Grow Cook Inspire

In the first episode of a new mini series, leading up to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which kicks off in May, Helen speaks with the CEO of the charity organisation, Project Giving Back, Hattie Ghaui. They discuss the main drive of Project Giving Back to create gardens for good causes, which will have a lasting legacy following the prestigious event, the charities involved and what are the plans beyond 2024. To find out more about Project Giving Back visit www.projectgivingback.org.uk and to find out more about the RHS visit www.rhs.org.uk. 🪴Please do subscribe, share and review the podcast and to find out more about Helen go to her new website www.growcookinspire.com

In today’s episode Helen has headed down to London on the back of ‘turnip’ gate to visit a pioneering food and growing up in central London. Helen talks with Tom Walk, chef and food educator to find out more about The Hackney Food of School, which was established in 2019 by the LEAP Federation of Schools and with the support of the charity Chefs in Schools. With its own kitchen garden, bees and chicken, the school offers an immersive experience in growing and cooking real food. www.Hackneyschooloffood.com Plus Helen reveals more about the brand new Chefs in Schools Tool Kit, which has just launched. This brand new tool kit, which is free to download, will help schools snd communities to create their very own food education hubs up and down the country. www.chefs in schools.org.uk If you enjoyed listening to today’s episode please do subscribe, share and review and check out Helen’s new website over at www.growcookinspire.com 💚🪴🌸

After a short break Helen is back from her half term vacation. This week she interviews founder of Urban Herbs, Andrew Perry. Andrew has been on the show before but is back with news of a new book and much more. She and Andrew talk about the growth of the business, digging up his front garden to grow food and how to reach out to a new audience. His debut book The Herb Gardening Handbook will be published on March the 30th. For more information visit www.urban-herbs.co.uk Plus on the garden and food edit Helen shares some news about Real Bread Week and the first Scottish Real Bread Festival, taking place at Bowhouse in Fife. Www.sustainweb.org & scotlandthebread.org. Helen also reveals the faces behind the Guardian’s new gardening column and sweet peas are being sown, with hopes of towering flowering tee pees all summer long.

This week marks Children’s Mental Health Week organised by the charity Place2Be. In this weeks episode of Grow Cook Inspire, Helen shares why gardening can have a positive impact on the mental health of children and young people. She also shares ways to incorporate ways to make your garden good for your well-being as well as news of a new RHS wellbeing training course for teachers. Plus Helen interviews gardener, author and master of no dig gardening Charles Dowding about his new book ‘No Dig Gardening for Children’ which provides fun, practical and accessible ideas to get children growing and gardening. And to celebrate the release of this new book she will be running a giveaway over on her Instagram page @grow_cook_inspire, on Thursday the 9 Feb to win a copy of the book.💚📚🍃. https://charlesdowding.co.uk/. https://www.amazon.co.uk/RHS-Your-Wellbeing-Garden-Practice/dp/0241386721/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?adgrpid=92813774093&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIr-6Hr-CG_QIVCZntCh3migI2EAAYASAAEgL8w_D_BwE&hvadid=415308057759&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=1007336&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=12875233096161618508&hvtargid=kwd-777165290358&hydadcr=2532_1795130&keywords=rhs+your+wellbeing+garden&qid=1675887751&sr=8-1 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/roots-to-wellbeing-tickets-515008984737. https://www.place2be.org.uk

In this week’s episode Helen interviews the award winning journalist, author & gardener Kim Stoddart about her new book she has written with Sally Morgan, The Climate Change Garden. We discuss how the book evolved from her own experiences of climate change and the impact it has had on her own garden. The book provides guidance and help to garden with nature in mind, and provides hope for resilient and productive gardens as well as ways to tackle eco anxiety amongst children. 🪴 https://climatechangegarden.uk. The Garden Edit - Helen shares her top tips for planet friendly gardening, there is news of another new book called the Resilient Garden from the award winning designer Tom Masey out on the 6th of April 📚 https://www.waterstones.com/book/rhs-resilient-garden/tom-massey/9780241575833 Plus check out Harriet Plants if you want to find out more about peat free houseplants in the UK 🪴 www.harrietsplants.Co.uk

Have you ever questioned why you garden and grow things? What drives you? What makes you keep returning to the soil year after year? Well, author and journalist Alice Vincent has pondered this and has been on a search for answers to discover more about why women in particular garden. In today’s show Helen talks to Alice about her third book Why Women Grow, as well as the creation of her debut podcast which is by the same name. ( 🪴 www.Alicevincent.co.uk) 📚 Plus Helen shares her top picks of new Cookery and gardening books, which have caught her eye this week (What’s for dinner? By Sarah Rossie, How to Grow a Herb Garden by Andrew Perry, The Flowerpot Forager by Stuart Overdon and A Year Full of Veg by Sarah Raven. 🌸 Finally there is also a reminder that snow drop season is upon us. You can find inspiration for walks from rhs.org.uk and also ngs.org.uk and scotlandsgardens.org.uk

With Valentines Day just around the corner, Helen takes a look at just how sustainable our love for roses at this time of year really is and she also delves a little deeper into the UK’s flourishing cut flower market. This week Helen is joined by flower farmers Marianne Mogendorff & Camila Romain, who are behind Wolves Lane Flower Company in North London and they are also the authors of How To Grow The Flowers, as well as Rachel Masterton of The Pretty Wild Flower Company in Dumfries and Galloway. Helen discusses with all three their pathway to flower farming, the highs and lows as well as their alternatives to roses for Valentines Day and how they are working to make wedding flowers more sustainable too. Please do subscribe, share and review the podcast. 🌸Www.wolveslaneflowercompany.com 🌸www.theprettywildflowerco.com. 🌸www.flowersfromthefarm.Co.uk. 🌸www.flowersgrowninscotland.Co.uk

Hello and a very happy New Year and welcome back to Grow Cook Inspire. This week we are celebrating National House Plant Week, timely as outside is grim, dark and wet. This week Helen here’s from some friends of the podcast who share with us what they love about houseplants. Plus Helen interviews Sarah Gerrard Jones, author of the Plant Rescuer and all round houseplant saviour 🪴 @theplantrescurer. And she also speaks with Tik Tok & terrarium sensation Ben Newall 🪴 @worcesterterrariums. Plus we hear about two exciting garden design competitions taking place at this years Scone Garden Fair and the RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival. If that’s not all, we’ve got a timely reminder to sign up to sign up to this year’s RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch. All the details are below… ⬇️ www.rspb.org.uk 💚 www.rhs.org.uk. 💚www.scone-Palace.Co.uk

To round up 2022 I bring you a bonus winter episode of the podcast. I’m joined by Beechgrove presenter and primary teacher Lizzie Schofield. We talk about coastal gardening on the north east of Scotland, willow weaving & being crowned Gardeners World Garden of the year. 💚 Instagram @cuthbertsbrae_garden Plus I share my top reads for 2022 and a recipe for carrot and almond cake which won’t last long! And finally a huge well done to Niall McCauley who won the Alan Titchmarsh New Talent of the Year Award at this years Gardening Media Awards. You can follow Niall on Instagram @niallgardens and be sure to subscribe to his you tube channel. One to watch for sure. 💚