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Jessica "Jekka" McVicar (born 1951) is an English organic gardening expert, author, and broadcaster, particularly on the cultivation and use of herbs.
Jekka McVicar | |
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| Born | Jessica Stanley Clarke 1951 (age 72–73) Chew Magna, Somerset, England |
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| Website | jekkas |
Biography
editBorn Jessica Stanley Clarke, she was brought up in Chew Magna, Somerset, and learned about the use of herbs from her grandmother, writer Ruth Lowinsky,[1] and her mother.[2] At the age of seventeen, after leaving Cranborne Chase School in Wiltshire, Clarke joined the progressive rock band Marsupilami as a singer and flautist. The band released two albums, appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival and the first Glastonbury Festival, and toured in Europe.[3] In 1973, Clarke played the role of Jessie, a flautist, in the Doctor Who serial The Green Death.[4]
After working for a time at the drama department of the BBC, Clarke found employment at a herb nursery in Somerset. She married Ian "Mac" McVicar in 1976, and in 1987, they established a herb farm—now known as Jekka's Herb Farm—at Alveston, near Bristol. They have the largest collection of culinary herbs in the UK, with more than 500 different varieties.[3]
McVicar has published several successful books, notably Jekka's Complete Herb Book and Seeds, which have been reprinted in association with the Royal Horticultural Society. She also regularly contributes to a number of national publications, including BBC Gardener's World Magazine, BBC Good Food, Gardens Illustrated, and The Guardian newspaper.[citation needed]
In 2016, McVicar was appointed honorary vice president of the RHS.[5] She is also an RHS Ambassador for Health & Wellbeing.[6]
Awards
edit- 1993: RHS Gold medal, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show[7]
- 1994: RHS Gold medal, RHS Chelsea Flower Show[7]
- 2007 & 2008: Tudor Rose, RHS Hampton Court Flower Show[7]
- 2009: RHS Lawrence Award, RHS Chelsea Flower Show[7]
- 2012: Garden Media Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, "for services to horticulture, design, education and communication and excellence in the field of organic herb growing"[8]
- 2024: Prince Edward Award for Excellence in Horticultural Career Development[10]
Bibliography
edit- The Complete Herb Book (also published as Jekka's Complete Herb Book) (1994)
- Herbs for the Home: A Definitive Sourcebook to Growing and Using Herbs (1995)
- Jekka's Aromatic Herbs: A Guide to Growing and Enjoying Aromatic Herbs (1995)
- Jekka's Cottage Garden Herbs: A Guide to Growing and Cooking Delicious Herbs (1995)
- Jekka's Medicinal Herbs: A Guide to Growing and Using Medicinal Herbs (1997)
- Jekka's Culinary Herbs: A Guide to Growing and Using Herbs for the Kitchen (1997)
- Good Enough to Eat: Growing Edible Flowers and Cooking with Them (also published as Cooking with Flowers) (1997)
- Seeds: The Ultimate Guide to Growing Successfully from Seed (2003)
- New Book of Herbs (2003)
- Jekka's Herb Cookbook (2010)
- Jekka's Pocketful of Herbs[11] (2019)
- 100 Herbs to Grow[12] (2024)
References
edit- ^ Books by Ruth Lowinsky
- ^ Interview with Jekka McVicar at MostlyFood.co.uk Archived 20 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Jekka's Herb Farm
- ^ Doctor Who The Complete History Volume 20. p. 70.
- ^ "RHS Vice Presidents". RHS.
- ^ "RHS Ambassador". RHS.
- ^ a b c d "RHS Awards". Jekka's.
- ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award". Garden Media Guild.
- ^ "RHS People Awards". RHS. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
- ^ "The Prince Edward Award for Excellence in Horticultural Career Development". The worshipful company of gardeners.
- ^ McVicar, Jekka (7 March 2019). A Pocketful of Herbs: An A-Z. Bloomsbury Absolute. p. 160. ISBN 978-1472959478.
- ^ McVicar, Jekka (7 March 2024). 100 Herbs to Grow. Quadrille Publishing Ltd. p. 288. ISBN 978-1837830442.