Already a trained RHS gardener, I had never used chemicals and had always been fascinated by ecosystems rather than just gardens. After my course, I worked as a community gardener across North London, designing gardens, planting forest gardens, and teaching food growing to a wide range of groups — schools, community centres, housing estates, and more.

I took permaculture further by studying for my Diploma in Applied Permaculture Design, which I completed in 2016 — the same year I moved to Hastings and had the wonderful opportunity to buy a field and put everything I’d learned into practice.

Since then, I’ve taught many short courses, particularly in forest gardening, which eventually led to my book, The Forager’s Garden (Permanent Publications, 2021). My deep passion has always been to share an easier, sustainable way to grow food — creating perennial systems that feed communities while restoring soils and ecosystems.

Today, my farm is a biodiversity hotspot. I use guild planting in the orchard, which now supports the most insects on the site and even great crested newts. I regenerate soils through mulching and organic methods. For me, permaculture works — I’m a scientist and a practitioner, experimenting with these systems for years and sharing ways to live on the planet while repairing, rather than damaging, our environment.

When I look out and see the growing network of permaculture projects, it gives me great hope — and it is this hope that I aim to share.