Top cooks including Raymond Blanc and Britain’s youngest Michelin starred chef will join community growers and passionate home cooks for this year’s RHS Festival of Flavours, which opens later this week.
Aiden Byrne, the youngest chef in Britain to receive a Michelin star at just 22, will demonstrate British cooking with an Italian twist this Friday 8 September at RHS Bridgewater, where the event launches.
Joining him, award-winning television chef Ching He Huang will showcase cookery from the traditional farming community of her grandparents in southern Taiwan, while Salford-based head chef Ben Chaplin will reveal the secret to ‘making the perfect pie’.
Highlighting the importance of community gardening, Chelsea award-winning designer Jason Williams, also known as the ‘Cloud Gardener’, will give tips and tricks on balcony gardening and the Manchester Urban Diggers will unveil how to make the most of a glut.
The festival continues at RHS Harlow Carr, from Saturday 9 September, where Masterchef winners and finalists will join presenter and Great British Bake Off winner David Atherton as part of a packed line-up of top cooks. Iain Wilkinson, head chef at Yolk, the world’s first egg restaurant on an egg farm less than 10 miles from Harlow Carr, will share his passion for cooking with fresh ingredients. Meanwhile families can take part in cookery workshops with Kiddycook, preparing a dish to take home.
Next month at RHS Wisley, world renowned celebrity chef Raymond Blanc will join Manju Malhi, who is known for her “Brit-Indi” style of food, which mixes Indian and Western influences.
A schedule of talks, tastings, workshops, and garden tours is planned for each RHS Garden to demonstrate how anyone can grow a range of flavours whether on a plot, on a balcony or in a window box. Local allotment societies, community gardeners and independent regional producers will showcase their work at each garden, and an exciting array of trade stands and street food vendors will be serving up delicious food.
Dr Tim Upson, RHS Director of Gardens and Horticulture, said: “Growing your own has so many advantages and benefits, from improving mental and physical health to helping the environment. Just last month a study revealed that people who grow their own eat more than their allotted five-a-day, waste less and save money.
“The RHS Festival of Flavours is packed with take-home ideas and tips on how everyone can grow and cook their own food. It’s a fun day out and provides an opportunity to learn new skills while taking in the breathtaking, late summer beauty of our gardens across the country.”
The 2023 RHS Festival of Flavours takes place at RHS Gardens on the following dates:
RHS Garden Bridgewater (Salford), 8 – 10 September
RHS Garden Harlow Carr (Harrogate), 9 – 10 September
RHS Garden Hyde Hall (Chelmsford), 29 September – 1 October
RHS Garden Rosemoor (Devon), 7 – 8 October
RHS Garden Wisley (Guildford), 11 – 15 October
Entry to RHS Festival of Flavours is included in the price of a garden ticket. To book and to find full line-ups for your area please visit:
RHS Bridgewater: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/bridgewater/whats-on/festival-of-flavours
RHS Harlow Carr: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlow-carr/whats-on/festival-of-flavours
RHS Hyde Hall: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/hyde-hall/whats-on/festival-of-flavours
RHS Rosemoor: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor/whats-on/festival-of-flavours
RHS Wisley: https://www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/wisley/whats-on/festival-of-flavours
