The RHS Chelsea Flower Show welcomes its first ever Chef in Residence

Sam Buckley is one of just 23 Michelin-green-starred chefs in the UK, quickly garnering a reputation for his ‘responsive’ style of cooking whereby dishes are created fresh from seasonal and ethically sourced ingredients.

Buckley was awarded the Michelin Green Star in 2021, the accolade recognises restaurants at the forefront of sustainability in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and food waste.

Global real estate services provider, Savills has partnered with the environmentally conscious chef for their ‘Plot to Plate’ garden at the 2023 Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show.

The Savill’s Garden is being designed by Mark Gregory, who has delivered over 100 show gardens and exhibits at the Chelsea Flower Show, with his 2018 ‘Welcome to Yorkshire’ garden voted BBC People’s Choice Garden of the Decade in 2020.

Savill’s ‘Plot to Plate’ garden will showcase ‘edimental’ planting and include the shows’ first ever working kitchen where chef Sam Buckley will be cooking from the garden during the show, creating multi-course menus using seasonal produce and flavours from the garden.

This will include cropping from the gardens’ fruit and vegetable plots, with offcuts being reimagined for dishes the following day, as food waste reduction features at the core of the chefs’ creative process.

Buckley comments: “I was thrilled to be asked to cook on the Savills Garden, especially as we’ll be making history with the first working kitchen on a show garden at Chelsea. Mark Gregory’s planting scheme will offer such a range of flavours, allowing me to create a new lunch menu each day of the show.

“This plays very much to the responsive cooking style followed in my restaurant, where menus are inspired by local produce and whatever is ripe on The Landing, our own growing space in Stockport.”

Buckley’s sustainable, forward-thinking and ethically conscious loft-style restaurant Where The Light Gets In, situated in the chef’s hometown of Stockport is known for serving up exquisite dishes, only using ingredients when they are at the peak of their season, sourced from farmers and fishermen who exceed free-range, organic certifications and are actively contributing to the sustainability of food production and reducing food waste.

Food waste continues to have an impact on all levels of economic development and is a major part of the impact of agriculture on climate change.

Reducing food waste would cut greenhouse gas emissions, slow the destruction of nature and save money at a time of global recession, highlighting the critical importance of producing food in a way that protects the environment.

The Savill’s Garden speaks to the firm’s continued commitment to the protection of the environment whilst promoting sustainable practises.

Richard Rees, managing director at Savills, comments: “We are excited to be working with Mark and Sam to deliver Chelsea Flower Show’s first ever working kitchen experience, in a garden that’s both sanctuary and source of the best in flavours and nutrition.

“With its emphasis on using reclaimed and environmentally sensitive landscaping materials sourced as locally as possible, and showcasing the best in seasonal planting, this project has natural synergy with our commitment to promoting sustainable development through our work with clients, suppliers and local communities.”

Upon completion of the show, Savill will work with national charity, Shaw Trust to relocate the garden to Nottinghamshire to ensure it can continue to flourish.

Additionally, Savill will be working existing charity partner Rethink Food, an organisation focused on educating school children on food security, to share learnings from the garden.

This follows announcements from the RHS that several gardens featured this year will also be sustainability focused, showcasing innovative biodiversity solutions to preserve wildlife.