Grow Cook Inspire

Today’s episode is the finale of series 5. I talk with the creative force that is Victoria the talent behind the Instagram account Sprout Surrey (💚 Instagram @sprout.Surrey) From studying fashion design to working in the world of PR in London, Victoria found herself longing for her green leafy roots, back home in Surrey. Like many people over the last two years Victoria has gone back to school to learn more about her number one passion in life, gardening. Settle form and grab a cuppa. I could have chatted to Victoria for hours. Apologies for the tech mishap!

In today’s show I meet and talk with former ballet dancer and now dance teacher and gardening writer, Andy Peasgood. We talk about his phenomenal career, and how he has found a new creative release in gardening. Having recently moved into a new build estate in Glasgow he has transformed what is a very modest space into a haven for plants and wildlife. It just goes to show you don’t need acres of land to be green fingered. You can chart Andy’s garden adventures on his Instagram account @andypeasgood 💚 Supported by Plant Grow UK.

Today I chat with journalist and author Rhiannon Batten who has recently published her very first cook book along side Laura Rowe. The book, Rustle Up, published by Pavilion, is filled with over 80 recipes, all of which are just one paragraph long but are packed full of flavour and with minimum fuss. Tried and tested the recipes are ideal whether you are cooking for one, or feeding a growing family. 🙌 https://uk.bookshop.org/books/rustle-up-one-paragraph-recipes-for-flavour-without-fuss/9781911682349 Instagram @rhiannonbatten

It is officially Autumn, which means it is time to celebrate all things pumpkins and that is the subject of todays show In todays episode we talk with Lucy Calder, one half of the husband and wife team behind Kilduff Farm in the heart of East Lothian and home to Kilduff’s Pumpkin Festival. The dynamic duo are passionate about educating inspiring people about where there food comes from. As well as the traditional carving pumpkins they have been growing culinary varieties for a number of years. It doesn’t stop with pumpkins as we discuss. We talk bread flour, apple juice, honey and their first hit out at growing dahlias along side their pumpkins. 🎃 www.Kilduff.Co.uk. 💚 Grow Cook Inspire is supported by Plant Grow UK www.plantgrowuk.Co.uk

It is no secret that the waiting lists for allotments can be incredibly long and therefore very off putting for so many people itching to grow their own. However the Scottish social enterprise Locavore has come up with a great idea. Having recently taken on the lease of an old Glasgow Council Plant Nursery in Bellahouston Park, the team are looking to build an urban farm. Within this space they have also created community growing plots for those with no garden access within the city. I caught up with community grower Carolyn Wilson to find out more and the impact it has had so far. 💚 www. locavore.Scot Supported by Plant Grow UK www.plantgrow.Co.uk

In todays show I chat with author & journalist Gabriella Bennett (Instagram @palebackwriter) as she swaps city living for a more rural location and a change of career. After getting Covid earlier this year she decided to leave her job at The Times and embark on a new journey working in the Taybank Hotel’s kitchen garden. Quite the career change! Plus with the summer holidays here, I share five ideas to help occupy children in the garden this summer, plus I chat rhubarb and potatoes. And if that is not enough I’ll also share three must read books to see you through the summer holidays; Rhapsody on Green, (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rhapsody-Green-Obsession-Laughably-Vegetable/dp/0857839470/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=12VTJ90AK5PL5&keywords=rhapsody+in+green+charlotte+mendelson&qid=1662382745&sprefix=rhapsody+on+green%2Caps%2C87&sr=8-1 )The Well Gardened Mind ( https://www.amazon.co.uk/Well-Gardened-Mind-Sue-Stuart-Smith/dp/000810073X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=2BN4E3TM24O9R&keywords=the+well+gardened+mind&qid=1662382787&sprefix=the+well+%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-1 ) and The Ballast Seed (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1474618189/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1662382827&sr=8-1)

The podcast is back after a short break. The kids are back at school so now is the perfect time to take stick and look what has worked and more importantly what hasn’t worked out in our growing spaces. I chat through my failures my agenda for the year ahead, plus I’ll be taking you on a seed safari. 💚💚💚. Grow Cook Inspire is supported by Plant Grow UK.

In today’s show I chat with Daisy Desire aka The Drag Queen Gardener, live from this year’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival. We catch up a year after she made her debut at the festival & how she is combining drag and gardening, by adding a little ‘couture to your manure’. And hear how she has dealt with the haters following her appearance on Gardeners World. 🌸 Instagram; @dragqueen_gardener Not only do we hear from a drag queen who has been positively impacted by the power of plants, we also hear from author, food writer & GP James Morton, teacher Erin Armstrong and ex Scottish ballet dancer Andy Peasgood, as they join the other 3 million people who picked up a trowel during lockdown and continue to find a passion for all things gardening and growing. My seven year old also gets in on the act, twice no less! 🌸 Instagram; @bakingjames, @hortihunny, @andypeasgood. And although July is all about enjoying what you have created in the garden and this is to be encouraged, I also share some quick fixes to fill in any gaps you have in your veg plot and if you want to grow your own Christmas dinner. Got a glut of courgettes? I share two of my favourite quick summer supper ideas with courgettes as the star ingredient. 💚 Courgette Garden Salad Fill a bowl with fresh salad leaves, nasturtium leaves & flowers. Slice one courgette into thin discs. Fry in olive oil 6-7 minutes each side and then add to the salad. For the dressing mix 1tsp tahini, 2tbsp olive oil @ 2tsp of honey. 💚Courgette & Goats Cheese Tart. Roll out some shop bought puff pastry, mark out a border. Spread with pesto, and slices of courgette. Drizzle with olive oil and some goats cheese crumbled on top with a drizzle of honey. Bake in a pre heated oven for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and the cheese has slightly melted. Grow Cook Inspire is supported by Plant Grow UK. Proudly producing the UK’s first award winning organic growing feeds from renewable energy process. www.plantgrowuk.co.uk

Today’s episode is all about Tomatoes! I share my top tips about how to look after them plus I chat with the chef and food writer Claire Thomson, aka The 5 o’clock Apron who has just publish a brand new cook book, aptly titled, Tomato. The book is jam packed with recipes that celebrate this much loved fruit. 🍅Plus I’ll let you know about The Festival of Growing taking place in Glasgow this week and next. 💚 https://glasgowfood.net/news/2022/6/festival-of-growing https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tomato-80-Recipes-Celebrating-Extraordinary/dp/1787137856/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=34JLDLRXR0EL0&keywords=tomato+cookbook+claire+thompson&qid=1656077819&sprefix=tomato+cook+book+cla%2Caps%2C67&sr=8-3

In today’s show I interview good writer, teacher and chef Gill Meller about his fourth cook book, Outside, which celebrates everything that is great about cooking and eating in the great outdoors. We also chat about his gardening endevours. 🌾 Instagram @gill.meller Plus making the headlines this week, research by the RHS & University if Reading reveal that healthy lush, green houseplants can boost our mental well being, (www.rhs.org.uk) Ocean Plastic Pots has teamed up with Waitrose to create an exclusive new plant pot (www.oceanplasticpots.com) & finally RHS Hampton Court Garden Festival is back next month taking on a foodie theme with a focus on plot to plate inspiration. (www.rhs.org.uk)