Matthew Seal

Master Herbalist

Matthew Seal’s first recorded proper words (according to his mother, who wouldn’t exaggerate on such a matter) were ‘meadowsweet’, uttered on a nature walk in the River Trent marshes when he was nearly 3.

Matthew grew up in a family of gardeners and botanists and, while not following his kinfolk into professional gardening or horticulture, has never forgotten this early ‘greening’.

Matthew has a history degree from the University of Sussex, and since the 1970s has worked as an editor and writer in books, magazines and newspapers, in both the UK and South Africa. He was founder of the Professional Editors' Guild in South Africa in 1993. He is author of Survive and Thrive in the New South Africa (2000). He continues to be a freelance book editor, and is an advanced professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading (CIEP). He was for three years revise subeditor of Business Report, the largest-selling business daily in South Africa, and was publications director of the Society for Editors and Proofreaders (SfEP), the predecessor to the CIEP, 2004–08.

Together with his wife Julie Bruton-Seal, they have written six books together, all published by Merlin Unwin Books: Hedgerow Medicine (2008), Kitchen Medicine (2010), Make Your Own Aphrodisiacs (2012), The Herbalist’s Bible (2014), Wayside Medicine (2017) and Eat your Weeds! (2022). All have been published in North America (sometimes under different titles).

Julie and Matthew live in the Norfolk village of Ashwellthorpe, near Wymondham, and their Tudor cottage is the venue for teaching herbal courses and conducting herb walks and other herb-related gatherings, including medicine-making. They have been vegetarians and now (almost) vegans for many years, and wish they had more time to spend in their over-exuberant and very organic forest garden!