The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
Gardeners’ World’s Carol Klein on G&TS and picking her own lunch
The Gardeners’ World presenter, 75, on tea in bed, G&TS on the terrace, and gardening with her favourite penknife called Tina
8.30am I don’t set an alarm, and if I’m lucky I get a cup of Earl Grey tea in bed. My favourite thing is a boiled egg with toast; Neil [Carol’s husband, 67 ], has the same, eaten on the terrace. 9.30am
I start gardening, wearing jeans and an Agnès b cardigan: they’re made from wonderfully fine cotton and come in beautiful colours. This is the first time in 30 years that I didn’t go to the Chelsea Flower Show, so to see my garden at this time of year has been a real treat – we’ve been in Glebe Cottage in Devon for 42 years. We’re planting up huge containers with ricinus, great big dahlias, cannas and a gorgeous eucomis called Sparkling Burgundy. I’ve got a favourite penknife called Tina for taking my cuttings. 12pm I nearly always have a cup of Lavazza
Oro coffee with a bit of cream. Then I’m back in the garden watering, staking and mulching. I’ve been doing quite a bit of filming for Gardeners’ World. Neil filmed a lovely piece on an iphone, with a director set up on another iphone. 2pm On Saturdays we get plenty of time to cuddle pets. We’ve got two beautitful Lakeland terriers: Fleur, who’s about 15, and Fifi, who is 10. 3pm We go out and pick stuff for a late lunch. I grow gem lettuces, loads of rocket and courgettes. I’ve been tempted to learn Italian [in lockdown] as I lived in Italy for a year, long ago. I went out there with someone who won a scholarship to The British School at Rome, but I deserted him. 6pm When the sun is over the yardarm, we’ll have gin and tonics on the terrace. We’ve had a couple of family Facetime calls. We’ve got two daughters, Annie, 40, in California, and Alice, 38, in Lewisham, who had her second child, Bill, in March. We just saw him before lockdown – it was fantastic to have had that hug, it keeps you going. 9pm We have lots of ratatouille using vegetables from the garden, and usually stewed fruits for dessert. 10pm On Saturday night we always watch a Scandi noir and also an episode of Inspector Montalbano. 12am Neil and I go to bed at the same time. I occasionally use moisturiser, La Mer (bought in very small quantities), when I remember.