grow, cook, eat, arrange with Sarah Raven & friends

The beauty of roses makes them one of the most desired flowers for occasions, but they are an increasingly fashionable addition to a garden setting too. Growing over 5 acres of them in Oxfordshire at Green and Gorgeous, Rachel Siegfried is well versed in which varieties suit particular scenarios, and how to grow a healthy rose. Rachel joins Sarah & Arthur this week to share how you can make th...

The joy of a pressed flower is an absolute treat to decorate any setting, and nobody does it quite like Melissa Richardson of JamJar Flowers. Seeing them preserve the life of a picked peony far beyond its normal lifespan is a truly special treat. Melissa joins Sarah & Arthur this week to discuss her gorgeous arrangements, how she sources her beautiful flowers, and how you can use environmental...

Give hardy annuals some new, open ground, and the flamboyant flowers fill out any garden. Tending to them in just the right way helps to bring your space to life, and in this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ we find out Sarah and Arthur’s top 5 hardy annuals. On top of this, we’ve got a whole year’s worth of edible flowers which promise to bring a burst of flavour to your cooking; we cover ev...

There is a particular delight that comes from growing your own delicious vegetables, but something that adds another dimension to their flavour is cooking them on fire. Bringing Middle Eastern inspiration and nearly a decade of experience at the helm of Honey & Co, Saris Packer and Itamar Srulovich share their flair for flame-cooked cuisine, and how you can grow and cook your own dishes with i...

There’s nothing quite like bringing the garden together with alliums as they take over from the last of the late tulips. If you tend to them carefully and remove the leaves that are prone to looking tatty, then you can welcome a standard of colour and life comparable to the Chelsea Flower Show into your garden. Alliums are an equally exciting addition you can take to the kitchen, with Society Garl...

With a mix of English and Kiwi flair, The Land Gardeners are on a mission to improve the health of our plants, land and soil, with both Henrietta Courtauld and Bridget Elworthy designing gardens as productive as they are stunning. On this week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ we hear about how their wonderful ‘Climate Compost’ plans to bring biodiverse compost to your garden, tips to make your own ‘Co...

At a time of year where the last of the frost is behind us, it’s a fantastic opportunity to grow your own wonderful pumpkins and squash, and the best thing is that they’re brilliant for gardens of all sizes. Even better, pairing these with a fruit blossom can bring you both edible veg and delightful songbirds. In this next episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Sarah and Arthur share the best ways...

With the spring season fast approaching, this week seemed a fitting time to consider our pick of the early tulips to bring some spring colour to your garden. Helping us to choose our favourites on this episode is a wonderful guest with a background in fine art and floristry, Anna Potter. As the artistic eye behind Swallows & Damsons, Anna shares her journey to building her own floristry compan...

Companion planting is a win-win situation - you bring even more beautiful flowers into your garden, and they help each other to bloom. From pests to mildew to black spot, there’s a number of dangers that careful companion planting can solve naturally. In this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Sarah and Arthur offer tips on how to pick plants to protect one another, and Sarah gives us a Fish C...

We’re delighted to welcome a very special guest onto ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ this week, someone whose award-winning talent as a food writer, grower and photographer is matched by his enthusiasm for full-flavoured recipes - Mark Diacono. From a slip of the tongue that led to the inception of his ‘Charlie Mojito’, to complementing mint with lovely cosmos, and tips for growing each for yourself, t...

If you’re looking to naturalise your garden with a sea of bulbs that even have a great vase life, then narcissi are a wonderful addition to your greenery. While some varieties fit the description of ‘rubber duck yellow’, those with rich colour and a rousing scent earn the respect of Sarah and Arthur. For this week’s edible veg, we hear about purple sprouting broccoli which, even during a time of y...

Our gardens have so much potential to become an oasis for birds and bees, and you don’t have to sacrifice aesthetic beauty to make this happen. Arthur considers a butterfly or a bee on a flower similar to Gucci jewellery for your garden, so combining glamour and wildlife can be particularly rewarding; and now is the perfect time to sow for a bustling summer garden.  Also discussed this week are co...

