Jessica "Jekka" McVicar is an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 organic gardening expert, author and broadcaster, particularly on the cultivation and use of herbs.

She was brought up in Chew Magna

Chew Magna

Chew Magna is a village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset, in the Ceremonial county of Somerset, England. The parish has a population of 1,161.To the south of the village is Chew Valley Lake...

, Somerset

Somerset

The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

, and learned about the use of herbs from her grandmother, the writer Ruth Lowinsky, and her mother. At the age of 17, after leaving Cranbourne Chase School

Cranbourne Chase School

Cranborne Chase School for Girls was an independent boarding school originally opened in Crichel House in Moor Crichel, Dorset. In 1960, the school moved to the New Wardour Castle near Tisbury, Wiltshire....

 in Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

, she joined the progressive rock band Marsupilami

Marsupilami (band)

Marsupilami were an English progressive rock band active in the early 1970s. The band released two albums, Marsupilami and Arena on Transatlantic Records...

 as a singer and flautist

Flautist

A flautist or flutist is a musician who plays an instrument in the flute family. See List of flautists.The choice of "flautist" versus "flutist" is the source of dispute among players of the instrument...

 under the name Jessica Stanley Clarke. The band released two albums, appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival

Isle of Wight Festival

The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...

 and the first Glastonbury Festival

Glastonbury Festival

The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...

, and toured in Europe.

After working for a time at the drama department of the BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

, she began working at a herb nursery in Somerset. She married Mac McVicar, and in 1987 they established a herb farm - now known as Jekka's Herb Farm - at Alveston

Alveston

Alveston is a commuter village of roughly 3000 people about south of Thornbury, South Gloucestershire and approximately north of Bristol, England. Alveston is twinned with Courville sur Eure, France. It has two hotels, a variety of small shops, several parks and fields, two churches and a...

 near Bristol

Bristol

Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...

. It now has the largest collection of herbs in the UK, with more than 600 different varieties. She has been awarded 62 Royal Horticultural Society

Royal Horticultural Society

The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...

 Gold Medals for her organic herb displays, including 14 at the Chelsea Flower Show

Chelsea Flower Show

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show, formally known as the Great Spring Show, is a garden show held for five days in May by the Royal Horticultural Society in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in Chelsea, London...

, and Best Floral Exhibit at Hampton Court in 2007 and 2008. She received publicity in 2009 when her garden gnome

Garden gnome

A garden gnome or lawn gnome is a figurine of a small humanoid creature, usually wearing a pointy hat, produced for the purpose of ornamentation and protection from evil sorcery, typically of gardens or on lawns....

, Borage, was banned from her display at the Chelsea Flower Show.

She has published several successful books, notably Jekka’s Complete Herb Book and Seeds, which have been reprinted in association with the Royal Horticultural Society. She is also well known for her appearances on TV and radio, on gardening and cookery. She is President of the West of England Herb Group and is a member of the Council of the RHS and its Fruit, Vegetable and Herb Committee.

Jekka's first major cookbook, Jekka's Herb Cookbook, will be published by Ebury Press in June 2010.