Humans of Hospitality

#129 Hamish Martin - The Secret Garden - Edinburgh

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Episode notes

Hamish is a brave soul who at the age of 41, with his own business and a career working around the wine and whisky trade decided that his number one love in the world was plants.  Not only was he brave enough to sell the business, he was crazy enough to have no idea where his next adventure would take him.  He pretty much let the plants decide.  He went off on a learning journey meeting an inspirational medicine man along the way.  A dream and a country walk and soon enough he’d stumbled across a beautiful plot of land not far from the city.  Well, dilapidated and covered in weeds may have been a better description for most, but for Hamish, it was a vision of beauty and he convinced his wife, 4 kids and five dogs to live in a mobile home on the land and create something beautiful.

Now he has a distillery, a cafe, a herb garden, an owl, an actual house and an incredible story to tell.  Along with products in M&S, Fortnum and Mason and more. Unlike most in hospitality Hamish sees a herb as medicinal rather than culinary.  His description of a dandelion will make you see the plant and the universe through new eyes.  His willingness to go on a journey with no plan will inspire you to be brave and take risks and follow your heart, perhaps more than your head.  He’s also about to convince you to stop feeling guilty about not mowing your lawn enough, and that alone is a great reason to listen.

Whatever you are doing, enjoy the image of Hamish and his owl, in a tree house, overlooking his garden, yet still nailing being yet another wonderful human of hospitality.  

Find Hamish on the website or on instagram or twitter