Early autumn is here with its heady mixture of mellow light, falling leaves and abundant fruit and vegetables. City dwellers can feel excluded from the annual ritual of harvest. But this year Londoners can experience the real thing for free at the Real Food Harvest Festival, starting at 11am on Friday and running all weekend on the Southbank.

Good Energy is one of the sponsors of the free festival.  We’re encouraging Londoners to come and meet the 120 producers, livestock and chefs to celebrate harvest and find out more about how our food is produced.  Green chef Arthur Potts Dawson is demonstrating some of the delicious autumn recipes he developed for our Good Kitchen guide at 2pm on the Saturday.

We’ve also teamed up with the London Seed Company to encourage people to start harvesting their own food. “Contrary to popular belief” says Katie Rollett, The London Seed Company’s Director, “the arrival of autumn is no excuse to be downing trowels and stocking up at the local supermarket. You don’t even need an allotment or a garden to grow your own; windowsills, bright indoor spaces and sheltered terraces all create the perfect environment for cultivating herbs, salad leaves and small vegetables – pretty much all year round.”

We’re offering the first 100 people to visit our stand a set of five beautifully (and sustainably!) packaged culinary herb seeds. “If you’re less than talented in the green finger department but keen to give home growing a whirl then herbs are probably your best bet, especially during the colder months. They’re perfect for the bright, warm windowsill, easy to get started and require little maintenance. What’s more, fresh herbs have infinite culinary uses, proven nutritional benefits and are wonderfully aromatic,” Katie says.

So come along, meet the artisan producers, see Arthur in action and visit our stand to find out about home grown electricity. There is even the chance to win a year’s free electricity (to the value of £500) if you take part in our ‘carbon challenge’.