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  • This website is run by John & Val Harrison who live in Crewe, Cheshire.
  • John is 53 years old and keeps 2 allotments, his wife Val looks after the flower garden. John runs the growing side of the web site and Val runs the recipe section.
  • They are self-sufficient in vegetables and Val produce quantities of jams, chutneys and preserves from the produce.

Website Information

The main information site is www.allotment.org.uk and the recipes are located at www.allotment.org.uk/recipe There is a section on keeping poultry at home (The Poultry Pages) located at poultry.allotment.org.uk and a very popular forum with over 6,000 members located at chat.allotment.org.uk and is the most popular gardening web site in the UK if not the world.

The site as a whole receives around a million visits a month. Val has just started a new web site frugal-cooking.co.uk to address producing good wholesome food affordably.

Books

John Harrison has written 4 books, all published by Constable & Robinson under the Right Way Imprint

Vegetable Growing Book  Cover

Vegetable Growing Month by Month – £5.99 published March 2008
ISBN 978-0-7160-2189-6 Amazon Link

Since it's launch this has become one of the most popular gardening books in the UK, outselling every other book in the field on Amazon and consistently being in the top 100 books chart.

"Harrison's book is crammed with useful information, unencumbered by any trendy graphics it's perfect for all those gardeners who just want a book to tell them exactly what to do, and when."
Emma Townshend, Independent on Sunday

The Essential Allotment Guide - £5.99 published 26th March 2009
ISBN 978-0-7160-2212-1 Amazon Link

Aimed primarily at those growing on or looking to grow on an allotment, this book compliments John's first.

Low Cost Living - £5.99 Publication 28th May 2009
ISBN 978-0-7160-2211-4 Amazon Link

As well as growing their own food, John & Val Harrison have lived frugally raising a family in bad times as well as good. This book passes on their practical experiences on living better for less.

Easy Jams, Chutneys and Preserves - Publication 30th July 2009
ISBN: 978-0-7160-2225-1 Amazon Link

Currently being written by John & Val Harrison, does what it says on the title!

Vegetable Growing Book  Cover Essential Allotment Guide Low Cost Living Jams, Chutneys, Preserves

Biographical Information

John Harrison
John Harrison
Val Harrison
Val Harrison

John Harrison lives with his wife Val in Crewe, Cheshire

John has had a varied career, ranging from his own business as a kitchen designer to working with venture capitalists as a facilitator in a global environment. In the dot com boom he was, sadly for a very brief time, a paper multi-millionaire but soon returned to normality!

His interest in horticulture came at an early age and was nurtured by his grandfather. Despite a busy life, he's grown his own for over 30 years and has always been interested in self-sufficiency generally as well as appropriate technology.

Currently a full time author as well as running the web site he was recently described as "Britain's greatest allotment authority" by the Independent on Sunday. He also sits on the National Executive Committee of the National Vegetable Society.

Val Harrison developed an interest in cooking as a student, helping to run a vegetarian café at her university. She developed a particular interest in preserving food due, she says, to her husband's over production!

Further Information

For high-res images, book cover images and further information please contact:

Georgie Askew
Publicity , Constable & Robinson
Tel: 020 8741 3663
Email

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