See mattapple1 at twitter and Daily Telegraph gardening.
1. At Defra’s new year journalist reception on Tuesday I first talked to a couple of senior Defra public relations bods. They noted that I had blogged about their distaste for badgers after a similar event last summer. I smoothly said: “Nice to see I’m read.” They were less indiscreet this time and would not comment on how floods had ruined loads of Cumbrians’ lives because of Defra intransigence, choosing to change the subject to talk about Hezza and his garden.
2. A bit later I saw the Horse and Hound type who I accused of boring Defra minister Jim Fitzpatrick about horsebox legislation last year. I hid and she left to go to a prior en-neigh-gment. Fitz didn't show this year but Hilary Benn weirdly seems to relish well-oiled farming hacks asking him why he's at Defra when he doesn't like the countryside, is vegetarian etc.
3. Legendary Guradin hack Simon Hoggart was there. He clocked my name tag and sniffed before taking more notes about the food on offer. Look out for “gvt waste” piece. His Christmas round robin letters book is a classic. He's not Simon Jenkins btw. They are different people, though a bit similar.
4. As well as British wine, there was fish. I said the writer of the film End of the Line (which portrays doomsday fishing stock scenarios) Charles Clover that joined up thinking on fish was required and the Government should be telling Jamie Oliver to start a campaign saying ‘eat less fish’. All TV chefs and nutritionists ram fish down your throat at all times. Hence no fish in the sea. No-one took any notice of my simplistic view.
5. Talking of wine, the Barclay brothers Daily Telegraph owners are going to make a Sark vintage, I heard. Then saw in the paper today. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/13/barclay-brothers-sark-wine
6. Spoke to Defra minister Huw Irranca-Davies on the issue of United Utilities over-filling the Thirlmere reservoir near Keswick in Cumbria and then not allowing any more water in during floods. He said something on it has landed on his desk. I said Keswick flooded five years ago, with the same problem, the water company wanting to keep the lake full in case of future drought, fingered as being to blame. He said he’d have a look. I’d used the line: “As a punter rather than a hack.” (I'm from Keswick). HID told a long story about an elderly Keswickian who had used plants on his doorstep to stem the worst of the flood and with his nephew had lifted his furniture onto blocks and taken the carpet up in a finger in the *** style King Canute gesture. Meanwhile a neighbour had simply locked the door when the flood came and checked into a hotel. This soggy tale suggested looking after yourself may be the best policy when the floods come again, probably in about two years judging by their increasing frequency-1985, 2005, 2009.
7. Before the Defra event I went to the All-Party Horticulture and Gardening Group AGM. The APG will visit George Osborne’s constituency in July to go to RHS Tatton Park flower show because group organisers expect a lot of new Conservative MPs might like to visit the shadow chancellor’s patch. Osborne visited local grower Chrysanthemums Direct recently. Its key contract with Marks & Spencer (M&S) has proved so successful that it has been asked to up production for next year. Osborne said: “You are an example of how agriculture and the rural economy can use new technology to find new markets."
8. APG secretary Brian Donohoe is organising a John Cushnie memorial edition of GQT to be held in the House of Commons. RHS is new sponsor. Stephen Bennett said, unprompted, he had my blog in his bag, ready to read on the hoof.
9. Cuts are on the cards at Times 2 I hear. 9. Met a lovely BBC radio guy called Bob Ledwidge, who used to be big in Norfolk. Resisted the Alan Partridge jibe. Spoke about how Tories are bashing Beeb, along with Tory/Murdoch press. He said Americans think its amazing the UK has primetime gardening TV. Not much gardening has emerged from Sky. Then again, BBC has missed the boat on grow your own in the last two years. We discussed how BBC and Defra both have huge press offices but both get endless bad publicity.
10. Talking of BBC press office, I asked Bob if it was likely that the Beeb had not appointed a producer to Gardener’s World. He said it was possible. I asked because BBc press office said they hadn’t. This is important because the series producer decides what’s going to be in the show. The presenters have surprisingly little say-which is why the ‘what’s hot and what’s not’ debacle happened last year. Exec producer Gill Tierney (who once told me taking gardening progs 'takes a long time'-the press office told me last week that half hour progs are different to make from hour ones-complex stuff this telly) told BBC Radio Times mag that the GW prog was going back to basics. But it already had after former producer Rosemary Edwards dumped the trendy changes when she was parachuted in as producer mid series in 2009. BBc press office could provide no more info than what Tierney told the Radio Times, other than that edwards was not coming back-she’s doing Chelsea Flower Show as she did in 2009 after leaving GW for the first time. I wonder where the charter stands on BBC only providing info for its own mags? I asked for producer interviews last year and press office told me they wouldn’t do them because they weren’t presenters. I asked presenters what would be on the show and they said they were the last to know. Bonus question...Which gardener makes granola, yoghurt and labneh? A copy of Martyn Cox’s Wildlife Gardener to the correct guesser.
