Walled Gardens, Eden Project Communities and Social and Therapeutic Horticulture

Last week I had the opportunity to visit a beautiful walled garden, orchard and meadow complete with bees, a pop up shop and professional kitchen. This peaceful 10 acres was part of what was a monastery and gardens dating back to 1133. Considering that the origins of Green Care came from medieval monastic communities it seems very fitting that this should now house an amazing Social and Therapeutic Horticulture charity that supports over 50 clients per week.

Social and Therapeutic Horticulture is part of the wider Green Care approach that focuses on using gardening to benefit individuals with health and wellbeing goals. Therapeutic and gardening techniques support physical and mental health, offer time in nature, a sense of community and a learning experience. The clients I met were skilful gardeners and generous with their knowledge of the local flora and fauna as we talked.

Standing within the walls of the orchard I was reminded of a walled garden that we used to visit when we lived in Scotland. The gardens offered plenty of space and fresh air but also shelter from the worst of the elements. It was a great place for the children to play, relax and enjoy a picnic, whatever the weather, after school and at weekends. 

I am so fortunate to be part of an Eden Project Community Action Course at the moment. Five weeks of inspirational stories, thought provoking ideas and information packed workshops with the focus on grass roots projects in our communities. Its also a wonderful chance to network and hear about the amazing projects that others are running or preparing to run. I'm using my time on this course to explore the possibility of introducing Community Pantries into Buckinghamshire. What would you be interested in setting up in your community?

Late Summer, Pick Your Own Produce and the Autumn Equinox

For me late August is a chance to pause before the busyness of the autumn and an opportunity to enjoy the last of the summer weather, sunrise and sunset dog walks, summer recipes and time pottering in the garden.

I also love trips to my local (PYO) 'Pick Your Own' farm for fruit and flowers. As a child we used to head out to farms in Worcestershire and Shropshire and come home with boxes of strawberries, raspberries, loganberries and gooseberries which would be turned into pies and crumbles and stored in the freezer for autumn deserts. I'm sure I ate as much as I picked as I remember hands sticky and stained with berry juice.

Over the last few years our local Pick Your Own farm has been Peterley Manor Farm which offers Christmas trees in the winter, sunflowers in late August and a pumpkin patch in the autumn along side the variety of fruit through the summer. My hands still get stained with juice but I now try to resist eating what I've picked until its been weighed! Just as my mother and grandmothers did, I prepare pies and crumbles for the freezer and the autumn months.

This year the Autumn Equinox occurs on Sunday 22nd September. In the Northern Hemisphere it marks the end of summer and the beginning of astronomical autumn and the Pagan festival of Mabon. We can also define autumn through phenology and meteorology. Phenology uses ecological and biological signs such as leaves changing colour and birds migrating to indicate the changing seasons, while meteorology uses three equal months per season and autumn begins on the 1st September.

The Harvest Moon, the full moon nearest the equinox, occurs on the 17th September 2024 and historically, the illumination of the full moon gave farmers extra hours to bring the harvest in. Once the harvest was brought home, a harvest supper was prepared to share with family and neighbours to celebrate and give thanks. Harvest suppers and festivals continue up and down the UK today and are held throughout September and October and this is perhaps the closest celebration we have to Thanksgiving.

Summer Shows and The Churchill Fellowship Award Ceremony

In the UK there is a long history of holding agricultural and county shows with over 400 shows on offer each year. These shows are culturally important to rural communities, giving people a opportunity to get together, enjoy the day and perhaps, show their best livestock, flowers, vegetables, crafting and baking skills or technical skills such as ploughing or thatching. It also gives those from more urban communities a chance to reconnect to countryside, food, farming and rural life.

The last Thursday in August is reserved, on my calendar, every year for the Bucks County Show, which prides itself in being one of the best 1 day agricultural shows in the country. We arrive early, just after 8am, to make the most of the day and head for one of the food vendors to buy a cuppa, which we take with us as we explore the stalls and attractions. We look forward to the routine of the day, reconnecting with familiar faces and a dish of strawberries and melted chocolate for mid morning energy boost! We marvel at the size of the home grown flowers and vegetables and sample artisan produce in the food hall. At the end of the day we head home, pleasantly tired, looking forward to the next shows or food festivals in the calendar.

