The family
The family
Jekka, Mac, Hannah & Alistair McVicar, along with dogs Tansy & Rufous are the backbone of Jekka's and are always at the centre of the company.
Jekka McVicar, VMH
Jekka McVicar is an organic grower of herbs and horticultural author, designer, consultant, judge and moderator. She is renowned for her passion and knowledge of herbs and has built an international reputation for growing and designing sustainable herb gardens.
Jekka has been awarded 62 RHS Gold medals for her Herb Exhibits which includes 14 Gold medals at the Chelsea Flower Show as well as the RHS Lawrence Medal (2009), for the best exhibit shown at any RHS show during that year. A first for certified organic and peat free plants.
She has an impressive list of credentials, including being a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Vice President, the RHS Ambassador for Health & Wellbeing and a Vice President of the Herb Society UK. Jekka was also awarded the RHS top accolade, the Victoria Medal of Honour in 2017. In 2012 she achieved the Gardeners Media Guild Life Time Achievement Award for services to horticulture, design, education and communication, and excellence in the field of organic herb growing.
Jekka has appeared in many television programs including: ITV: Love Your
Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh, BBC: Marcus Wareing's tales from a kitchen
garden, Channel 4: Sunday Brunch, BBC: Escape to the country and BBC:
Countryfile. Jekka also contributes to a number of national publications, is often featured in the Telegraph and regularly broadcasts on BBC Radio including for the ‘The Food Programme’ who, in 2017, broadcasted a feature on Jekka’s life in Herbs.
A best-selling author of 8 books including Jekka’s Complete Herb Book that sold over 1 million copies in 2014. Her 8th book ‘A Pocketful of Herbs’, was published by Bloomsbury Press, in March 2019.
Jekka is represented by Sauce Management. For all enquiries please contact Jekka's agent, Martine Carter (martine@saucemanagement.com)
Mac McVicar
Mac, Ian or Dad is the backbone of the business and holds titles ranging from Financial Director to Kitchen Porter.Setting up the business with Jekka back in 1984 he delivers the innovations, such as building the Herbetum, proofs all the books and generally keeps the ship sailing.
In a previous career he project managed the delivery of satellites for BAE systems, such as Envisat, which provides the skills necessary to manage a family business (although with satellites you can blast them into space).
Hannah McVicar
Hannah is an illustrator and printmaker, who has designed all of our packaging and marketing material at Jekka's, including illustrating all our seed packets, seed collections, greeting cards and homeware. She has also taken many of our herb and event photographs found on this site.
Hannah graduated from Falmouth College of Art with BA (hons) Illustration, in 2004. Her career started illustrating her parent’s plant catalogue and then designing floral patterns as a textile designer in America. She returned to England to pursue her career in illustration, working for a variety of clients including Gardens Illustrated magazine and Osborne & Little.
Hannah has developed her style through years of practicing the technique of screenprinting, when she is not working on commissions, she is producing colourful and vibrant collections of floral screenprints that she exhibits throughout the country.
Alistair McVicar, Ph.D.
At Jekka’s Alistair brings his interests in the environment and his love for food to run Jekka’s ‘Food for thought’ supper clubs and the café on Open Days as well as giving the Master Classes on herb-based diets, herb tea time and edible flowers. He is also responsible for the corporate days.
Alistair has successfully completed the Leiths professional diploma in food and wine and holds a Doctorate in Climate Change from Imperial College, London. Alistair’s childhood involved running the family vegetable patch and selling herbs at a number of flower shows including RHS Chelsea and Hampton Court shows.
Tansy & Rufous
Tansy is the steady rock in the centre of the family who is always on hand to lend support, contribute to an idea and in charge of Squirrel patrol.
The latest addition to the family and Hannah's energetic assistant, Rufous, the cocker spaniel!