Jekka's HerbFest 2023
Friday Programme

A celebration in the growing & use of herbs

with expert talks, gardening workshops and cookery demonstrations

Jekka's HerbFest

See the full line-up

Festival Ground

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Jekka's Marquee

Jekka's Marquee is where the cookery demonstrations and presentations will be occurring. This is a chance for visitors to watch the speakers practice their craft and hear handy tips that they can take home.

Time Speaker
10:00 - 10:45 Jekka McVicar- Herbs to flavour and savour

Awarded the Victoria Medal of Honour in Horticulture by the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), 62 RHS Gold medals for her Herb exhibits, is Vice President of the RHS and has written 8 books, including Jekka’s Complete Herb Book that has sold over 1 million copies world-wide. She is well known for her herb expertise and designing herb gardens for hospitals, restaurants and private homes.

11:30 - 12:15 Josh Eggleton - Learning to use my kitchen garden

Josh Eggleton is co-owner and chef patron of award-winning The Pony & Trap, which has undergone an exciting refurbishment to return as The Pony Chew Valley. For three consecutive years Josh celebrated his passion for South West food with his appearances on the BBC’s Great British Menu where he won the regional stage. Josh appears on Channel 4’s The Restaurant That Makes Mistakes, a social project aiming to change how dementia is viewed, which aired in June 2019.

13:00 - 13:45 Mark Diacano - A Taste of the Unexpected: less familiar herbs and how to get the best from them

Mark is an award winning food and garden writer, known for growing and cooking everything from Szechuan pepper to asparagus to Korean mint. Twice winner of Food Book of The Year and Garden Book of the Year, Mark has inspired a new generation of people to grow some of what they eat. He has written and photographed 13 books. Mark was also involved with River Cottage in the early days, appearing in the TV series and writing three of the River Cottage Handbook series. His latest book, SPICE/a cook’s companion, was published in 2022.

14:30 - 15:15 Romy Gill - Indian Kitchen

Romy Gill is a British/Indian chef, food writer, author and broadcaster. Romy is one of the chefs on the new series of Ready Steady Cook on BBC One and her new book is The Himalyan Trail - Kashmir to Leh. She was the owner and head chef at Romy’s Kitchen in our local town, Thornbury and, in 2016, she was appointed an MBE in the Queen’s 90th birthday honours list.

Please note, you do not need to book a place at these talks

Jekka's Gardeners' Corner

Informal chats led by Kate Durr with experts in their fields. Jekka's Gardeners' Corner will hold a number of "in conversation" sessions throughout the day. Pop in and ask the expert a question to help your allotment burst or garden bloom.

Time In conversation with
10:45 - 11:30 Mark Diacano

Mark is an award winning food and garden writer, known for growing and cooking everything from Szechuan pepper to asparagus to Korean mint. Twice winner of Food Book of The Year and Garden Book of the Year, Mark has inspired a new generation of people to grow some of what they eat. He has written and photographed 13 books. Mark was also involved with River Cottage in the early days, appearing in the TV series and writing three of the River Cottage Handbook series. His latest book, SPICE/a cook’s companion, was published in 2022.

12:15 - 13:00 Sarah Eberle
Sarah Eberle is one of the UK’s foremost landscape and garden designers. She is both a Chartered Landscape Architect and a Fellow of the Landscape Institute (FLI). Sarah has won over 19 gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. Her Chelsea Flower Show gardens won 'Best in Show' in 2007 and 2017, she has won six Hampton Court Gold medals and in 2022 she was made an RHS Iconic Horticultural Hero.
13:45 - 14:30 Mike Palmer
Mike Palmer is a professional gardener and garden designer with over 25 years’ experience in the horticultural industry. He is the producer, editor and presenter of the popular Mic The Gardener - Gardening Podcast and was the chair of the Garden Media Guild. He has a very popular Instagram account, @mike_thegardener, where he gives regular virtual tours of his beautiful Bournemouth garden and interviews gardening personalities, plantsmen and women, authors, designers and many others.
15:15 - 16:00 Gardeners' Question Time

Please note, you do not need to book a place at these talks

Jekka's Herbetum Tours

Jekka's Herbetum

National Institute of Medical Herbalist

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Phil King & friends

Artisan Stalls

View the artisan stalls