Simon Akeroyd is a garden writer with a passion for both kitchen gardening and cooking. He contributes to numerous magazines including Grow Your Own (as the Allotment Gardener) and was also a garden and food writer for the BBC. His books include Shrubs and Small Trees, Lawns and Ground Cover, the Allotment Handbook, A Small Course in Veg and Fruit, RHS Vegetables for the Gourmet Gardener, and (as co-author) Grow Your Own Fruit. He was previously a garden manager for the Royal Horticultural Society, and worked at both RHS Wisley and Harlow Carr.