SPEAKER_00 0:00

So if you're in need of inspiration for your garden as we head into autumn, then look no further than the twenty twenty-six BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair. Fabulous audio how to garden in stuff and golden in ethics. It's got so much on offer this year as always. From Friday the 11th to Sunday, the 13th of September. And as well as a topic for your outdoor spaces, you'll also be treated as a fabulous seasonal ideas for the kitchen. And with more on this, I'm happy to be joined by Andy Clark, who will be hosting the Autumn Table Tastings, which sounds utterly delicious. So hello Andy, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:36

I'm very well, thank you. How are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:39

Yes, good, good. I'm looking forward to hearing some of you what you're going to be offering people who are going to be going to go going to go to the autumn fair. These autumn table tastings, tell me a little bit more about what they involve.

SPEAKER_01 0:51

So it's very exciting. I love the British seasons, and uh with the autumn fair, you know, we can really embrace that sort of heading into uh uh into autumn. And so what we've got, obviously, you know, I I'm quite outdoorsy and I love my garden, uh, but I also love eating and drinking, and you know, we can bring it all together. So the autumn table, which I'm hosting, has a number of different sessions throughout the three days, uh, from the Friday to the Sunday, um, where we can taste various bits and bobs, whether it's foraging, we've got some lovely sessions with uh a company called Hot and Tails, and they're a foraging company, they'll tell people um about what foraging is, uh, try some bits and bobs because you know this there's food and there are uh accompaniments and the herbs and things out there that we just don't know about. And so they are experts in this. So I'm very much looking forward to things that I might be able to incorporate into my own cooking or even put in my cocktails, which would be quite fun. Um we also have uh Bailey Hills uh there with their sparkling wine. Um, and that's uh a local vineyard, a family-run vineyard. Uh they've only been open since last year. It'll be uh a year to the week that they um first open their doors. They've got a beautiful uh tasting space there. All the grapes are grown locally. We're gonna be tasting three of their sparkling wines. So you can imagine how excited I am about that. So that's gonna be a lot of fun. Um English Heritage are also coming along. We've got a session each day with them, and we're doing an apples and pears tasting from their kitchen garden. Nothing says autumn more than taking an apple or a pear off the tree, right? So um uh we're gonna be treated to some wonderful stuff from uh English Heritage. Uh and to finish the day each day, we've got the fabulous East Coast distillery uh based in the heart of Essex uh and near the coast. They're gonna be making botanical cocktails. So what what more could you want? There's something for everybody there.

SPEAKER_00 2:43

Oh my goodness, it does sound absolutely divine. I mean, there's there's so much, literally, quite literally, to get your teeth into there. The like you say, apples and pears. I mean, I love uh like you, the seasons. It was so fortunate in this country to have once the sort of heat goes, hopefully we don't know whether the heat waves have actually you know left us yet. But you enter into that, and there's something about you naturally are heading into big jumpers, red wines, roaring fires, and nice because dews and crumbles and all that kind of stuff. It's just we're so lucky, aren't we?

SPEAKER_01 3:17

We are, and I think you know, we all love the long days of the summer, and a lot of the time we like the warmth. This year has been a challenge because it's been everybody, crops included. So it'll be really interesting to talk to these guys who are producing their own um food and drink about the challenges as well, you know, with a chance not just to taste stuff, but to actually chat to the people that run these companies that are, I don't know, taking grapes off the vines and pulling things out the ground about how it has been this year because it's all been a bit different. But I think any chefs, talk to any professional chef, and they will say that their favourite season is autumn because we have such a bounty. Do you remember at school when you have the harvest festival and you can celebrate everything that was, you know, in your in your trolley or in your fridge? And I have to love that. And essentially, um, it's like we've got a grown-up one of them just here um with the BBC Gardeners World Autumn Fair and the Autumn Table. I'm really, really looking forward to celebrating everything autumn and uh yeah, eating and drinking anything I can, quite frankly.

SPEAKER_00 4:17

It it's interesting you say that about the effect that the hot weather and the different climate is is is having on and I think that'll be a conversation not just for the obviously the food part of this this affair but the m the gardens as well, because everyone will be sort of trying to you know get to grips with what's happening with the climate. But I'm interested to you know well about what's going to happen with the wine as well, because lots of people have been sort of saying the the Mediterranean climates are sort of moving northwards, aren't they? And w it's going to have much more of an influence and we're but we're able to sort of get new grapes and things that we've probably never had in this country. So it'd be interesting to hear from from the vineyard that you're getting as well.

