Keen gardeners know that there’s work to be done all year round. Come rain or shine, each season brings new tasks to be completed and best practices to learn.

Which is why The Raymond Blanc Gardening School is expanding its calendar of courses to fill the whole year. With many green-fingered stories to tell and developments to share, a new course leader and a roster of guest tutors, our school is entering an exciting new future, driven by a passion for garden-to-plate gastronomy and sustainable cultivation techniques.

At the school’s helm is August Bernstein, a passionate gardener, seed grower and homegrown food aficionado, who switched from being Senior Cabin Crew with an airline to embracing an altogether different, more sustainable lifestyle. August’s infectious enthusiasm makes learning easy, whether you’re delving into the properties of soil or growing botanicals for home-infused cocktails. She leads a team of tutors who each teach their specific area of expertise.

New courses Classes are designed to cultivate all budding gardeners, including allotmenteers and window-box tenders. Popular favourites include soil-to-plate classes and grow your own seasonal vegetables. New for 2023, we invite you to uncover the art of tree pruning with a day in the orchard, grow your own cocktail botanicals and cultivate edible flowers that look as beautiful in your garden as in your cooking. Children don’t miss out: August has a passion for nurturing little Seed Explorers. Using natty characters such as Clarence Carrot and Babs the Ballerina Beetroot, and with the aid of exciting activity packs, young sowers are encouraged to engage with the full seed-to-plate journey.

Courses are priced from £285 per person, including refreshments throughout the day and a working lunch. Find full details of upcoming courses on the link below: