! In order to achieve this we have had to achieve a 5* overall rating over the past year, with a 100% host response rate (and a 0% host cancellation rate).

Our three double rooms are situated on the top floor of The Really Wild Emporium, and offer guests stylish comfort in a superb city-centre location (and at competitive prices!).

Our bespoke, ensuite rooms showcase our values of sustainability and reclamation throughout - each room using materials that have been recycled from the buildings' original features. The furniture has been lovingly hand-crafted by local carpenters, to continue the rustic-chic theme that is characteristic of The Really Wild Emporium.

We have some availability for all of our rooms coming up, so do visit our website to make your booking!

26/03/2025

THEY'VE DONE IT! 🥳🥳🥳

The four warrior women of have just finished their painstaking row across the ATLANTIC! Eeee!

They've also made two world firsts in the process; Sophie has become the first person to make the crossing with Cystic Fibrosis and Janine is the oldest person (at 70 years young) to row an ocean! Along with their other two amazing team mates Polly and Miyah, these four incredible women have completed one of the toughest tests of endurance a human can do!

We are proud to have sponsored you with our ocean friendly skincare products, and hope they helped you to feel (even a little) bit more comfortable on such a gruelling journey!

From all of us here at The Really Wild Emporium - BENDIGEDIG!!! We're super proud of you all! Enjoy all the celebrations, as well as a very good sleep!!! We will look forward to seeing you when you return to the UK!

Three words to sum up how it's felt following your journey?... Amazing, awe-inspiring, incredible 💪🫶

26/03/2025

WORKSHOPS COMING UP! ⭐

Last year we introduced a number of indoor workshops here at The Really Wild Emporium! We've got a dedicated 'course room' where we are able to hold bespoke workshops for small groups.

In April and May we are super excited to welcome back the wonderful, talented local artist Molly Macleod ! She will be running three different course types at Really Wild this year; Seaweed Pressing, Cyanotype and Monoprinting!

These three techniques allow you to create incredible artwork, whilst learning all about the properties and amazing structures of various seaweed species. For more information about each workshop, and booking, visit the web 🔗 in our bio!

Maybe 2025 is the year you learn a new REALLY WILD craft?

🐝

23/03/2025

JULIA'S GOING FULL FORAGE! 🌱

Julia, our Creative Director, company creator, and one of the pair at the helm of all things Really Wild, is embarking on an interesting journey this April...

On April 1st Julia will be joining approximately 100 other foragers from around the UK, and a few from other countries, in eating only from ‘the wild’ for between 1-3 months. This is a scientific research project following ancient ancestral diets to see how they affect our gut biome and general health.

Before and during the project all of the participants will be testing their gut microbiome, hair, nails and blood to see what the health impacts are, and keeping a record of their daily diets on a special wild food tracker app.

What they are ‘allowed’ to eat is pretty restricted: no butters or oils or dairy or sugars. They won't be able to use flour unless it is from acorns, sweet chestnuts, dock seeds etc that have been collected and processed themselves. They also can't use anything that has been planted specifically for food, so nothing from veg gardens or orchards!

Julia will be writing and posting about how she's managing as she goes along - we will also be updating you on her journey via this channel too!

16/03/2025

NEW FORMULA ALERT! 🚨

Spring is just around the corner, and with that, hopefully, some more sun! (keep the sun dances coming!)...

Over winter we decided to give our Mermaid Skin Soothing Seaweed Gel a makeover! We've upped the amount of aloe leaf extract and blended lavender essential oil in with the lemon, to help leave you feeling suitably soothed!

We've found this to be a best selling product in the summer months, and particularly useful if you've been out in the sun all day, due to the cooling effects of seaweed and aloe extracts.

It is available to purchase from our online store now, or in-person from our shop in St Davids, so be sure to stock up in time for the sunshine! ☀️

09/03/2025

FORAGE WITH US IN MARCH! 🌱

The hedgerows are turning greener and the evenings are getting lighter, which means...you guessed it....more time for foraging! 😁

We have various session times for our Beginners Hedgerow Foraging and Seashore Foraging courses throughout March. Scroll to see the dates and times we have available, and if there's one you fancy, then waste no time in getting booked on as they're filling up quickly!

Whether you want to learn more about the culinary uses of some common hedgerow plants and flowers, or have your brain baffled by the impressive nutrient profile of various seaweeds, we've got the course (and course guide) for you!

🐝

Visit Pembrokeshire

21/02/2025

CRUISING FREE! ⭐

You may have seen some of our previous posts and stories highlighting the incredible feat that four Pembrokeshire women currently undertaking...

Sophie, Janine, Polly and Miyah are currently rowing across the Atlantic in one of the world's toughest tests of endurance, the ! As if that wasn't enough, they will be achieving two world records when they complete the race - Sophie will be the first person with Cystic Fibrosis, and Janine will be the oldest woman to row the Atlantic!

