'I started my herb business by accident - now we are going on TV!'

Urban Herbs, run by Andy and Kate Perry, was started in 2009 'by accident', but has grown in popularity over the years – now the pair are set to appear on James Martin's Saturday Kitchen this weekend.

What sprouted as a 'small project' for Andy to be able to pay off his university tuition fees soon grew into a business followed by tens of thousands of people, and one that is dispatching thousands of orders a week.

The husband and wife duo took their business all over the country - not to gardening shows, but to food festivals.

Andy saw how popular the herbs were becoming.

The 37-year-old said: "I accidentally created the business, I was just selling at my local farmers' market and realised that people were really enjoying the herb plants.

"They were appealing to a younger audience and a different audience. It was people who weren't confident as gardeners but loved food and flavour. We took an active decision to not go down the traditional garden centre route, so we didn't go to flower shows but went to food festivals."

It was during Covid that the pair started building an online community – with Andy's main Instagram page @andygrowsfood amassing 180,000 followers.

"We got into serious financial trouble because of Covid, and had to completely reinvent ourselves overnight. In the space of a week, we built a website and worked out how to send plants out in the post. Since then, our social media got big numbers quite quickly. One of the main things I started talking about - and still do - is food inequality, and how growing food should be open to everyone, and how I grow food in my small, former council house garden.

"Anyone can grow food - that's the positive message we are spreading."

His personal favourites are hot and spicy oregano and creeping red thyme, as it is 'evergreen, low-level, and has beautiful flowers to attract bees'.

Speaking about the show, Andy said: "The producer reached out to us through social media. It was amazing for James to meet the herbs and seeing his reaction to them."

Viewers can tune into the show on Saturday, May 25 at 9.30am to see Urban Herbs.