Dawn O’Porter on the magic of Guernsey, L.A. gardens and hiking fashion

2026-07-16

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Dawn’s not a gardener yet... but the knee pad is calling. We welcome Dawn O’Porter to our garden for an enlightening episode that starts with a chat about Harry Styles and ends with a conversation about Sandwich the tortoise. Two total icons in one show. Dawn joins us as she embarks on a few new journeys within her already incredible career. A writer, director and TV presenter, Dawn is in the early days of her new gig for Classic FM, where you can hear her on Saturday afternoons, from 12-3pm. She also is celebrating the...

Dawn’s not a gardener yet... but the knee pad is calling.

We welcome Dawn O’Porter to our garden for an enlightening episode that starts with a chat about Harry Styles and ends with a conversation about Sandwich the tortoise. Two total icons in one show.

Dawn joins us as she embarks on a few new journeys within her already incredible career. A writer, director and TV presenter, Dawn is in the early days of her new gig for Classic FM, where you can hear her on Saturday afternoons, from 12-3pm. She also is celebrating the release of her new memoir, Hungry Eyes, which looks at her favourite moments and memories associated with great meals and ingredients. The book is so good Caitlin has read it three times already.

Dawn, who co-founded Choose Love, an organisation which provides help and support for refugees and displaced people, was born in Scotland and raised in Guernsey; two great sources for outside inspiration and formative memories. She now lives in Kew with her husband Chris O’Dowd and children, after moving back to the UK from a life in Los Angeles.

With Kew so close by, we find out about Dawn’s relationship with gardening, the power of the Guernsey cliffs, and why a Weeping Willow is her favourite tree.

Let us know if you’re enjoying Outsiding and please send us your favourite outside places, memories, smells and gardening questions to hello@outsiding.co.uk

Follow Outsiding on Substack for gardening tips, tricks, upcoming live Q&As with Adam and the progress of Caitlin’s garden project. Find us on Instagram too.

You can watch full episodes of Outsiding on Spotify and YouTube.

Outsiding is a Cold Glass Production.

00:00 Welcome!

00:17 Catching up from the Cherry tree!

01:43 Today’s guest

02:32 Dawn O’Porter is here!

03:22 A special night for Choose Love at Harry Styles

04:58 The Harry Styles effect!

06:07 ‘Hungry Eyes’ & the joy of childhood food

07:55 A childhood between Scotland & Guernsey

09:26 Microclimates - fact or faux?

10:10 Gardening on the coast & Dawn’s uncle