Veg on prescription - Kitchen Garden Magazine

With fruit and veg this colourful who could say no?

The Kindling Trust, a Manchester-based charity promoting social and environmental change, is working with a Stockport GP practice to test the effectiveness of prescribing good food and gardening as an alternative to medicine. Kindling will be working with doctors and volunteers to develop and trial ‘social prescribing’. GPs will refer interested patients for a programme involving the provision of veg boxes, cookery sessions and exercise in the form of gardening, in the hope that this might be a more effective way to alleviate some moderate health conditions.

Social prescribing recognises that people’s health is affected by a range of factors, and tries to address their needs more broadly. It also aims to support them in taking control of their own health. This programme will not only make local organic veg available to more people, but also engage them in producing it.

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Kay Ellermeyer, business manager at Alvanley Family Practice, says, “We know that medicine is only one part of what makes our patients healthy; being part of a good social community, eating well and exercise is essential… We are convinced that this new programme will mean that some of our patients who are isolated will make new connections and gain support from growing, cooking and eating together.”

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Steve Ott

Steve Ott is editor of Kitchen Garden magazine and started his career as a professional grower, producing everything from cut flowers to vegetables. He has been growing fruit and veg all his life and spends most of his spare time in his garden in the East Midlands. He loves to experiment with crops and varieties he has never grown before and when he isn’t gardening is to be found out in the countryside bird watching and walking his dog Ted.