Late August and early September have been especially busy this year and on the 3rd September 2024 I attended the Churchill Fellowship Award Ceremony in London. I was one of 122 Fellows who were presented with medallions in recognition of our completed research projects. Mine related to my care farming research in 2021. The Chair of the Churchill Fellowship Jeremy Soames spoke of this not being the ending of our Fellowships but rather the beginning of new chapters, as we take what we have learnt and use it in our communities. The Churchill Fellowship is currently open for applications for 2025 fellowships.

Community Larders and Mood Boosting Food

Each summer I look forward to eating the food I've grown in my garden. This year I've had particular success with my hanging basket strawberries, potatoes and herbs. 

According to the ONS 1 in 8 households in Britain do not have access to a private or shared garden but a lack of outdoor space doesn't need to stop you growing. Containers and window boxes can produce great results with crops such as herbs, strawberries, spinach, beans, lettuce, carrots and celery.  Or you could try joining your local community garden or registering for an allotment with your local council.

Some community projects, food banks or larders will offer trays of micro greens or pots of herbs to encourage people to try simple growing at home.

Community Larders are different from food banks. They are pop up hubs that enable people to purchase good food at a significantly reduced price. They can also make a difference to the environment by reducing food waste. Surplus food, that may have otherwise been thrown away, is regularly donated by supermarkets and food producers. Larders offer a range of fresh, frozen and packet produce that may differ each week. They also offer support and advice on topics such as work, health or finances. Many larders have a small annual membership scheme that enables people to purchase a number of items each week free of charge.

The access to good nutritious food can not be overestimated for our physical and mental health. Food and its impact on health seems to be in the spotlight at the moment with discussions about the links between ultra processed food and chronic diseases. 

An article by the Harvard Medical School in 2022 discussed how multiple studies have shown links between the type of food we eat and the impact on our mood and mental health as well as physical health. Diets high in refined sugars impact on the bodies regulation of insulin, promote inflammation, impair brain function and worsen the symptoms of mood conditions such as depression.

The charity MIND suggests that eating protein rich diets such as nuts and seeds, milk, eggs, cheese, lean meat, fish, soya and legumes can support good mental health. They also suggest eating regularly, eating slow release energy foods such as brown rice, nuts and wholegrain bread, drinking plenty of fluids such as water, herbal tea and tea to avoid dehydration and aid concentration, eating plenty of fruit and vegetables, eating healthy fats from oily fish, nuts and seeds, avoiding alcohol and minimising caffeine.

Sometimes it can be hard to know where to start in the face of so much medical or scientific publicity or advice but maybe it is possible to start with one step or one thing as recommended by the late Dr Michael Mosley in his books, television shows and podcasts. 

What will be your first step?

Home grown tomatoes 

Food, a Sense of Place and the Scone Wars!

One summer weekend, my parents decided to run a pop up cafe in our garden to raise money for local charities inspired by our frequent trips to Cornwall where we consumed delicious cream teas of scones with jam and clotted cream. They decided to serve Gornal Cream Teas and a selection of homemade cakes.

Those of you familiar with Cornwall and Devon will know of the long running friendly rivalry between the two counties about how to prepare your scone. The Cornish put the jam on the scone first followed by the cream and the Devonians eat theirs with the cream first and jam on the top! The National Media often refers to this as the 'Scone Wars' Although this may sound trivial to some, for many people living in Devon and Cornwall this is part of their identity and sense of place.But what is a Sense of Place? 

Sense of Place is a complex concept that looks at the relationship between people and spaces. It can be used to describe a physical place or the feelings held by people about a place. It is a lens or theoretical framework more commonly used by anthropologists, geographers, sociologists and psychologists to consider topics such as, how exposure to nature as a child shapes an adults view of the environment later in life. It is also an approach used by planners when designing towns and cities.

Sense of Place can also be used as a lens within food systems to renew our relationships with food and farming. One of the simplest ways that food can give us a physical sense of place is by growing and eating our own home grown produce. Food can also be used to craft feelings and a sense of another place. We may do this on a regular basis without even realising, by cooking a favourite dish of a family member or replicating a recipe from a memorable holiday.

