BBC Gardeners’ World presenter Monty Don has shared the one homegrown plant he eats every single day, and couldn’t go without, after celebrating his 70th birthday
Celebrated horticulturalist Monty Don has revealed the one plant he simply couldn’t live without, which features in his diet each and every day.
Monty, who marked his 70th birthday in July last year, shared his thoughts when Jo Whiley asked him on the RHS YouTube channel which three plants he would take to a desert island.
The third plant on Monty’s list “had to be something edible”, narrowing it down to either a pear or a particular variety of lettuce.
Monty explained: “It has to be something edible. It’s really difficult because it would have to be, what’s a treat? It would either have to be a Bon Chrétien pear because a ripe pear from the garden is wonderful or, it sounds really weird, just a really good lettuce. It is a good Parris Island Cos lettuce.
“Because I eat lettuce every day of my life and I love all the different varieties that come in season and just for the sensuous experience of knowing I’ve sown the seed, and grown it, and the rest of it. So, it has to be something edible.”
Monty’s preferred Parris Island Cos, a widely loved variety of romaine lettuce, is packed with nutritional benefits, boasting high levels of vitamins A, K, and C, as well as folate and dietary fibre.
As well as enjoying a wholesome diet rich in home-grown produce, Monty keeps active tending to his beloved Longmeadow garden, where Gardeners’ World is filmed, and taking his dogs out for regular walks.
Monty also spoke with Jo about the Chelsea Flower Show returning to London next week, where he and his fellow horticultural experts will gather to showcase their skills.
Recently, Monty revealed that the financial pressures of providing for his family meant he was grafting nearly every day of the year, following an invitation to audition for This Morning in the early 1990s.
What emerged was the beginning of a stellar broadcasting career that saw him journey across the globe and achieve National Treasure status.
Speaking to the i newspaper about his relentless work schedule, he confessed it wasn’t driven by a desire for celebrity, but rather the necessity of caring for his wife and children.
He said: “I certainly never intended to do television. I only agreed to do it because they offered me £300, and I needed £300 because we were broke. I needed to earn money to get back on my feet, to put a roof over our heads and food on the table.
“So it was purely practical: if people are prepared to pay me quite well to do something that I know I can do, great. I’ll take it. It wasn’t until a long time after that I could relax and say: ‘I’m doing this because I want to.'”
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