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

Cut flowers are one of the great joys of summer, and since Sarah’s last episode on cut flowers, there are a host of wonderful new varieties worthy of adorning your vases. This episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ hones in on 20 of the best flowers for taking cuttings throughout the coming season, offering unbeatable scent, intriguing shapes, and staggering productivity all summer long. In this ep...

The Great British Sewing Bee brings so much delight to those who watch it, and instrumental to its charm is Co-Host Patrick Grant, this week’s fabulous podcast guest. This week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ dives into the magic behind the show, what makes it so enjoyable for everyone on and off-screen, Patrick’s marvellous mission with Community Clothing, and the ambitious plans for an inspiring ga...

At this time of year sweet peas are one of the season’s greatest joys, whether through the earlier flowering varieties or the incredibly fragrant flowers. In this solo episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Sarah dives into the best growing systems for stunning sweet peas, a new method for picking & deadheading, and the specific sweet peas that will make your garden sing through spring. In this...

There’s nothing quite like cooking outside, and summer provides the perfect opportunity to light a fire and cook up a feast, all inspired by expert tips and recipes courtesy of chef and author, Gill Meller. Highlighting delicious recipes from his book ‘ Outside ’, Gill joins Sarah on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to share stories of his early forays cooking outdoors, the recipes he couldn’t live with...

Between starting out at Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, a spot on Alan Titchmarsh’s new TV show, and raising two young daughters, organic grower Anna Greenland is a modern horticultural heroine. Returning to ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ this month, Anna joins Sarah to share how she inspires her children to grow with her, tips for encouraging younger family members to embrace gardening, and what to...

As May turns to June the weather can often be blustery at Perch Hill, so it’s the perfect moment to get supports and stakes in place to avoid plants being damaged in high winds. Inspired by the sustainable materials that grow plentifully in this particular part of East Sussex, this week’s ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ is a masterclass on sustainable staking as Sarah unpacks the most suitable material...

This year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show was yet another terrific exhibition of horticultural beauty, to which Arthur Parkinson had a fabulous front-row seat.  Arthur takes the mic on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ this week, once again bringing you the best in show, from the headlines of royal roses to the lesser-known stories from incredible stands and gardens at the show. In this episode, discover: A ro...

While we all love a trip to the garden centre for short-term inspiration, a more measured approach to buying the right kind of plants for your plot can help you achieve a beautiful and sustainable garden, with year-round interest and resilience. This week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ Sarah is joined by Gary Newell, Senior Horticultural Buyer, who advises us to ditch the impulse plant purchases an...

Biennials – plants which flower in their second year – may often be overlooked by us gardeners, but between their value for money, wonderful scent, and versatility they’re among the best plants to sow and grow in any garden. Sarah makes the case for brilliant biennials in this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, exploring how she came to appreciate their beauty, and which varieties are best for...

Tom Stimpson’s pint-sized garden is an inspiration for anyone with a small urban plot, and it’s packed with showstopping varieties that will flower for months on end providing colour, scent, and food for pollinators in a compact space. In this episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’, Tom, our Head of Horticulture, tells Sarah how he’s brought his small town garden to life, including the irresistible...

Gardens are a multisensory experience, and while we primarily think of aesthetics, it’s the scent of spring plants which is absolutely second to none. Sarah’s flying solo this week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to share her pick of favourite scented spring bulbs and other perfumed plants to envelop your senses and uplift your spirits. In this episode, discover: Spring's most wonderfully scent...

Urban gardeners who rent will be familiar with the need to transport their portable gardens frequently, so which plants are ideal for pots and containers that are often on the move? Jemima Bowker is our beginner and balcony gardening expert with a relocation on the horizon. This week, she joins Sarah to chat about the ideal varieties for all sizes and types of container, and ways to protect and tr...

There's been some exciting breeding and hybridising using species tulips - those closely related to wild tulips - in recent years, which has made them perfect plants for withstanding tulip fire. Species tulips are a newfound favourite for Josie and Sarah at Perch Hill, and in this episode we’ll hear why they’re a must-have for pots in particular, and which incredible varieties have captured t...

Bees are an absolute passion for us at Perch Hill, not just for their pollination and presence in the garden, but for their delicious and nutritious produce too. The same can be said for award-winning author and fermentation expert, Rachel de Thample, who joins Sarah this week on ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to share delicious honey-inspired recipes from her new book, her pick of the best bee-friend...

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 o...

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 gues...

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...

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 favou...

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 var...

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...

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 longe...

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 Flo...

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 th...

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 ‘gro...

If you're looking to support wild birds in your garden, the RSPB’s upcoming Big Garden Birdwatch is an essential event for us all. Adam Nicolson and Emma Marsh, Executive Director of the RSPB, join Sarah in this week’s bird-focused episode of ‘grow, cook, eat, arrange’ to discuss how to get involved in this weekend’s annual bird count, how it came to be, and the many ways that gardeners can a...