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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