
‘Nature-positivity’ abounds in this delightful meadow at Rosemains Steading, near Pathhead, where there is a glorious 8-acre meadow (now one of two, with a third in progress in East Lothian). Birdsong is the soothing backdrop to our floral feast day, along with gentle ‘sound bathing’ gongs in a yoga tent.
Right from the start, after experienced nature conservationist and botanist Dr Sally Gouldstone gave birth to her daughter in 2018, her intention was to create a way in which she could use nature’s products sustainably, promoting a healthier future interaction between nature & business.
Sally walks us through a knee-deep visual timeline of meadow development, where we begin to understand nature’s way. She explains how statistics claiming we have lost 97% of our wild meadows do not take into account that these early meadows would not have existed in the first place without farming - traditional regenerative farming methods, as opposed to modern high-density farming.

At Seilich (Gaelic for willow), flowers & plant materials are hand-picked at their peak to only 25% of availability, leaving plenty of material to encourage thriving biodiversity and avoid disturbance to beneficial insect pollinators. Annual hay-cropping (which will be done this autumn using Shire horses), helps to naturally turn over & refresh the soil and seeds without destroying their natural life and structure. The flowers grown also lend themselves to the prettiest bottles of herbal tea ever to grace a shelf, under the expertise of ex-Napiers herbalist, Nicole.
Using cold processes and onsite oil distillations with local alternatives rather than high-air miles ingredients such as cocoa butter or aloe vera, the results are all very attractively presented. We tried some and experienced the glow created within our rose-scented auras.
Not only has Selich gained the first Wildlife Friendly certification in the UK but products such as their refreshingly gentle peppermint cleansing gel and meadow face oil, helped them win Best Wildcrafted Beauty Brand 2022.
Family-friendly with regular events and open days (also onsite is the UK’s first dedicated alcohol-free brewery, Jump Ship), their circular business model uses the profits of harvesting ingredients from their meadows to create additional wildlife habitat for the benefit of nature. All without compromise to business pressures and wholesale cropping that might otherwise damage the essential fragile balance they seek to maintain and expand on while increasing public awareness of what we need to value and protect and how to go about it.