Plants to Plates
Overview
Our ever-popular Get Growing two-day course has set many guests on a rewarding journey to grow their own ingredients. This immersive experience offers quality time with our passionate garden team and a brilliant chef-tutor.
Each day blends cooking and gardening. You’ll learn the essentials of planning, sowing, and planting. We’ll guide you on nurturing your plants with the best feeds and composts while protecting them from pests, all the way to a delicious harvest. Discover how to choose the right vegetables for your garden and the tastiest varieties for flavour.
On the culinary side, we’ll emphasise maximising the deliciousness of your freshly picked harvest. Learn how to make raw produce mouthwatering through smart cutting, prepping, and dressing. You’ll also explore techniques for concentrating flavours and caramelising natural sugars by barbecuing and roasting vegetables.
We’ll cover preserving your crop with ferments, pickles, and pestos. Plus, you’ll learn to combine various vegetables and herbs into multi-layered, beautifully textured plant-based dishes suitable for high-end menus and celebrations.
Of course, you’ll enjoy a delightful vegetable-based lunch featuring stunningly prepared produce grown in our own River Cottage garden and sourced from talented organic growers at nearby farms.
After this bounteous two-day extravaganza of growing and cooking, you’ll return home equipped with the knowledge, skills, inspiration, and confidence to transform your garden and kitchen, producing a ready supply of vegetables to share deliciously with family and friends.
” Inspirational and great fun, brilliant head gardener Jonny and head chef Connor such a fantastic course and lovely stay at River Cottage, as novice gardeners it gave us heaps of inspiration and we learned a lot – soil is everything and diversity is key! ” Aileen, April 2023
Highlights
- Nurture your plants to ensure a thriving garden
- Explore effective pest control and select the best plant varieties
- Discover the joys of both roasted and raw vegetables
- Master preservation techniques to make the most of your harvest
- Create flavour-packed plant-based dishes that impress
- Enjoy a delicious lunch each day, featuring fresh produce
Your day
10:00 - 17:00
Arrive at River Cottage
You'll begin your River Cottage experience with a scenic 10-15 minute walk down the hill to the farm, allowing you to fully soak in the stunning views of the valley.
Make yourself at home
Meet your tutors and enjoy a warm welcome with tea, coffee, and freshly baked treats from the kitchen.
Day One - in the garden
Enjoy a tour of our garden and farm, where you'll learn how to enhance soil health and gain valuable tips on growing from seed to harvest, including crop rotation and pest control.
Lunch
Cooking over an open fire with the River Cottage chefs, you’ll prepare a hearty vegetable feast to enjoy in the market garden or the poly tunnels.
Day One - in the garden
Explore the benefits of growing your own produce and discover our favourite varieties known for their yield and flavour. You'll conclude the day with a delicious dessert crafted by our chefs.
Day Two- in the Kitchen
You'll discover how to maximise the flavour of your vegetables and how different cooking techniques can enhance and transform their taste.
Lunch
Experiment with various ingredients to craft pestos, sauces, and dressings, and learn how to harness herbs to elevate flavor in your everyday cooking. You’ll savor some of these delicious creations to complete your lunch.
Day Two- in the Kitchen
Explore the joys of preserving seasonal abundance with krauts, kimchis, pickles, and chutneys.
Departure
At the end of each day, you'll have the chance to ask any lingering questions before making your way back up the hill.
Further Information
Directions
This course is run from River Cottage HQ on the Dorset/Devon borders. Full address details of HQ will be provided once you have booked.
Licensed Venue
We are a licensed venue. We have a wide selection of the finest organic wines available to purchase.
Accommodation
If you would like to stay at the heart of River Cottage, we offer overnight accommodation at River Cottage HQ in our beautiful 17th century farmhouse. We have three stylishly refurbished bedrooms for B&B plus the 2-bedroom Gardener’s Cottage. These get booked quickly so for more information go to rivercottage.net/stay to book. Alternatively, we have put together a list of our local accommodation which includes B&Bs, self-catering, hotels and camping.
Suitability
We would advise that this course is only really suitable for 12 years of age and upwards. Under 16s must be accompanied by a paying adult. We put these guidelines in place for the safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests.
Allergy Advice
Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements or allergies when booking.
