grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends
Why garden birds have so much to teach us with Adam Nicolson - Episode 218
There’s a rich, complex, and utterly rewarding natural world that co-exists alongside ours, and relies on our gardens for food and safety – the often surprising world of small garden birds. This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Adam Nicolson shares insights from his new book, Bird School, which explores the secret life of these tiny avian visitors, so often unfurling right under our noses in our gardens and green spaces. In this episode, discover: The true reasons behind the dawn chorus, i...
3 अप्रैल 2025 - 28 min 28 sek
What to sow and plant this spring with some of Sarah’s greatest guests - Episode 217
Spring is here in all its glory, and with it comes the perfect moment to plant and sow. This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ we’ve compiled our top tips and growing inspiration from not one, but seven of Sarah’s all-time favourite guests. From Knepp’s Charlie Harpur on his favourite plants for pollinators, to the veg varieties Jess Gough is growing at home, revisit some of Sarah’s greatest guests and their timely recommendations for gardens large and small. Sarah also shares five fresh ide...
27 मार्च 2025 - 28 min 56 sek
A guide to compost making for no dig gardening with Charles Dowding - Episode 216
Charles Dowding is world-renowned as a pioneer of no dig growing, and while it’s great for saving time and effort, it’s also proven to be more productive and better for the environment, and the soil, too. Who better to hear from on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ than the pioneer himself, as Charles joins Sarah and Josie to share his decades of experience with no dig, tips on creating your own fertile garden compost at home, and inspiring ideas for what to sow in late-March. In this episode, disco...
20 मार्च 2025 - 34 min 59 sek
The rewards of growing your own delicious fruit and veg varieties with Joe Clark - Episode 215
Like many gardeners, Joe Clark was captivated by the magic of growing his own food at a young age, and now inspires millions more to be enthralled by the same fascinating process via his popular social media channels. Joe is an advocate for planting fruit, veg and flowers that you may not ordinarily encounter in the supermarket, and on this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ he shares his favourite varieties for every taste, space, and type of garden. In this episode, discover: Joe’s favou...
13 मार्च 2025 - 30 min 52 sek
Seasonal picks for successional colour and boosting biodiversity with Arthur Parkinson - Episode 214
Lighter, longer days signal the start of a joyous season for gardeners, and March is the perfect month to plan for the highlights of your spring and summer garden. Arthur Parkinson returns to ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ this week to share the plants that brought him the most joy last year, the trials he’ll be undertaking in his own compact garden at home, and his personal pick of long-flowering varieties for successional colour and pollinator appeal, no matter the size of your plot. In t...
6 मार्च 2025 - 22 min 09 sek
Our role in supporting wild and solitary bees as gardeners with Richard Rickitt - Episode 213
Bees are one of the most essential species in our ecosystem, and all of our gardens play a vital role in providing food and shelter for them to thrive. Beekeeper, gardener and writer Richard Rickitt’s passion for these particular pollinators is utterly infectious. In this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Richard shares what inspired him to start keeping bees at an early age, his fascination with the many species of wild bees in the UK, and the small but important changes we as gardeners...
27 फ़र 2025 - 37 min 33 sek
The best of the best narcissi for early spring colour and scent - Episode 212
Narcissi are such rewarding plants to grow, tolerant of almost any site and situation. At Perch Hill in particular, it’s shaping up to be a stellar spring for the humble daffodil and its more diminutive narcissus relatives. Whether it’s perenniality, perfume or punchy colours that you’re after in your own garden, in this week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Sarah shares her personal edit of the longest-flowering and most fragrant narcissi varieties to grow. In this episode, discover: Why plantin...
20 फ़र 2025 - 20 min 58 sek
Talking biodynamics and biodiversity in growing cut flowers with Alfie Nickerson - Episode 211
Alfie Nickerson is a biodynamic flower farmer making his mark in British horticulture, and his 3,500-strong dahlia field, buzzing with wildlife, is testament to that. After working for 6 years as a jobbing gardener in London, and then volunteering at Fern Verrow – the biodynamic farm of previous guest Jane Scotter – Alfie describes his journey in creating the biodiverse haven that is Burnt Fen Flowers, as well as sharing his favourite annuals and dahlias, on this week’s episode of ‘grow, cook...
13 फ़र 2025 - 23 min 37 sek
A return to Perch Hill - tales of a head gardener and talented florist with Bea Andrews - Episode 210
Bea Andrews is no stranger to Perch Hill - she was head gardener for many years, and is now back in a new guise as our visiting florist, aka Botanika Flora. It's a joy to welcome Bea back for this nostalgic episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ with Sarah as she shares her fascinating background and route into horticulture in her native Hungary, the story of how she came to Perch Hill, and the inspiration she draws from the garden and the Sussex countryside in her stunning floral designs. In ...
6 फ़र 2025 - 25 min 22 sek
From entrepreneurialism to The Eden Project, a life’s work with Sir Tim Smit - Episode 209
The Eden Project and The Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall are two of the most important horticultural projects of recent times, both helmed by the brilliant mind of Sir Tim Smit – Sarah’s guest on the podcast this week. Tim’s work on pioneering projects like Eden is guided by three pillars that also resonate for Sarah – education, entrepreneurialism, and the environment. In this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, we gain a rare insight into how Tim brings these values to life in proje...
30 जन 2025 - 26 min 01 sek