Gardening productively is one of Francine Raymond’s greatest pleasures, heightened by the chance to chronicle her experiences in a dozen or so books; newspapers, including a six-year weekly column in the Telegraph); magazines such as The English Garden, Country Living, Gardens Illustrated and the general poultry press; and on her blog at kitchen-garden-hens.co.uk. After a lifetime on an acre in Suffolk, populated with hens and ducks, Francine now gardens a small town plot by the sea in Whitstable with the help of her grandsons and a few bantams. She started her career as a fashion designer, moving to Milan in the seventies and returned to an abiding love – the English countryside – with her small children. Making the most of her plot, Francine opened her garden to the public – an evangelist, hoping to prove that a productive garden can be both stylish and a source of healthy food: a delight to all the senses.