Bryony Hill’s fledgling family

Karen Neville

Robins in my Kitchen is the charming and captivating diary of Bryony Hill about a robin who moved in in preparation for the birth of her ‘robinets’

It all began one late spring morning when a robin unexpectedly fluttered into Bryony’s bedroom. Unfazed, it perched on her dressing table briefly before flitting from room to room in her West Sussex home, eventually leaving through the kitchen window.

With each passing day, the visits of the robin grew more frequent, its boldness evident as it fearlessly explored its surroundings. Soon, it began bringing moss and leaves to the kitchen window. With each further visit, more nesting materials would appear on the work surfaces or dropped onto the kitchen tiles. Then, one morning, Bryony heard scuffling and rustling noises as the robin began building a nest in the kitchen on the shelf of a pine dresser. 

She found herself drawn into the remarkable journey of the robin, witnessing the little bird’s unwavering dedication, and a few weeks later, four delicate eggs appeared. What followed was one of the most extraordinary experiences of Bryony’s life; as she observed the hatchlings grow under the vigilant care of their parents until one day, under the watchful eye of the father, Bryony released the fledglings into her garden. 

Robins in my Kitchen provides details about the entire journey; structured in a diary-style format, readers are given an accurate day-by-day description of the events as they happened. 

“When it was clear the robins were setting up home in my kitchen, I started to post daily bulletins on Facebook. As the story gathered momentum alongside my photographs, it captured the interest of everyone and began to have a huge following, many saying that it was the first thing they looked at in the morning. I want to share the simple joy with others and hope they love the book!”, she explains. 

Bryony was born in Sussex and, after a year at Brighton College of Art, she left England for France where she lived for four happy years. After a time in London where she met her future husband the late television sports presenter Jimmy Hill they returned to her home county and settled into married life. 

Bryony is an avid gardener, cook, artist and writer with a love of nature. Robins in my Kitchen is the 11th published book she has written and illustrated.