loveFOOD meets… a Tenderstem broccoli grower


Updated on 14 November 2016 | 0 Comments

We catch up with West Sussex man Nathan Dellicott, a pioneering farmer who defied all the odds to become the first person to grow Tenderstem broccoli in the UK.

Just over two decades ago, farmer Nathan Dellicott decided to up sticks from Lincolnshire and move to West Sussex in search of sunshine. Here he tells us how he turned his new farm into a treasure trove of Tenderstem broccoli, despite being told that it would “never ever” grow in Britain.   

An early morning epiphany

Nathan’s epiphany came at 2am on Christmas morning 1992, as he sat on a Tumoba harvester picking sprouts in Lincolnshire to fulfil supermarket demand.

“I was cold, miserable, and I found out afterwards that the retailer in question hadn’t needed all of those sprouts after all,” says Nathan. “That’s when I decided to move to Barfoots Farm in West Sussex. I knew that it was warmer and that was enough for me.”

When Nathan arrived he discovered many more reasons to love his new Farm Manager role, not least the types of crops they were growing.

“They were unusual crops [at the time]: sweetcorn, runner beans, and now Tenderstem. There were no manuals for growing them, no set way of doing things, so it was a really exciting time to be involved in. I had to use all of my previous experience to overcome the challenges we faced, but when you are at the front of ‘food fashion’, it really is a lot of fun!”

A personal mission

It hasn’t always been a walk in the park – Nathan recalls the moment he was determined to make Tenderstem a success: “A technologist from one of the big supermarket chains came to the farm and told me that Tenderstem couldn’t be grown in this country; that I couldn’t do it. I suppose it became a bit of a personal mission to prove him wrong.”

A personal mission that paid off. This year Barfoots will be growing 210 acres of Tenderstem, an increase from the 30 acres they harvested four years ago. Around 8th March usually marks the first Tenderstem of the year being planted – it starts out under a fleece to keep it protected from the harsh spring frosts.

“We’ve got to take care of the plants – they feel as though they’ve been taken out of the Caribbean and put into the Arctic when they move from the greenhouses to the field,” says Nathan.

Mild, warm and salty

West Sussex/Hampshire, where Barfoots is located, is actually one of the best locations for growing Tenderstem for a number of reasons. The climate is milder, with warmer springs and autumns, meaning the season is naturally a little longer. The salt in the air is also something Nathan believes contributes to the taste of Barfoots’ Tenderstem.

“Before Tenderstem cultivation came to the UK, I tasted some from southern Spain and you could tell how the salt air that had blown through the crop had made it sweeter. Fortunately, this is something we can also do here on the coast.”

Food for fun

Nathan, and Barfoots more widely, have an interesting mission which he feels sums up Tenderstem and its ever growing popularity.

“We want to grow crops people can enjoy eating, rather than just food to fill you up,” says Nathan. “Tenderstem has undeniable health benefits, but people are choosing to eat it because it tastes good rather than because it’s one of your five a day.

“Add to that how easy it is to cook and how many different dishes it can be enjoyed in, and it’s a winning product in my book!”

Nathan has a new way of cooking his Tenderstem now: “I have always loved it steamed with butter or stir fried with black bean sauce, but recently I’ve discovered how good it is dipped in a tempura batter and fried.”

How do you eat your Tenderstem broccoli? Talk to us in the Comments box below.

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