Some of the UK’s most prominent chefs will be joining the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) for its first Festival of Flavours, a new ‘plot-to-plate’ extravaganza, happening at all five RHS gardens across the UK.
A schedule of talks, demos, tastings, workshops, garden tours and seasonal activities, is planned for each RHS Garden which will aim to demonstrate how anyone can grow a range of flavours in the garden, on a balcony or in a window box.
The five RHS gardens all over the UK include: RHS Garden Bridgewater, Worsley, RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Harrogate, RHS Garden Hyde Hall, Chelmsford, Essex RHS Garden Rosemoor, Devon, and RHS Garden Wisley in Surrey.
Highlights at RHS Garden Salford, include food and drink stalls, a cooking theatre using produce picked from Bridgewater’s 1.7-acre Kitchen Garden, Q&A sessions and a drinks tasting between Fri 30 Sept – Sun 2 Oct.
What’s on at the Cooking Theatre and the outdoor kitchen?
A Taste of Africa by Lerato Umah Shaylor (Friday) - Inspired by her love for the glorious foods of the continent, Lerato will be demonstrating her passion for African foods.
Making the Perfect Pie by Ben Chaplin (Saturday) - Head chef of The Black Friar gastropub will be sharing his secrets of making the perfect pie and using ingredients from the Kitchen Garden at RHS Bridgewater.
A Curry Sensation by Nisha Katona MBE (Sunday) - Founder of Mowgli Street Food restaurants and the Mowgli Trust Charity, British chef, TV presenter and food writer, will be bringing her passion for real Indian foods.
A celebration of Ukrainian borsch (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) - Members of Manchester’s local Ukrainian community will be showing how to prepare and cook the perfect winter warmer - traditional borsch (beetroot soup) which is Ukraine’s national dish, recently added to the UNESCO endangered heritage list.
Authentic Indian Street Food by The Indian Goat (Friday and Saturday) - Owner and chef, the Bollington-based food truck, Sunitha Southern will be bringing her authentic Indian street food to Bridgewater.
Growing and cooking vegetables with Kathy Slack (Friday and Saturday) - Cook, author and veg grower will show how she grows and how she cooks harvests from her beloved organic vegetable patch. Her debut cookbook ‘From the Veg Patch’ is out now and Kathy will be signing copies in the shop.
Nigerian pumpkin leaf recipes with Ozichi Brewster (Friday) - the Therapeutic Gardener at RHS Bridgewater will be showing how the leaves from pumpkins can be used in making some delicious and easy dishes.
Chocolate Beetroot Brownies with Bridgewater gardener Lisa Hudson (Saturday) - so yummy that children will never believe they’re eating vegetables!
Jams, Jellies and Preserves by RHS gardener Caroline Williams (Sunday) who manages the outer walled garden and orchard at Bridgewater.
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There will also be lots of fantastic local traders selling their wares on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy fun and colourful vegan cakes from Drizzle City Bakes, and ‘This is the Promise’ with a selection of sourdough bread, vegetables, eggs and honey - all produced less than a mile from RHS Bridgewater.
The Cheese Counter are bringing British cheeses that are not available in supermarkets, there will be traditionally made Mary’s Irish Breads and Scones, freshly roasted and ground spice blends from Stockport-based The Spice Yard, and baked goods from Ma Joyce’s Bakehouse.
Volunteers from a local Ukrainian refugee charity will be bringing traditional embroidered tablecloths and beautiful blouses, with all proceeds going to charity, while non-profit social enterprise group, Manchester Urban Diggers, will be creating a ‘farm shop’ for the festival with Manchester-grown vegetables, honey, preserves and pastries.
Mr Fitzpatrick's is bringing traditional cordials and tonics, and Gingers Comfort Emporium are serving their inventively flavoured real dairy and vegan ice creams and sorbet.
Speakers and Q&A sessions include Jason Williams, also known as The Cloud Gardener, who is part of the movement to encourage and inspire a new generation of urban gardening, and no-dig gardener, garden and food writer, teacher, consultant and speaker Stephanie Hafferty. Dr Sylvia Travers, a horticulturist who is committed to no-dig, regenerative and inclusive horticulture, will talk about the design, creation and restoration of kitchen gardens.
Drinks tastings and workshops across the weekend will be offered by Worsley Gin and Salford’s Seven Bro7hers. Some of these masterclasses will need to be pre-booked and some are available to book on the day.
Family Activities include a Learn, Design and Grow Children’s Workshop with children’s gardening author Annabelle Padwick and an interactive storytelling show with Hina Qureshi. Enjoy the hilarious antics of The Bread and Butter Theatre company as they roam around Bridgewater performing as some very eccentric green-fingered characters.
New tips and advice will be shared by the RHS across its social media channels throughout the Festival so anyone can get involved at home. CLICK HERE for more information, visit .
RHS Garden Bridgewater, Occupation Lane, off Leigh Road, Worsley, Salford M28 2LJ. 0161 503 6100