David Pearce, who spent a year working as a kitchen gardener for King Charles at Highgrove, has revealed the monarch's strict vegetable preferences. Squash and courgettes were completely banned from the kitchen, and carrots had to be grown to the precise size of a little finger.
David, now the youngest curator of Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, managed the mixed beds in the walled garden at Highgrove. He catered to the King's very specific requirements, growing fruit and vegetables for his dinners and lunches.
Royal Vegetable Preferences
David said: 'We were growing mostly things he requested himself - a whole bed of salad and two whole beds of asparagus, he was very keen on that. Things like cauliflower, and he particularly liked his crudité carrots – we would have to grow them to a particular size, of your little finger. He particularly liked spinach. We grew onions, leeks and Florence fennel. It was mostly working with him and his individual preferences. But squash was off the cards, and absolutely no courgettes.'
David's Horticultural Journey
David described having a 'feral' upbringing on the fringes of the New Forest. He applied for an apprenticeship at Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight on a whim. He then secured a position at Wisley, the Royal Horticultural Society's flagship garden in Surrey, where he studied while working among 300 acres of meticulously maintained planting.
After graduating during the pandemic, he secured employment at Highgrove, the private residence of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, near Tetbury in Gloucestershire. The one-acre walled garden is nestled within woodland, features a geometric layout, and operates under strictly organic principles.
Organic and Sustainable Practices
David praised the King's environmental views, saying: 'When everyone else was primping lawns, he was cultivating wildflower meadows as far as the eye could see.' Chemical sprays were forbidden; instead, electric devices were used for pest control, alongside innovative weed management techniques.
The then Prince of Wales insisted on a morning walk around the garden when he was on site. David recalled: 'We would have the opportunity to walk around with him. He would tell us what particular things he wanted, when he wanted them.'
Career Progression
After Highgrove, David transferred to Whatley Manor, a five-star Cotswolds hotel, where he managed his own garden space. His next move brought him to Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens, one of England's most impressive walled gardens, where he took up the position three years ago.
David said: 'I always recognised it as one of the greatest gardens in the world. I thought to run Abbotsbury would be the most amazing job in the world.' He leads a five-strong gardening team, with each member responsible for a distinct section of the grounds, while also overseeing health and safety for tens of thousands of annual visitors.
What truly excites David is the spell that Abbotsbury casts over visitors: 'The magic of Abbotsbury is we transport visitors to a completely different landscape.'
