Most of us walk the same route every day. Past the same buildings, the same benches, the same patches of green. And most of us, if we are honest, stop seeing them entirely somewhere around the third week.
That is what made our Earth Day collaboration so inviting!
Wellington Place, and the Bed Nobody Noticed
There is an Edible plant bed at Wellington Place in Leeds. It sits at the heart of a busy business district, surrounded by people moving with haste, coffee cups, and somewhere to be.
So it is not so surprising to see that many of the people who pass this plant bed every day have never really seen it...
To change this we placed biscuits between the plants.
Bespoke, Earth Day-themed biscuits, nestled among the herbs and fruit plants, waiting patiently for someone to notice them. People stopped to look, they saw the biscuit, and picked one yes. But they also saw the mint. The strawberry runners. The rosemary sprigs available to them. Plants purposefully placed there by their business community and Incredible Edible Leeds, free to take.
It was not a stunt. It was an invitation. A gentle nudge to make people aware: this space was created for you. Have you engaged with it yet?
Earth Day, and Why It (Still) Matters
April 22nd is Earth Day, a date first marked in 1970 when 20 million Americans took to the streets in the first coordinated demonstration for environmental protection. Over 50 years later, it remains one of the most recognised civic events in the world, an annual reminder that the planet does not pause while we are busy.
This year, we wanted to do something local, tangible, and genuinely rooted in our city of Leeds.
The Organisation You Should Know
Incredible Edible began not as a campaign, but as a conversation in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, in 2007. Pamela Warhurst, Mary Clear, and a group of neighbours asked a simple question: what if anyone could grow food anywhere, and anyone could take it? From that single question, a movement grew. There are now 120 official Incredible Edible groups across the UK and over 700 worldwide.
Closer to home, Incredible Edible Leeds grew out of a spark in Garforth in 2019, founded by Dan Robinson, who saw the potential for food to grow in public spaces and for ordinary streets to become places of curiosity and connection. By 2021, the idea had taken root in multiple areas of Leeds, and in 2022, Incredible Edible Leeds was formally established as a Community Interest Company. Today, their public edible beds are dotted across the city, planted with everything from mint and tarragon to strawberries, chard, kale, and chilli. Every bed is tended by volunteers. Every leaf is free to pick!
Why This Is Exactly What We Do
The Biskery exists to make people feel seen and appreciated. That is the actual product, the biscuit is mostly the vessel, though we will never apologise for how good the biscuit is! When we talk about our mission to make 10 million people feel appreciated, we mean moments like this one: a stranger pausing mid-commute, finding something unexpected and kind, and carrying a slightly warmer feeling into the rest of their day.
Working with Incredible Edible Leeds felt like a natural fit because both organisations believe that small, thoughtful acts change the 'texture' of a community. A raised bed in a business district. A biscuit among the basil. These things are not grand gestures. They are the architecture of a kinder city.
What You Can Do
If you are in Leeds, look up your nearest Incredible Edible bed at edibleleeds.org.uk. Stop. Look at what is growing. Pick something if you would like to.
And if you want to send someone in your life the kind of gift that makes them stop and feel genuinely appreciated, you know where to find us. Order your bespoke biscuits here.
