What Can I Expect

Attend the Raymond Blanc Gardening School and learn to love your garden! Whether you have a courtyard garden, a window sill or a whole vegetable patch to plant, these one-day gardening courses give a fascinating and practical insight into gardening.

Chef patron Raymond Blanc created his kitchen garden at Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in 1984. Since then, a team of dedicated gardeners has nurtured and developed the land to create 11 different gardens and orchards with over 2500 trees.

All the fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs grown in the gardens are used by the cheffing team at the famous Manoir restaurant. This ensures dishes are fresh and seasonal, with many zero-mile ingredients!

Your day will be spent with the gardeners. Each course is themed according to the seasons and what needs doing in the gardens. It could be winter fruit-tree pruning, summer fruit pruning, micro herb growing, edible flowers, or even how to grow your own herbs and veg without actually needing a garden!

These classes are very much hands-on and you'll be invited to get involved in the garden. It's a fabulous opportunity to see how a kitchen garden can provide a wealth of ingredients and you'll be privy to the tips and handy hints the professional gardeners use to ensure a good yield, without damaging the environment.

Basecamp for your day course is the Hartley Botanic ‘Grand Lodge' Glasshouse in the heart of Raymond Blanc's garden. If you're into your gardening, you'll know that Hartley Botanic specialises in making bespoke glasshouses in a classic style - and this is a stunning example!

Covering everything from soil science and composting, to what varieties to choose and how to maximise your growing space, these full-day workshops in the garden are informative and fun for gardeners of any level. Buy your voucher for a day at Raymond Blanc's Gardening School online now!

When Is It Available

• Selected weekday dates throughout the year (see menu for full schedule)
• Dates for weekend courses require a £30 premium payable at booking 
• Due to popularity it is recommended you book well in advance for this experience
• Courses start at 10:00 finishing at 15:30 with refreshments and a working lunch provided
• Participants should arrive 15 minutes prior to the start time

Suitable For

• Minimum age 16
• You will form part of a small group of up to 8 participants

Spectators

• Not suitable for spectators

Anything Else

• Please note a surcharge will be applicable on specialty courses not listed

Menu

2024 Schedule

July

• 9th – Summer Pruning
• 11th – Grow Your Own Vegetables
• 17th – Grow Your Own Vegetables
• 18th – Grafting Chip & Tongue Budding
• 24th – Grow Your Own Vegetables
• 25th – Herbs: Growing the Foundations of flavour

August

• 7th – Grow Your Own Vegetables
• 14th – Grow Your Own Vegetables
• 28th - Grow Your Own Vegetables

September

• 11th – Grow Your Own Vegetables
• 12th – Sustainable Fruit Tree Management
• 18th – Grow Your Own Vegetables
• 25th - Grow Your Own Vegetables

October

• 2nd – Grow Your Own Vegetables
• 16th – Sustainable Fruit Tree Management

November

• 6th – Grow Your Own Vegetables

December

• 4th – Winter Pruning