Treat yourself to a unique encounter with the wild plants of our mountains, and learn how to recognise and use them in cooking and care, all in a natural setting!
Here, away from the crowds, you can enjoy a unique experience in touch with nature, discovering wild autumn plants and their traditional uses. The surrounding area is teeming with plants used by our ancestors for food and medicine. You’ll learn how to recognise and use them, combining folk traditions and modern herbalism, in a course led by Guillaume from Nature en Conscience, ethnobotanist, cook and gatherer.
After a welcome drink at the Hotel Plein Ciel, this experience will begin with a walk to discover the medicinal and edible plants of the Alps, where you will learn about their habitat, their intimacy, their distinctions and their ways of evolving. At the end of the day, you’ll pick some of the plants to make a wild aperitif and a medicinal preparation.
You’ll share a gourmet picnic in the great outdoors, with a breathtaking view of the surrounding peaks.
The day will continue at the Hôtel Plein Ciel with a processing workshop to introduce you to the creation of a medicinal product, to help you look after your health every day!
We’ll continue the adventure by making an aperitif, which you’ll enjoy afterwards. You’ll combine the plants you’ve harvested with creative, simple recipes based on seasonal produce, with the emphasis always on plant-based preparations. You’ll prepare dishes such as spreads, herbal cakes, roulades, etc. that will satisfy fans of natural cooking and epicureans alike. Herbal drinks are served with your dishes, which are best enjoyed on the terrace, overlooking a breathtaking panorama.
Le Plein Ciel, a hotel clinging to the mountainside, offers overnight accommodation in rooms combining comfort and a stunning view. This day will involve all our senses: touching, naming, observing, photographing, tasting, listening and walking.
Course od the day:
• 10:00 am: Welcome drink at the Plein Ciel hotel and luggage drop off
• 10:30 am : Botanical walk with plant recognition and picking
• 12:00 pm: Picnic in nature
• 03:00 pm : Culinary and medicinal transformation workshops
• 06:00 pm: Tasting of the wild aperitif, making of a medicinal product to take away
• 08:00 pm : Dinner
• Overnight stay at the Plein Ciel Hotel
Equipment needed:
• Clothing suitable for mountain weather conditions
• Paper or cloth collecting bag
• Knife or chisel
Validity dates
Subject to favorable weather.
Accessibility
Prestations
Prices
CHF 309.- / adult in a single room
CHF 63.- / child in a double or single room.
Minimum age for activity: 8 years old
Minimum number of participants: 5
Cancellation conditions: In the event of withdrawal 20 days before the course start date, for whatever reason, the full course fee will be retained.
The price includes
- Welcome drink at Hotel Plein Ciel and luggage drop-off
- 1-day walk and discovery workshop with an ethnobotanist
- 1 medicinal product to take home
- 1 overnight stay with half board at Hôtel Pein Ciel
The price excludes
- Transport to the hotel (Planachaux in Champéry)
- Individual equipment
Booking
Payment methods
- Bank/credit card
- Twint
Useful links
Location
Le Plein Ciel is a high altitude hotel which can be difficult to access in certain circumstances. It is possible to get there by car in summer.
You can also choose to arrive by train at the Champéry station. The Plein Ciel team will pick up your luggage at the station (before 3:30 pm). You can then take the Champéry cable car and walk to the hotel (10 min).