Homes & Gardens UK - 09.2019

FEATURE

ZIA ALLAWAY

Q

Tell us a little about you.

I was brought up in Essex and

have always loved the outdoor life.

Gardening is in my blood, too – my

parents had a lovely garden and

allotment when I was a child, although

it wasn’t until I was in my twenties

that I thought about horticulture as

a career. In fact, my first job was

modelling and although it was great

fun I knew it wasn’t for me.

Q

Howdid you go from model

to horticulturist?

I studied journalism at university and

then met a boy from Cornwall, who

persuaded me to live there. I found a

job at Jamie Oliver’s restaurant and

fell in love with his ethos for using

fresh food with a local provenance.

Soon I was growing herbs and salad

leaves in the garden of my rented

cottage, which I then sold to the

restaurant. It only brought in pocket

money at first, but I was hooked.

Q

Howdid you come to work

with chef Raymond Blanc?

My veg patch in Cornwall grew and

so did my business, but I was keen

to learn more and moved to

California to do an apprenticeship

in sustainable food production. On

returning to the UK, I landed a job

as head vegetable gardener at Le

Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Raymond’s

restaurant in Oxfordshire, which

I did for three years, and now

I work for him as a consultant.

Q

Tell us about your Soho

Farmhouse collaboration.

I was looking for a new challenge

after Le Manoir and Soho

“FORSOMETHING UNUSUAL, TRY CIMA DI RAPA, A

LEAFYGREEN POPULAR IN ITALY, WHERE THEY SERVE

IT WITH PASTA, LEMON, PARMESAN AND ANCHOVIES”

Farmhouse,the private members’

club, asked me if I would make a

productive garden for them. Chef

Tom Aikens wanted to grow fresh

ingredients in the fields around the

Farmhouse for his dishes and together

we created a wonderful garden.

Q

Where do you call home?

My husband and I, plus our

two dogs, Fig and Elfy, set up home

in Brandeston, a village in Suffolk.

I’m now making a market garden and

teaching space on our land, where I

plan to produce high-quality fruit

and vegetables and run courses for

chefs and others so they can see how

fresh ingredients are grown.

Q

Any tips on good veg patch

varieties to try?

The squashes ‘Delicata’ and ‘Ute

Indian’ are easy to grow and delicious

roasted. If you want something a bit

unusual, try cima di rapa, a leafy green

with a turnip taste, very popular in

Italy, where they wilt it like spinach

and serve it with pasta, lemon,

Parmesan and anchovies. I love edible

flowers, too – calendula, mallow,

borage and viola are my favourites.

Q

What have you been

experimenting with?

I’m planting a mixed native edible

hedge for the fruits and for wildlife.

I’ve included blackthorn, which

produces sloes for gin;Rosa rugosa,

for its vitamin-rich hips; and sea

buckthorn – the slightly sour berries

make delicious jams and jellies.

Q

Who inspires you on the

food front?

I admire chef Tom Adams who

founded Pitt Cue in 2011 when he was

just 22 and opened Coombeshead

Farm in Cornwall a year later. I’m

also a fan of Douglas McMaster, chef

of Silo in Brighton – as well as his

innovative use of ingredients, I love

his policy of zero waste.

Q

What’s your favourite recipe

right now?

We’re lucky to be by the coast and the

fresh fish here is fantastic. We have

a local smokery, too, and I love their

smoked mackerel, served with a

home-made mayo sauce and a fresh

crunchy salad picked from the garden.

Q

Where do you most like to

spend an afternoon?

I would say Darsham Nurseries

(darshamnurseries.co.uk). It appeals

to both the foodie and plantaholic in

me. The café sells some of the best

home-grown food in Suffolk, while

the nursery is brimming with

beautiful plants.

■Anna Greenland,

annagreenland.co.uk.

LIFESTYLE