One of the key players in a colour-packed garden, and a true love of Sarah and Arthur’s, is the beautiful dahlia. With the low maintenance of a perennial and the growth of cut and come again flowers, it’s no wonder there’s barely a patch at Perch Hill that isn’t decorated with a ‘stained glass carpet’ of dahlias. Gracing your kitchen table this week, ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ covers rhubarb, a ve...

There may be no more grateful recipient of a lavish flower arrangement than a loving mother on Mother’s Day, and with that day right around the corner it seems high time to share Sarah and Arthur’s ideal bouquets!  From picking and conditioning, right through to designing an incredible aesthetic ensemble, this edition of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ promises to bestow you with the picking knowledge...

Adding tomatoes to a gorgeous soup recipe is one thing - however the delightful burst of flavour that can be gained by growing your own indigo rose tomatoes is unparalleled, not to mention their incredible health benefits! Bringing you the best methods for growing your own thriving tomato garden in this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Sarah and Arthur run through every step; from building t...

Anyone can start growing plants and veg from scratch, whether you have acres in abundance or just a promising windowsill! Using the right sowing system, you can adorn your windows with seed trays or square pots to create a sprawling oasis.  Join Sarah Raven and Arthur Parkinson for this bonus episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ that will bring you up to speed on all things sowing. Sarah shares w...

For the sheer delicacy of its outer petals, the crocus flower is a lovely choice to adorn your kitchen table, and a chance to put a little egg cup to wonderful use. Not only that, but they also play a crucial role in the survival of our pollinators! In this episode of grow, cook, eat, arrange Sarah Raven and Arthur Parkinson also share their love of chard, the envy of many a gardener come the wint...

With both of the “grow, cook, eat arrange” podcast hosts launching brand new books this Spring this special bonus episode delves into what you can expect to read from them both.  Tracing the year from January to December, Sarah’s new book (the first in 10 years!) “Sarah Raven’s A Year Full of Flowers: Gardening for all seasons” provides inspiration, planting ideas and expert advice for a beautiful...

Kale really is tough as old boots - you can grow it anywhere yet still create the most delicious dishes from it. In another vibrant episode of the “grow, cook, eat arrange” podcast Sarah Raven & Arthur Parkinson discuss the best ways to pick, sow and cook this incredible plant plus the great health benefits and unique qualities of the flower sprout.  Also within this episode they discuss how t...

The classic late-winter ornamental crops such as snowdrops and rosemary are beautiful additions to any garden, and also provide a vital source of nectar for bumblebees coming out of hibernation in February.   In this second episode of the grow, cook, eat, arrange podcast, Sarah Raven and Arthur Parkinson discuss their favourite types of snowdrops, the best time to propagate a new rosemary bush and...

Every single bite of a home grown, freshly picked, winter salad should taste completely different from the last and that’s what makes it so exciting. In this episode of grow, cook, eat, arrange Sarah Raven and Arthur Parkinson delve into the world of rocket, basil, mizuna and parsley. Sarah provides her top tips to ensure your salad leaves last for at least 20 picks, which varieties do best in fro...

It can often feel like gardening has an entirely new language that you have to learn! So for those budding new gardeners in our midst for this special bonus episode Sarah & Arthur have been kind enough to pull together a beginner’s guide to terminology.  They’ll prepare you to enjoy the rest of the podcast by explaining some common phrases used and a few basic gardening techniques for you to c...

Gardeners Sarah Raven and Arthur Parkinson have a unique and fruitful friendship created through their joint passions for growing beautiful floral arrangements and sowing food for cooking on the veg slope at Perch Hill. So how did this all start? On this special bonus episode of grow, cook, eat, arrange we delve into their upbringings and backgrounds that inspired their love of colour, their origi...

Welcome "Grow, cook, eat, arrange" the brand new podcast by gardeners Sarah Raven and Arthur Parkinson, who've worked together for nearly ten years at the beautiful Perch Hill Farm in the South of England. Sarah loves gardening in general but growing produce both food and flowers is the part she loves the most. She also loves to cook straight forward garden-picked food every day wit...