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| Queen goes green with veg patch | |
| (1 day later) | |
| By Peter Hunt Royal correspondent, BBC News The Queen (r) gardening in Windsor with Princess Margaret in 1940 | By Peter Hunt Royal correspondent, BBC News The Queen (r) gardening in Windsor with Princess Margaret in 1940 |
| The Queen is the proud owner of an allotment. The royal sustainable vegetable patch has been dug inside the 40-acre grounds of Buckingham Palace. | The Queen is the proud owner of an allotment. The royal sustainable vegetable patch has been dug inside the 40-acre grounds of Buckingham Palace. |
| The capital's biggest private garden is the setting for the Queen's annual garden parties and it is also home to a lake, a helicopter landing area and a tennis court where King George VI used to play against Fred Perry. | The capital's biggest private garden is the setting for the Queen's annual garden parties and it is also home to a lake, a helicopter landing area and a tennis court where King George VI used to play against Fred Perry. |
| The Queen can look forward to savouring the fruits of her gardeners' labours. | The Queen can look forward to savouring the fruits of her gardeners' labours. |
| Soon to be served at the royal table will be a range of produce including runner beans, leeks, beetroot and an endangered variety of climbing French beans called Blue Queen. | Soon to be served at the royal table will be a range of produce including runner beans, leeks, beetroot and an endangered variety of climbing French beans called Blue Queen. |
| It is the brainchild of the Queen's deputy head gardener, Claire Midgeley. | It is the brainchild of the Queen's deputy head gardener, Claire Midgeley. |
| She showed her boss around the palace's latest addition the other day. | She showed her boss around the palace's latest addition the other day. |
| Growing movement | Growing movement |
| Ms Midgeley hopes those attending garden parties will see her growing creation. | Ms Midgeley hopes those attending garden parties will see her growing creation. |
| She said: "We are trying to promote growing your own food and vegetables, getting families and children involved, getting their hands dirty. | She said: "We are trying to promote growing your own food and vegetables, getting families and children involved, getting their hands dirty. |
| "It's a growing movement throughout the country and we're just hoping to encourage that." | "It's a growing movement throughout the country and we're just hoping to encourage that." |
| This is the first time vegetables have been grown in the backyard of the monarch's London residence since World War II. | This is the first time vegetables have been grown in the backyard of the monarch's London residence since World War II. |
| Then, as part of the Dig for Victory campaign, royals and others produced 1.3m tons of food. | Then, as part of the Dig for Victory campaign, royals and others produced 1.3m tons of food. |
| The home grown production meant imports could be halved, as merchant navy food shipments were coming under attack from German U-boats. | The home grown production meant imports could be halved, as merchant navy food shipments were coming under attack from German U-boats. |
| An allotment holder works on his plot in Kensington Gardens in 1942 | An allotment holder works on his plot in Kensington Gardens in 1942 |
| It was a similar patriotic picture during World War I. Footage from 1918 of the Buckingham Palace allotment on the YouTube Royal Channel is entitled "An abundance of royal turnips". | It was a similar patriotic picture during World War I. Footage from 1918 of the Buckingham Palace allotment on the YouTube Royal Channel is entitled "An abundance of royal turnips". |
| The Queen - or rather her gardeners - are part of a growing trend. | The Queen - or rather her gardeners - are part of a growing trend. |
| In America three months ago, Michelle Obama dug up some of the White House's presidential lawn to create an organic community garden. | In America three months ago, Michelle Obama dug up some of the White House's presidential lawn to create an organic community garden. |
| On both sides of the Atlantic the motivation for this burgeoning green-fingered revolution seems to centre on a range of factors, including healthy eating, self sufficiency and a desire to address carbon emissions caused by food imports. | On both sides of the Atlantic the motivation for this burgeoning green-fingered revolution seems to centre on a range of factors, including healthy eating, self sufficiency and a desire to address carbon emissions caused by food imports. |
| Here, not everyone is as fortunate as the Queen. Indeed the phrase, "royal allotment" teeters close to a breach of the Trades Descriptions Act. | Here, not everyone is as fortunate as the Queen. Indeed the phrase, "royal allotment" teeters close to a breach of the Trades Descriptions Act. |
| Huge wait | Huge wait |
| Non-royals are often dependent on their local council to rent them a strip of land. Demand is far outstripping supply. | Non-royals are often dependent on their local council to rent them a strip of land. Demand is far outstripping supply. |
| It is not unheard of for people to wait up to 15 years and it is just as bad in rural Devon as it is in the centre of cities. | It is not unheard of for people to wait up to 15 years and it is just as bad in rural Devon as it is in the centre of cities. |
| The National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG) estimates that there are at least 100,000 people in England and Wales on waiting lists for allotments. | The National Society of Allotments and Leisure Gardeners (NSALG) estimates that there are at least 100,000 people in England and Wales on waiting lists for allotments. |
| The NSALG campaigns for improved provision. Its legal officer, Bryn Pugh, told the BBC that "some gardeners are more likely to get a burial plot before they are given an allotment". | The NSALG campaigns for improved provision. Its legal officer, Bryn Pugh, told the BBC that "some gardeners are more likely to get a burial plot before they are given an allotment". |
| Allotments are a uniquely British creation. Their history can be traced back to before the reign of Elizabeth I. | Allotments are a uniquely British creation. Their history can be traced back to before the reign of Elizabeth I. |
| A century ago, they were considered a way of tackling poor health and excessive drinking among the working classes. | A century ago, they were considered a way of tackling poor health and excessive drinking among the working classes. |
| Post war, they fell out of fashion with the arrival of convenience foods and improved living standards. | Post war, they fell out of fashion with the arrival of convenience foods and improved living standards. |
| Now, they have been embraced by those who want to grow their own food and know what they are eating - and they have the royal seal of approval. | Now, they have been embraced by those who want to grow their own food and know what they are eating - and they have the royal seal of approval. |
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| The Queen's allotment in the grounds of Buckingham Palace |