Going back to our roots: chefs invited to trace a vegetable's journey from farm to market

Chefs, restaurateurs and caterers are being urged to don their wellies for a day at Laleham Farm in Middlesex and London’s New Covent Garden Market (1) on Tuesday 26th July 2011. 

Laleham Farm (2) is a LEAF (Linking Environment & Farming) (3) accredited vegetable farm, committed to maintaining a variety of habitats for wildlife by practising environmentally responsible farming methods.  The farm supplies menu-inspiring produce such as ruby chard, cavolo nero, fennel and kohlrabi to both the local and London markets. 

The purpose of the day, which is being organised by Sustain’s Ethical Eats network (4), is to give catering professionals the opportunity to learn more about the practicalities of sustainable farming methods, and see for themselves how fresh, local produce is hand picked and packed on the farm before arriving at the London market less than 24 hours after harvest. 

Attendees will be given an early morning tour of New Covent Garden’s Buyers Walk followed by breakfast.  They will then be transported to Laleham for a farm walk led by grower Charlie Bransden, perhaps including sighting of one of many bird species - lapwings, ringed plovers, skylarks and herons - now resident on this urban-fringe farm.  The visit will finish with lunch at a local pub, featuring super-fresh produce from the farm.

Zeenat Anjari, Business Development Manager at New Covent Garden, says, “The quality and freshness of Bransden’s produce is much in demand by the retailers and catering distributors that buy on the Market. This Ethical Eats visit is a great way to find out about the values behind fantastic produce grown within the M25.”

For more information about the visit, see: https://www.sustainweb.org/londonfoodlink/ethical_eats_event/.  For further information, photographs, or to reserve a place (numbers are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment!), contact Charlotte Jarman on charlotte@sustainweb.org or   07946 634 272.  

Notes to editors:

1. New Covent Garden is a major supplier of fruit, vegetables and flowers to London and the South East, and the UK’s largest wholesale market.  For more information, see: http://www.newcoventgardenmarket.com/
2. Laleham Farm (http://www.lalehamfarm.co.uk/) produces vegetables, herbs and cut flowers for the local and London markets.  The farm is run as a family business, operated by B.E. Bransden & Sons.  Laleham joined the LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) scheme in 1997, and is one of LEAF’s demonstration farms. 
3. LEAF is a charity promoting environmentally responsible farming methods, and accrediting farms which meet its standards.  Accredited farms are entitled to use the LEAF Marque on their produce.  For more information, see: http://www.leafuk.org/
4. Ethical Eats (http://www.ethicaleats.org) is a network of chefs, restaurateurs and caterers interested in sustainability, run by food and farming charity Sustain (https://www.sustainweb.org).  Ethical Eats is funded by the Big Lottery’s Local Food scheme (http://www.localfoodgrants.org).