We are proud sponsors of the Cruising Free 2025 team, by supplying them with a range of our eco-friendly, natural soap and skincare products! Julia has been repping the team by wearing her team hoody, and we've been telling many of our customers how are doing (swipe for their current location-they're the orange boat!).

Keep going ladies, you're doing amazingly!
From all of us here at The Really Wild Emporium ⭐

Third photo by Cara Gaskell Photography

13/02/2025

MORE WORKSHOPS!!? 😲

That's right! We're excited to introduce TWO MORE new workshops to our 2025 calendar...

The wonderful Susan from Coppicewood will be joining us this year on three separate days, to run two of her print-based workshops! 🌱

Learn the art of Tataki zome (or 'flower pounding') or Botanical Printing, in these 1.5hr or 3hr (respectively) workshops! More information on what to expect, dates, times and booking can be found on our website (🔗 in bio!).

WE CAN'T WAIT! 🌼

04/02/2025

ARE YOU A REALLY WILD LOYAL CUSTOMER? 💫

We know that there are plenty of you out there, and we'd like to thank you for your continued support and custom ⭐

We reward our top 10% of online orderers with a 10% off coupon in January...and now it's time for those who shop in-store with us, to get a little reward too!

Get a buzzy bee stamp every time* you buy a Really Wild Soap & Skincare product in our Really Wild Shop (found upstairs at The Really Wild Emporium) and get 10% off your 8th in-store shop (all of it!).

If you're anything like me, you get a little flustered when someone asks if you have a loyalty card at the checkout, so we aren't about to start asking every single shopper (especially given how many one-off visitors we get), so do ask our wonderful shop assistants for a loyalty card if you want one, and feel free to shove it under our nose when you come to pay! 🙃

We look forward to seeing you in-store soon and giving you a buzzy bee stamp (because let's be honest, we all love stamping things...just me?...) 🐝

* A stamp will be given each time you buy a Really Wild Soap & Skincare product with your in-store shop. You will receive one stamp per shop, even if buying multiple Really Wild products. It does not apply to other items in store (food, drink, homeware etc).

🐝 🐝 🐝

13/01/2025

CRUISING FREE ATLANTIC ROW 2025 🌎

This time of year Pembrokeshire often goes into the annual low season hibernation... businesses tend to take holiday and many residents choose to go abroad to sunnier, brighter climates...

However, four remarkable Pembrokeshire ladies are doing quite the opposite... they are taking on an adventure like no other in just ten days time, when they will take part in the , rowing across the Atlantic ocean unsupported in a 'teeny tiny' boat! Not only that, but they're hoping to claim two world records as they cross the finish line, whilst raising money for three charities close to their hearts (read more about this in our latest blog).

Here at Really Wild, John and Julia were delighted to take the opportunity to sponsor the Cruising Free team, by supplying them with some of our natural, ocean-friendly skincare products. The ladies trialled a range of our Really Wild soap and skincare products for over a year, and hand picked the ones they thought would be the most beneficial for them on their adventure! The Atlantic Row is due to set off on 23rd January 2023 and we will be sharing updates from the team on our social media account. You can also follow their adventure here:

One of the team members, Polly, sent us a few words about her discovery of The Really Wild Emporium, and we were so touched by her kind words that we wanted to share a few excerpts... to see the full piece of writing on our latest blog 'Cruising Free - Atlantic Row 2025', click the link in our bio!

Polly, Miyah, Sophie and Janine - we wish you all of our luck, support, well wishes and strength, YOU GOT THIS! 💪

Photo copyright and credit: Cara Gaskell Photography (.gaskell)

05/01/2025

REALLY WILD RESTAURANT CLOSED FOR JANUARY! ✋

Our wonderful Front-of-House and Kitchen Teams deserved a well-earned holiday after a busy festive season! So our restaurant and café is now closed until the middle of February - we will be announcing our Spring offerings in the next couple of weeks, so watch this space!

Our shop will remain open on reduced, ad hoc hours...if you're planning a special trip to St Davids to see us, do let us know in advance and we will do our best to make sure that the shop is open!

Once again, thank you for another year of your support, and we look forward to welcoming you through our restaurant doors again soon!

With really wild wishes,
The Really Wild Team!

31/12/2024

HWYL FAWR 2024! 💫

Join us for a quick glance back through some of our highlights of 2024...

We'd also like to take this opportunity to thank you all SO MUCH for your continued support for our ever-growing business throughout the last year.

It is a notoriously difficult time at present, for independent businesses (especially those who have recently opened) - we wouldn't still be here without the fantastic support from all of our regular, and new, customers!

We move into 2025 as passionate as ever about our wild world; educating and inspiring people to work sustainably with nature, rather than against it. Visit our website (link in bio) for more information on what we will be offering next year, and let us show you a REALLY WILD time!

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#2024 #2025