Ella’s Kitchen and the RSPB

The RSPB and Ella’s Kitchen are working in partnership to protect and restore an ambitious 30 million square feet (278 hectares) of wildflower-rich grassland by 2030*, protecting pollinators to safeguard our planet for future generations. 

This strategic partnership will see Ella’s Kitchen support 9 projects across the RSPB’s UK reserve network, from Sussex to the Hebrides, delivering new areas of wildflower meadows and species rich grassland, as well as long-term monitoring and management of existing areas. 

The new partnership is all part of Ella’s Kitchen delivering their Big Pledge to Little People driving real action to help tackle climate change and restore and protect the planet for future generations. 

Wildflowers are vital homes for bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects which support our food system. Healthy meadows protect the environment against the impacts of climate change by improving water quality, capturing carbon, and acting as a flood defence. However, in the UK we’ve lost 97% of our precious wildflower meadows in the last century. 

A third of the food we eat benefits from pollinators, which is why it’s so important we restore the wildflower meadows and grassland they call home.   

Through seed sowing, plug planting, and allowing natural regeneration, Ella’s Kitchen and the RSPB will convert species-poor grassland into meadows which are alive with colour and buzzing life. The partnership will also support the ongoing management of existing wildflower meadows and grasslands, ensuring they remain biodiverse and continue to thrive for future generations.  

Dove Stone Nature Reserve features a tapestry of habitats, from mixed woodland and grasslands to open moorland and blanket bog, all teeming with life. 

Work at the reserve will involve regenerating land into species rich grassland. A grassland is species-rich if it has more than 15 plant species per square metre, more than 30% cover of wildflowers and sedges and less than 10% cover of white clover and perennial rye grass. 

The initial 3-year project will restore an area of grassland by planting a diverse mix of wildflowers including Buttercups, Common Vetch, Devil's Bit Scabious, Great Willowherb, Honeysuckle, Meadow Vetchling, Ox-eye Daisy, St John's Wort, Violet, and Yellow Rattle. 

A second project from 2026 onwards, aims to enrich and diversify rough grassland swards with wildflower seed and plug planting, scrub creation, and scarifying and aerating to promote new growth. 

The projects will ultimately deliver over 5.2 million square feet of grassland rich with wildflowers which will provide a vital habitat for numerous insects, including the Green Hairstreak Butterfly, the only green butterfly native to the UK.  

The island of Tiree is one of the few places where machair, a grassland plain only located on the west-facing shores of Scotland and Ireland, is found. This incredible habitat is one of the rarest in Europe, but as the land is low-lying, with high water levels in the winter, it's also one of the most vulnerable to climate change. 

Existing areas of wildflowers require regular maintenance – if left alone they will eventually turn back into woodland. Cutting and grazing is crucial to control and reduce the level of nutrients in the grass and soil, ensuring the meadow isn’t overwhelmed by more vigorous plants which can take over and reduce biodiversity. 

Ella’s Kitchen’s support will ensure the continuation of traditional crofting practices and grazing management across the 15 million square feet RSPB reserve, on the island. This essential work allows the machair flowers to bloom and set seed, providing nectar and pollen for insects like the Great Yellow Bumblebee, one of the UK’s rarest bees, which has seen significant decline due to the loss of flower-rich meadows and the intensification of farming and grazing practices.

The variety of insect-life attracts Corncrakes and Lapwings (both on the UK Birds of Conservation Concern Red List) to the machair to feed and breed. 

As a certified B-Corp, Ella’s Kitchen is on a mission to make sure every little one grows up happy, healthy and never hungry on a planet that has plenty of food and is buzzing with life.   

As part of their Big Pledge to Little People, Ella’s Kitchen has committed to managing their impact on the climate through ambitious science-based targets on top of a pledge to help protect, restore and rewild the ecosystems on which we all rely. 

This is because Ella’s believes that every business can and should be a force for good.  

We can all play our part in protecting pollinators, which is why as part of our partnership, Ella’s Kitchen will also support parents and their little ones to connect with nature and help protect wildlife across the UK. 

Find out more about Ella's Kitchen Big Pledge here

*The initial 3-year partnership will fund the restoration and protection of 15 million+ sqft. of wildflower meadows and grassland, with an ambition to continue working together to 2030, delivering a further 16 million+ sqft.