Rough Patch cover art

Rough Patch

How a Year in the Garden Brought Me Back to Life

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Rough Patch

By: Kathy Slack
Narrated by: Kathy Slack
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About this listen

When Kathy was forced to quit her high-flying career in London, she was a wreck - burnt out, anxious, consumed by depression. But she found solace in an unlikely place - the veg patch. She put her hands in the soil and found a way to grow, to sow some small seeds of hope.

In Rough Patch, Kathy draws us into the world of the kitchen garden to reflect on the lessons she learnt from the soil, along with sharing recipes inspired by the land. Weaving together her own story of recovery with the year she spent growing and cooking her harvests, Kathy realises that the two are tightly bound together and that reconnecting with the earth could restore her hope and renew her life. Along the way there are tales of marauding pigs, transformative insights from planting leeks, recipes for an unchecked courgette glut and the discovery of why a radish seed is worth staying alive for. The result is a candid, hopeful and sometimes funny story about the healing powers of nature; a quiet manifesto for a more connected life.

©2025 Kathy Slack (P)2025 Hachette Audio UK Gardening & Horticulture Personal Development Personal Success Women Funny

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All stars
Most relevant  
thankyou. had likewise thoughts and gardening helps me through and enlightens my mood. inspired me to more seasonal cooking.

really inspiring

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I don't often recommend books but I found my way to doing so for this one.
Navigating life is hard, stepping down from the whirlygig of what we might think success looks like - (and all the fringe benefits) isn't easy, but when it's foisted upon you, we have no choice but to do just that, stop and heal.
I'm no grower, nor gardener but this is a beautiful listen.
I challenge you to listen and not be enriched.
Thank you Kathy, a beautiful book.

Enrichening Listen

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Kathy manages to powerfully convey both distress and universal hope. Nature's annual cycles continue, unchanged by all the craziness in our modern lives.

Moving story shared with a delicate touch

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A very inspiring, beautifully written story about how gardening, growing food and cooking the produce grown has helped healing from burnout. But it also provides a glimpse into an alternative way of life and how being in and working with nature can be so beneficial to ourselves and the environment. The book is narrated by the author who does an amazing job. Highly recommended!

Beautiful book!

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Many of us will relate to this story of realisation - soak up Kate’s humour and delight in her awakening .

Heart warming soul food type of story

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Touching story of one a woman’s journey back to health via her relationship with vegetables and food.

In veg is life

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