Listen now on your favourite app
Mark Diacono – From River Cottage to his own ‘climate change farm’

Episode Highlights:
New Food Matters Podcast Episode
Listen to our latest episode here.
Read Our Pre-Budget Submission
We’re calling on the Government to invest in a national rollout of GROW at School.
Become a V.I.PEA
Join our mailing list for seasonal tips, updates & GIY inspiration. Sign up here.
Mark Diacono found his life’s purpose and direction through food and
he has dedicated his life to growing, cooking and writing about it.
Having been involved in the early days of River Cottage, Mark went on to
pursue his dream of creating his own farm, turning two blank fields in
southwest England into 17-acres of diverse fruit and veg plots, orchards
and forest gardens.
In this episode of Food Matters, Mark shares his incredible life
story with GIY founder Mick Kelly, along with his thoughts on modern
diets, food sustainability, and the transformational power of quality
homegrown produce.
GIY are proud to align our mission, vision and impact with the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In response to the
urgency of the climate crisis, and in line with the UN Decade of Action,
our ambition at GIY is to inspire 100 million people around the world
to grow some of their own food by 2030.
Episode Highlights:
Mark’s love of writing books and all about his latest one, called ‘Vegetables’.
How to get creative with growing and cooking vegetables while also making sure you’re also getting all the nutrition you need.
His memories of River Cottage and the valuable lessons he learned during his time there.
Why tasting a mulberry change his life.
The biggest mistake most of us make when growing courgettes.
Why he feels people in Ireland and the UK spend so little on quality food, and what needs to happen to change it.
Our food system is broken and at GIY we believe that nurturing a real connection to where our food comes from is the key to fixing it.
We're on a mission to inspire a global movement of food growers, one GIYer at a time.
Sign up to be the first to hear about all things GIY.
GIY is a social enterprise consisting of two companies: GIY Ireland CLG (Company No 477525) and GIY Ireland Activities Ltd (Company No 490550), both registered at GROW HQ, Farronshoneen, Dunmore Road, Waterford, Ireland and have the following directors: Eamonn Clarke, Carol Montgomery, Aoibheann O'Brien, Tom Popple (UK), Elias Darwish, Marie Oldham, Nevan Redmond, Laura Smith© GIY Ireland Ltd 2025