Southall Manor House Kitchen Garden Gets Helping Hand from Students

A group of West London College Inclusive Learning students assisted a team of experienced horticulturalists and apprentices from Cultivate London  (with extensive food growing, landscape gardening, community and inclusive education experience) in a gardening activity planting herbs, spices and vegetables in the Kitchen Garden and the Herb & Spice Garden at Southall Manor House.

The gardens at Southall Manor House grounds are there to enable local projects and encourage local produce. The aim of the project is to grow a selection of food, herbs and spices for the restaurant, this is a great opportunity to demonstrate the beauty of growing food while allowing space for community activities and involvement.

Auberon Bayley from Cultivate London said: “This is the first planting here at Southall Manor House and we work in partnership with the local council and are using organic principles to grow vegetables, herbs and spices for chefs to use in their dishes. The gardens will need regular maintenance, so people can develop a knowledge of how to look after plants, and if they want to go to become a gardener it shouldn’t be too much of a big step, I think that’s the main purpose of the project, to enable local community participation.”

Jason Byrnes, West London College Inclusive Learning Tutor said: “It was a good opportunity for my students to progress their skills in gardening and the plants they have sown will be used in a productive way in the kitchen.”

John Savage, West London College Inclusive Learning Tutor said: “This was a really fun way for the students to get involved in the community. It was great to see all the students busy planting and sowing seeds. It will be fantastic for the students to see the fruits of their labour once the plants have grown.”

Yumnah Jawaid, West London College Inclusive Learning student said: “I can’t wait to go back to see how they have grown. It will be great to pick some of the herbs for our cookery sessions.”