SPEAKER_01 4:55

Yeah, absolutely, because we are known as a cool climate in inverted commas, and there are certain uh varieties of grape that have always traditionally uh thrived uh in the UK. You know, we have similar soils to uh uh northern France and uh not not dissimilar climate, but you know, you the Pinot Noirs, the Chardonnays have always thrived here. But is it you know, if we're experiencing Mediterranean temperatures, what grapes from say Spar uh France and uh southern France and Spain and Italy, you know, what's the what's the future for them here? And it'll be really interesting to talk to the guys at Bailey Hills about that and see how they're probably thinking about future-proofing their production. And also in a way to focus on the positives about being quite excited about um growing grapes and making wines that we've never been able to do before in this country, um, alongside the traditional ones. So, yeah, I think we're all gonna learn. I'm I'm totally up for learning from the people who are gonna be um there that I'm hosting, because I'll get to ask them lots of questions. So uh yeah, in a good way, every day is a school day, and I and I hope to uh enjoy the sips and enjoy I'm very much looking to gatherles and pears, as I said. So a bit of that along the way as well.

SPEAKER_00 6:04

Absolutely. Well, this leads me on to a very, very easy question for you. Great time for entertaining, people kind of maybe coming inside more from you know the barbecue season and getting coming inside more. Give me some simple food and drink ideas that you might be kind of thinking for a lovely autumn gathering that you might be kind of saying to the audiences that that are going to come to Audley End.

SPEAKER_01 6:27

I really, really love things, like I said, being plucked off the tree and coming out of the ground. And actually, if you um are lucky enough in your shops and fortunate enough in your supermarket to have uh seasonal sections, try and go for something that's seasonal. Look at what has been produced within the UK and Ireland. I also think you have a really good shout, and then incorporate that into your cooking. I love playing with things. I just I don't I don't worry too much about specific recipes. So I think things like root vegetables, obviously, you know, squashes and pumpkins and things like that are always great, but not just for a roasting and savory point of view. I mean, roast them, whack them in soups, you know, roast them with some thyme, some hardy herbs that are in your garden, sprinkle them with some toasted nuts, great. But you can make purees out of these things, add some spice, add a little dash of honey, make a lovely um pumpkin uh puree for your cocktail. It's like a little pumpkin bellini.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Ooh, lovely. Now you talk about it.

SPEAKER_01 7:23

That could be nice. And also, if you think about berries, you know, at the end of um the sort of berry season, you know, if you've got water and you've got sugar and you've got a saucepan, you can make a sugar syrup. But if you muddle into that some late summer raspberries or some black currants or some blackberries or strawberries, you can then sort of um you can uh put that through a sieve, and then you've got a most amazing sweet sugar syrup that you could use in cooking drizzle over a cheesecake or a dash of that in your favourite cocktail would add a little seasonal note and really, really impress your friends and family.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

Oh my goodness, it sounds absolutely glorious. Uh what a what a fabulous backdrop as well. You've got to mention the house because the tickets you get entry to Audley End um House and Garden. And what a fabulous backdrop that you have you have there for this event.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

I mean, it is just a beautiful area uh in total, and it's a real privilege to be in the grounds there of Audley End House and Garden. But yes, as you were saying, you get entrance to that as well. I mean, oh gosh, I hope I've got enough time to take advantage of this and get to go around, you know? Um from anything from coming to see me there or going to buy plants, loads of shopping, whatever you fancy doing, but also to get access to the house and the garden uh alongside some fantastic street food, etc. etc., is just wonderful. And I'm I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

And it's so friendly as well, isn't it? The sh these shows are everybody wants to chat, whether it's the people exhibiting or the people with with uh maybe some stalls or things like that. Everybody is very approachable, aren't they? And it's you can just you can take or is leave as much as you want. It's it's very relaxed, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 9:00

It it really is. It's really nice, it's like everybody who's going there has gone there because they want to be there. Whether you bought a ticket, you're coming along for the day, or coming back every day over the weekend. Um, or if you are selling your wares or um showing off what you produced, it's so lovely. You can wander around it just for like the most friendliest little fair slash street party slash garden party. And that's so lovely. It's gonna be pretty, it's celebrating celebrating everything that's wonderful about our our seasons going into autumn. And yeah, just make sure you do, like me, I talk to everybody. Just make sure you go past, talk to people who've grown plants there that have little display gardens, talk to the people that are coming off the stages. They are there to communicate and share their love of the Great British Garden and their food and drink. So, you know, um make some new friends, really, you know. I think that's a really nice idea. And yeah, it's going to be super friendly and everybody's invited.

SPEAKER_00 9:53

Andy, it's it's absolutely wonderful. You're giving a fabulous little sort of idea of what to expect. Friday the 11th, Sunday the 13th of September. That weekend, three days of fabulousness at Audley End House and Garden in Saffron Walden in Essex. Like we say, the tickets include entry to the House and Garden. And Andy, you'll be there every day hosting the autumn table tasting. So head along. You can find out more at BBC Gardenerswelfare dot com. Thank you very much. And uh I mean, I d I don't need to say that too. Enjoy it, Andy.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

I will join us there and I can't wait. Bring it on.