Respectacle Company takes a team building trip to the Cotswolds

Last month, the Respectacle team headed off to the Cotswolds to embark on some staff training and team building. After the last couple of years of being restricted with what we could and couldn’t do, we thought it would be a good idea to do some training away from the shop. With the addition of some new people joining the team, it felt like the best way to get to know each other better in a relaxed and informal environment. As they say, a change is as good as a rest!

So, after work, we sped off down the motorway to the Cotswolds to discover more about ourselves and each other and some more product knowledge. Over a relaxed dinner and a respectable number of beverages, we discussed products, our customer service standards, and how we would make the world a better place!

We enjoyed an overnight stay at The Bear of Rodborough Hotel, just outside of Stroud. This fabulous old ale house overlooks the common. The building dates back to the 17th century and lies on what once was the main highway from London to Gloucester. In the 17th century it was tricky to navigate the steep hills into and out of the valley. So, the hotel was set above the settlement of Stroud. If you are ever in the Stroud area and need somewhere to stay, we can highly recommend The Bear of Rodborough. It’s a lovely old building with a significant past, expertly refurbished to incorporate many original features.

After breakfast the next day, we headed towards Minchinhampton common and the Burleigh Court Hotel. This boutique manor house hotel is where we met our host for the morning, Emmanuelle, a professional forager. Emmanuelle took us on a group ramble around the beautiful Cotswold countryside to introduce us to the world of foraging.

The weather was perfect, and we spent a great morning discovering the delights of our hedgerows, woodlands, and grasslands. The wild food foraging experience was thoroughly enjoyable. We were all amazed at the abundance of free food around us. While some of what we found is an acquired taste, a lot was surprisingly tasty. We learnt how to identify edible food, what plants to be wary of and which ones to avoid. We discussed Japanese knotweed, ground elder, yarrow, elderberries, and crab apples, to name just a few of the many leaves, berries, and nuts around us. It’s not until you know how and what to look for that you realise the enormous bounty of wild foods we have available.

We arrived back at the Burleigh Court Hotel – a former manor house with great views of the Stroud Valley and the River Severn – to a delicious lunch made from foraged ingredients. All in all, we had a great time. We learnt a lot about Respectacle, each other and the world of foraging. If you’re looking for a fun and engaging teambuilding activity, visit the Burleigh Court Hotel to discover more about their wild foraging experience.