Royal visit to Raymond’s garden

THAME Food Festival Patron, Raymond Blanc OBE, welcomed a royal guest to his prestigious hotel, restaurant and garden last Friday (Nov 21). HRH The Prince of Wales, who is Patron for Garden Organic, accompanied by Garden Organic Chief Executive, James Campbell, was shown around Raymond’s newly-created National Heritage Garden at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Image courtesy of raymondblanc.com

Prince Charles commemorated the occasion by planting an organic apple tree in the grounds of the two Michelin starred hotel and restaurant. The apple tree, named Bright Future, is a variety introduced to celebrate 50 years of Garden Organic.

The National Heritage Garden was created by Raymond Blanc OBE in June 2014, to showcase rare, heritage vegetables and to gather information about organic gardening methods and heritage foods. It is run in partnership with Garden Organic and their Heritage Seed Library (HSL), which conserves vegetable varieties from across Northern Europe that would otherwise have disappeared. The new garden features over 70 varieties from the Garden Organic Heritage Seed Library, which were chosen for their flavour.

The Prince, who has been the Patron of Garden Organic for more than 25 years, met Anne Keenan, who won the competition to design the Heritage Garden, Apprentice Gardener, David Love Cameron and the team at Belmond Le Manoir, who maintain the garden and the Heritage Seed Library throughout the year.

Commenting on the visit, Raymond said: “On such a rainy day as today, HRH The Prince of Wales certainly lifted our spirits. It was a jovial and interesting tour and I am deeply honoured.”

Garden Organic has been at the forefront of the organic horticulture movement for over 50 years. Dedicated to promoting organic gardening in homes, communities and schools, it works to get more people growing the most sustainable way. Through its 22,000 members and the thousands of individuals touched by its wide-ranging projects carried out across the UK and overseas, Garden Organic spreads the organic growing message, demonstrating its lasting benefits to the mental and physical health of individuals and the communities, schools and workplaces in which they grow. The Prince of Wales became Patron of Garden Organic in January 1988.

Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library works to collect and conserve an ever increasing variety of historic and heirloom vegetables, directly contributing to a reverse in the decline of vegetable diversity. The HSL aims to conserve vegetable varieties that are not widely available and once enough seed has been collected, it becomes available for their members to grow and enjoy.