Kelly Munford

An open letter to the Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, to Ellie Chowns MP, and to those responsible for Britain's environment, farming, business, energy and the welfare of our children Dear Prime Minister, I am writing this as a small British flower farmer, a rural business owner and, perhaps most importantly, a mother. This summer has been frightening. A dry and crispy flower field / parched soil / a bone dry river bed. We are watching increasingly extreme heat, prolonged dry periods, depleted...

British Flowers Week is one of my favourite weeks of the year. Not because anything special happens in the flower field (the weeds certainly don’t take a week off!), but because it’s a chance to celebrate something I care deeply about: flowers grown here in Britain, in season, and close to home.

There’s been a real shift in how we think about food over the past few years, more people choosing local, seasonal, and understanding where things come from. Flowers, though, have quietly stayed the same. Most of what we buy in supermarkets and even from florists has travelled thousands of miles to get here, often grown in heated greenhouses, sprayed with chemicals, picked early, and shipped in bulk. And while they can look beautiful, they’re a world away from what flowers are like when...