Fermentation Celebration 2026

Fermentation Celebration 2026: The Four Ks - kefir, kimchi, kombucha and kraut
An autumnal festival of harvest, preservation & abundance

You're invited to the fourth annual Fermentation Celebration: a joyful, bubbling day of bold flavours, nourishing traditions and shared discovery, set among the hillside gardens of OmVed.

This year's theme is the Four Ks: kefir, kimchi, kombucha and kraut, four fermented foods championed for their remarkable benefits to gut health.

In the morning, settle in for rapid-fire talks and Q&As with an expert on each of the four Ks. In the afternoon, the different spaces of our garden come alive with hands-on sessions, where you'll use all your senses to connect with ingredients from the garden, making your own kefir, kimchi, kombucha or kraut with expert guidance, tasting as you go, and taking home starters and ferments to continue at your own kitchen counter.

Whether you're just beginning your fermentation journey or already a devoted enthusiast, we look forward to welcoming you for a day of shared learning, meaningful connections and surprising tastes.

• Demystifying Q&As | Hear from fermentation experts and chefs as they share knowledge, stories and insights into this ancient craft.
• Hands-on sessions | Learn by doing, using OmVed garden produce with expert guidance. Some ferments and starters will be available to take home. please bring your own jars!
• Artisans' market | Browse and taste a vibrant selection of small-batch, handcrafted fermented goods, discover new favourites, take home something special, and meet local makers. Where the Leaves Fall magazine will also be on sale.
• Fermenting enthusiasts' exchange | Share stories, recipes, starters and ferments with fellow fermenters. Bring along anything you'd like to swap or share!
• OmVed Kitchen | Open throughout the day for teas, coffees and cold drinks.

Schedule
• 10.00am | Doors & artisans' market open
• 10.30am–1.00pm | Talks & Q&As: kefir, kimchi, kombucha, kraut
• 1.00–2pm | Seasonal vegetarian lunch
• 2–4pm | Hands-on sessions & take-home starters (Bring your own jars)

Tickets
The best way to experience the festival is the full-day ticket with lunch: morning talks, afternoon hands-on sessions, and a delicious seasonal vegetarian lunch in between, featuring OmVed-grown produce cooked in the OmVed kitchen, with fermented collaborations from some of the artisans in our market.

You can also choose:
• Full day (talks + hands-on sessions)
• Morning only (talks & Q&As)
• Afternoon only (hands-on sessions)
• Lunch can be added to any ticket. Served 1.00–2pm.

Meet your expert guides

Jihyun "Kimmy" Kim | Kimchi & Radish
Kimchi facilitator

Jihyun "Kimmy" Kim is a Korean kimchi expert, author and founder of London-based Kimchi & Radish. Born and raised in South Korea, her work is inspired by the food, seasons and kimchi traditions she grew up with. She is the author of KIMCHI: 80 Recipes for Classic Kimchi and Modern Twists, and is passionate about sharing the culture, craft and joy of Korean kimchi.

Kimmy will be speaking in the morning talks, running a hands-on drop-in workshop in the afternoon, and selling her kimchi at the artisans' market.

Elena Deminska | FERMARY
Sauerkraut (kraut) facilitator

Elena Deminska draws on extensive experience across the food industry, inherited fermentation knowledge and a decade of professional fermenting. She has built two award-winning fermentation brands, most recently FERMARY, and mentors food businesses on commercial fermentation, branding and strategic direction, bringing both deep experience and a highly creative approach to kraut.

Her session looks beyond the classic cabbage kraut to what is possible with the seasonal produce already around us: an invitation to experiment, taste and leave inspired to create extraordinary krauts from very ordinary ingredients.

Elena will be speaking in the morning talks, running a hands-on drop-in workshop in the afternoon, and selling her ferments at the artisans' market.

Sam Murphy | Ki Kefir
Kefir facilitator

Sam Murphy is the co-founder of Ki Kefir. Originally from Yorkshire, with family roots in fermenting and a grandad who ran a homebrew market stall, fermenting was perhaps always going to find its way back to her. After fifteen years working in the health industry and making kefir at home, she saw a gap for really good quality, authentic kefir, and Ki was born in her small London kitchen in 2019.

Now based in East Sussex, Ki ferments hundreds of litres of milk each week and delivers across the UK. Sam has stayed true to the old-school traditions of kefir making, and sources milk from organic and regenerative farms, supporting farming that is better for the animals, the soil and the planet.

Sam will be speaking in the morning talks, running a hands-on drop-in workshop in the afternoon, and selling her kefir at the artisans' market.

Nataliia Kalnytska | Vesna Kombucha
Kombucha facilitator

Nataliia Kalnytska is the founder of Vesna Kombucha, a small-batch kombucha brand inspired by her Ukrainian heritage and childhood memories of brewing kombucha with her grandmother. Now based in the UK, Nataliia combines traditional fermentation practices with a passion for natural ingredients, creating raw, unpasteurised kombucha brewed in glass.

Through Vesna, she celebrates the art of fermentation, the connection between nature and tradition, and the beauty of bringing time-honoured practices into modern life.

Nataliia will be speaking in the morning talks, running a hands-on drop-in workshop in the afternoon, and selling her kombucha at the artisans’ market.

About The Four Ks
The "Four Ks" of fermentation were popularised by Tim Spector, professor of epidemiology at King's College London and co-founder of ZOE, as a shorthand for four of the best everyday foods for gut health. The processes themselves are ancient, practised across cultures for centuries, but the grouping has become a handy way in for anyone curious about fermenting at home.

Kefir: a fermented dairy drink with origins in the Caucasus Mountains
Kimchi: Korea's traditional salted and fermented vegetable dish
Kombucha: a sweetened, gently effervescent fermented tea from East Asia
Kraut: fermented cabbage, best known as sauerkraut

Fermentation Celebration is endorsed by the Fermenters Guild

Explore OmVed's gardens & spaces
Our hillside garden weaves together meadows, vegetable plots, ponds and orchards into a green village alive with biodiversity. Wander through beautifully reimagined spaces that highlight the connection between food, nature and community — including the new Barn, the Seed Library, the vegetable gardens and the wildflower meadows.

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www.omvedgardens.com @omvedgardens

Practical Information

A note on accessibility
The gardens are set on a hill, featuring steep paths and may not be suitable for those with limited mobility. Wheelchair access across the site is currently limited while landscape works are underway. For events, there is drop-off access by car to the Barn main building. If you require wheelchair drop-off, please get in touch with us at least 48 hours ahead of time. There is an accessible toilet located inside the Barn.

There is no visitor parking so we encourage you to cycle, walk or take public transport. Google Maps Directions
We unfortunately cannot allow any furry friends unless they are guide/support animals. Please let us know in advance if you need to bring them with you. Children are the responsibility of their parents or guardians and should not be left unattended at any time when they are on site. We have ponds - members of the public are not permitted in the pond at any time.

Volunteers
We welcome volunteering your time in exchange for a ticket. Do get in touch with us at events@omvedgardens.com in you are interested. 

Fermentation / Preservation Makers or Related Products in London? Would you like to be a part of our marketplace? Get in touch! Write to us at events@omvedgardens.com

Subsidised Tickets
A small number of subsidised tickets are available for this event. If cost is a barrier, please write to us at events@omvedgardens.com — we'd love to help you join us. Subject to availability.

Refund Policy
These tickets are non-refundable or exchangeable, except in the circumstance that the event sells out and a waiting list may exist for the event.