We’re super proud that our team at Birch Farm can supply our chefs at The Farmers Arms with so many delicious and unique ingredients for their dishes.
Our head gardener Josh Sparkes is especially passionate about growing perennial crops because they’re more resilient, enhance soil health and attract a wider range of pollinators.
Josh recently shared a little insight into the beginnings of the perennial-plant journey at Birch Farm:
‘We’re slowly working our way up the perennial garden. One of the ingredients we’ve started with is kale and we’re now growing more perennial kales so we don’t have to keep planting them every year. We’ve also planted perennial salad beds, we’ve developed some perennial tree rows and we’re going to start growing some hardy kiwis for our chefs too.
‘The whole Birch Farm team has been key in developing our perennial salads. Jack’s knowledge has been especially useful because he used to be a chef, so he knows exactly what profiles and flavours the chefs need in the kitchen.
‘Celery is the big thing we have to try to replace. All kitchens need a lot of celery for all kinds of recipes, but it requires loads of water and loads of clearing – and it’s usually imported. So we’ve planted Korean celery which is a perennial that thrives in harsh winter conditions. It also has a really nice flavour; it’s much more intense in taste than regular celery. We’ve also planted lime trees for efficient salad picking as lime leaf is our predominant perennial bulk for salad.
‘Going forward, our chefs at The Farmers Arms have access to ingredients no other chef will have access to at this point in time. For us, that’s really exciting.’
Image: Jon Carland