Protect Britain’s Vegetable Heritage by digging your dinner

Garden Organic has joined forces with Seeds of Change to encourage Brits to take a stand against the bland dinner plate by growing their own as part of the ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign.

Imagine a world where we only had a limited choice of vegetable varieties. Organic food brand and champion of biodiversity, Seeds of Change, has joined forces with Garden Organic to encourage Brits to take a stand against the bland dinner plate by growing their own as part of the ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign. The initiative, supported by Kim Wilde and Raymond Blanc, two of Garden Organic’s ambassadors, encourages the British public to help preserve vegetable varieties whilst experiencing the rewarding and great tasting benefits of growing their own organic food whether it’s on the windowsill, in a patio pot or a vegetable plot.

The ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign aims to raise awareness of the benefits of diversity, both in terms of variety and taste. It will also be helping to save great tasting, endangered British vegetables for future generations as Seeds of Change are donating 1% of their sales to Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library.

Raymond Blanc, world-renowned chef, Garden Organic and ‘Dig your dinner’ ambassador, believes in the powerful flavours of home grown organic food: “Anyone interested in food is constantly looking for new and delicious flavours. At my hotel and restaurant, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, we grow over 90 types of vegetables, including ones from Garden Organic’s collection and many of which I originally discovered in my mother’s garden. I support the Seeds of Change ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign which challenges the nation to experience the exceptional taste of growing their own organic produce, as well as helping to preserve endangered British food varieties.” TV gardener, Kim Wilde, agrees: “This is an exciting opportunity for the British public to help keep great tasting veg on our dinner plates. Growing your own, even if it’s just adding some freshly grown herbs to your dinner really does make you feel fantastic.”

Director of Gardens and Gardening at Garden Organic, Bob Sherman comments: “Our Heritage Seed Library conserves over 800 vegetable varieties under threat of extinction. We have identified ten especially tasty varieties from our collection to raise awareness of seed preservation; the delicately sweet ‘My Girl’ Tomato, the herby flavoured ‘Kenilworth’ Tomato, the ‘Ryder’s Midday Sun’ Tomato, the ‘Rousham Park Hero’ Onion, the richly flavoured ‘Blue Coco’ Climbing French Bean, ‘Mrs Fortune’s’ Climbing French Bean, the sweet tasting ‘Gravedigger’ Pea, the fresh, solid ‘Jeyes’ Pea, the ‘Brighstone’ Dwarf French Bean and the juicy ‘King of The Ridge’ Cucumber. These endangered seeds are only available through Garden Organic’s Heritage Seed Library and ‘Dig your dinner’ is encouraging everyone to participate by growing some varieties in our collection to help to preserve this diversity. People can also choose to plant organic seeds from heirloom varieties, which may become forgotten over time.”

The Seeds of Change ‘Dig your dinner’ campaign launches in April, please visit www.digyourdinner.co.uk for further details.