‘Gardener and Chef’ events at the Botanics

A new partnership has been announced by Edinburgh Food & Drink Academy (EFDA) and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE), to run a series of ‘Gardener and Chef’ events, taking place from July through to September 2026.

Developed by EFDA’s chefs and RBGE’s learning and engagement team, the programme brings together the best of the culinary and botanical worlds.

Equipping attendees with culinary skills as well as a deeper understanding of what to grow at each time of year, the events will combine time in the RBGE kitchen garden with cookery demonstrations.

The first event, on Saturday 11 July, will focus on fermenting and pickling. Attendees will be shown round the kitchen garden by an expert from RBGE, before participating in a 90-minute demonstration with a cookery teacher from EFDA.

The second session, on Saturday 25 July, will focus on seasonal summer cooking. Participants will learn about the diversity of crops and produce in season. They will then enjoy a two-hour demonstration session in the kitchen before enjoying the fruits of their labours during a buffet lunch showcasing the new dishes they’ve created.

Running from 11 July to 26 September, the events, costing between £126-£137 per person, will take place at RBGE. Subsequent weekly sessions throughout August and September will cover themes including autumn harvesting and ‘winter warmer’ dishes.

Caroline Lamont, director of culinary education at EFDA said: “We know that eating fresh, local produce is incredibly important and want to demystify access to locally grown seasonal produce and successfully preparing fresh produce from scratch.

“Through these sessions we’ll equip attendees with an understanding of how to move from plot to plate, teaching them new dishes and cooking techniques to help them create delicious and nutritionally balanced meals.”

Dr Greg Kenicer, author and botanist at RBGE added: “Our kitchen garden grows crops to the highest environmental standards, with a seasonal planting calendar led by our kitchen gardener, Ben, and an amazing team of volunteers.

“Providing fresh produce for our in-house kitchen, we’ve seen first-hand the positive impact of using fresh fruit and vegetables in our cafes and bar.

“We want to take this one step further and, in partnership with EFDA, share our passion for the best-quality, fresh food from the vegetable plot to plate.”

RBGE’s kitchen garden uses organic planting practices and produces up to 1.5 tonnes of fresh produce every year.

rbgeshop.org.