Homes & Gardens UK – September 2019

FEATURE

ZIA

ALLAWAY

Q

Tellusa littleaboutyou.

I wasbroughtupinEssexand

havealwayslovedtheoutdoorlife.

Gardeningis inmyblood,too– my

parentshada lovelygardenand

allotmentwhenI wasa child,although

it wasn’tuntilI wasinmytwenties

thatI thoughtabouthorticultureas

a career.Infact,myfirstjobwas

modellingandalthoughit wasgreat

fun I knew it wasn’t for me.

Q

Howdidyougofrom model

tohorticulturist?

I studiedjournalismatuniversityand

thenmeta boyfromCornwall,who

persuadedmetolivethere.I founda

jobatJamieOliver’srestaurantand

fellinlovewithhisethosforusing

freshfoodwitha localprovenance.

SoonI wasgrowingherbsandsalad

leavesinthegardenofmyrented

cottage,whichI thensoldtothe

restaurant.Itonlybroughtinpocket

money at first, but I was hooked.

Q

Howdidyoucometowork

withchefRaymondBlanc?

MyvegpatchinCornwallgrewand

sodidmybusiness,butI waskeen

tolearnmoreandmovedto

Californiatodoanapprenticeship

insustainablefoodproduction.On

returningtotheUK,I landeda job

asheadvegetablegardeneratLe

ManoirauxQuat’Saisons,Raymond’s

restaurantinOxfordshire,which

I didforthreeyears,andnow

I work for him as a consultant.

Q

TellusaboutyourSoho

Farmhousecollaboration.

I waslookingfora newchallenge

after Le Manoir and Soho

“FORSOMETHINGUNUSUAL,TRYCIMADIRAPA,A

LEAFYGREENPOPULARINITALY,WHERETHEYSERVE

IT WITH PASTA, LEMON, PARMESAN AND ANCHOVIES”

Farmhouse,theprivatemembers’

club,askedmeif I wouldmakea

productivegardenforthem.Chef

TomAikenswantedtogrowfresh

ingredientsinthefieldsaroundthe

Farmhouseforhisdishesandtogether

we created a wonderful garden.

Q

Wheredoyoucallhome?

MyhusbandandI, plusour

twodogs,FigandElfy,setuphome

inBrandeston,a villageinSuffolk.

I’mnowmakinga marketgardenand

teachingspaceonourland,whereI

plantoproducehigh-qualityfruit

andvegetablesandruncoursesfor

chefsandotherssotheycansee how

fresh ingredients are grown.

Q

Anytipsongoodveg patch

varietiestotry?

Thesquashes‘Delicata’and‘Ute

Indian’areeasytogrowanddelicious

roasted.Ifyouwantsomethinga bit

unusual,trycimadirapa,a leafygreen

witha turniptaste,verypopularin

Italy,wheretheywiltit likespinach

andserveit withpasta,lemon,

Parmesanandanchovies.I loveedible

flowers,too– calendula,mallow,

borage and viola are my favourites.

Q

Whathaveyoubeen

experimentingwith?

I’mplantinga mixednativeedible

hedgeforthefruitsandforwildlife.

I’ve included blackthorn, which

producessloesforgin;Rosarugosa,

foritsvitamin-richhips;andsea

buckthorn– theslightlysourberries

make delicious jams and jellies.

Q

Whoinspiresyou on the

foodfront?

I admirechefTomAdamswho

foundedPittCuein 2011 whenhewas

just 22 andopenedCoombeshead

FarminCornwalla yearlater.I’m

alsoa fanofDouglasMcMaster,chef

ofSiloinBrighton– aswellashis

innovativeuseofingredients, I love

his policy of zero waste.

Q

What’syourfavourite recipe

rightnow?

We’reluckytobebythecoastandthe

freshfishhereis fantastic.Wehave

a localsmokery,too,andI lovetheir

smokedmackerel,servedwitha

home-mademayosauceanda fresh

crunchy salad picked from the garden.

Q

Wheredoyoumostliketo

spendanafternoon?

I wouldsayDarshamNurseries

(darshamnurseries.co.uk).Itappeals

toboththefoodieandplantaholicin

me.Thecafésellssomeofthebest

home-grownfoodinSuffolk,while

thenurseryis brimming with

beautiful plants.

■AnnaGreenland,

annagreenland.co.uk.

LIFESTYLE

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