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An inspirational collaboration 

Writer's picture: BiteBite
Gardeners gather for a talk by Charles Dowding

Fred Berkmiller, owner of the renowned L'escargot bleu in Edinburgh, listed as one of the top five restaurants in Scotland, Michelin rated and holding one AA Rosette, found that he was able to source high-quality meat but struggled to find nutrient-dense organic vegetables to serve his customers. His final option was to grow his own, so he reached out to no-dig gardening guru Charles Dowding. Fred started gardening and discovered a passion. That was seven years ago. 


Fred’s veg is harvested from his garden in the morning and served on a plate later that day. Fred focuses on flavour and nutrition: ‘Now, when I eat the food I cook, my body says “thank you”’ he said. ‘I want the same for my customers’.
Charles Dowding and Fred Berkmiller

Charles Dowding is like an old friend, I’ve been following him since his appearance in the late 1980s on BBC Gardeners’ World with Geoff Hamilton. He’s a pioneer in the true sense of the word; promoting organic growing while the world is fascinated with technology and science thus ignoring millennia of organic gardening knowledge and teachings. Charles is best known for leading the ‘no dig’ revolution disturbing the soil as little as possible, promoting soil health and microbes that feed and protect the plants but benefit human health. Soil microbes contribute to most of our gut biome; our immune system and mental health are intrinsically linked to our guts.


Charles’ new book Compost, released September 2024 has years of experience poured into it and is already highly rated.


The Charles Dowding Workshop held in Monkton Garden on 21st September, attended by a group of keen growers, covered gardening from seed to harvest, creating a raised bed from scratch and making compost. Fred had already made ‘delicious’ compost over the summer in his garden that was ready to be used. The participants ranged from beginners to allotment holders with decades of experience, wanting to learn more from the innovator. It was a delight to see that by following Charles’ methods, Fred has managed to turn a grassy field into an organic market garden with little weed or pest pressure, an advantage of his techniques.


As pioneers and innovators Fred and Charles have worked together to build a remarkable organic market garden. We can enjoy the results of this innovative collaboration at L’escargot Bleu, where locally grown organic vegetables are transformed into divine dishes that nourish your soul.

 

Written by Grant Stewart of  The Sanctuary Garden where Charles’ organic and no-dig processes are used both teaching children in schools and adult workshops.



L'Escargot Bleu

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