Research by Fanfani and Rovai in 2022 discussed how a sense of belonging, sense of place and link to the heritage of an area can reinvigorate local food and bolster fair and sustainable systems between communities and food.

Over the last few months I have been working with colleagues to restart what was the Buckinghamshire Food Partnership. BFP began in 2020 but sadly closed in 2023. Our new incarnation 'Good Food Bucks' will launch later this year. Both of the organisations were founded on the principles of Sustainable Food Places or SFP's. There are currently over 100 SFP's across UK, supporting their communities by bringing together multiple stakeholders to work as inclusive cross sector partnerships that collaborate to create lasting change in local areas. Have a look at their website to find your nearest SFP.

Harvest, Lammas Day and Community Gardens

 

I love harvest time and the opportunity to gather together and share a meal or swap a glut of fruit, vegetables, jams, honey or eggs with family, friends and neighbours. The 1st August each year is Lammas Day and a time to celebrate the first harvest, the grain harvest. Lammas is both a Pagan and Christian celebration and marks the half way point between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox. The word Lammas comes from the Old English Loaf Mass because loaves were blessed in Church.

As a child my family and I used to attend the annual village Harvest Festival which included donating fresh, packet or tinned produce, which were sold off at the Harvest Sale the next day. The centre piece of the harvest display was the beautiful hand baked harvest wheat sheaf loaf complete with a harvest mouse made out of dough. Every year I hoped that my pocket money would be enough to allow me to bid for the loaf and every year I was disappointed. I keep promising myself that I will make or buy a wheat sheaf loaf but haven't yet got round to that. Maybe this year I will...

Many of us love spending time in the garden and the taste of home grown fruit and vegetables is often hard to beat. As well as providing tasty produce, gardening is also great for our physical health and mental health. You don't need lots of space to grow a few crops and pots and window boxes can be just as productive if outdoor space is limited. 

Or if you would like to connect with others, make use of more space for growing and learn from those in your neighbourhood perhaps, you could consider joining your local community garden. Well planned spaces can offer a place to engage with nature and get active in the garden. If there are no community gardens in your area you may even consider setting up your own!

Care Farms and Community Gardens are often very separate types of green space but perhaps Care Farms could find a small plot of land that could be used for growing activities with clients as part of their regular sessions? I'll share more about this in a future blog.

Cookery Courses and Therapeutic Baking

My mother trained as a chef so its, perhaps, not surprising that from a very young age I grew up with a love of cooking and baking. One of the first recipes I learnt to make was Butterfly Cakes. These are beautiful little sponge cakes with a small circle cut out of the top and filled with delicious butter cream. The sponge circle is cut in two to look like wings and placed on the top. Perfection!

I still love to bake and cook and I'm always on the look out for new recipes and ideas. Earlier this year I decided to improve my skills and knowledge by signing up to Leiths School of Food and Wine. I completed the Plant Based cookery course with Italian Olive Oil Cake and Beetroot and Mushroom Wellington becoming new family favourites and I'm currently enrolled on a 10 week Bakery Course.

When I cook I often become so completely focused on the activity that I forget about other things. This is what psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Jeanne Nakamura call being in 'flow'. A feeling where you become totally immersed in what you are doing. Being in Flow can help with stress and anxiety because it enables a person to focus on the present activity.  

Research into Therapeutic Baking and Cooking is still in its infancy but a number of therapists are integrating baking or cooking into their sessions. Therapists and clients cook or bake together while working on issues such as grief, loss, anxiety and depression. It can also be used as stress relief and to boost mood, self confidence and self esteem, enhance creativity, stimulate the senses and appetite and increase social contact.

Is this possible to run therapeutic baking and cooking sessions within a care farm setting? I would suggest that will depend on the space and resources available to each individual setting. Establishments will need someone who is confident enough to run the sessions, a kitchen area with ovens or suitable outdoor cooking space, relevant kitchen equipment, ingredients, food hygiene certification and up to date health and safety and registration procedures.

In a future blog I will discuss practical ways that care farms of all sizes and resource levels can include food within their sessions.