MEET MERV, our watercress farmer

“I HAND PICK EVERY
BUNCH - CUTTING WITH A KNIFE AVOIDS BRUISING the watercress”

Merv cultivates watercress without the use
of chemical sprays or fertilisers. Large scale producers tend to harvest their watercress much earlier in the growing cycle, to meet market demand. This can sometimes produces slightly dull and tasteless leaves. Merv only harvests our plants once they have matured and intensified both in colour and flavour.

Merv has been tending watercress for over 55 years and our beds for much of that time! Merv’s patience, tireless commitment and wealth of experience have resulted in perhaps the tastiest watercress you'll ever try and our customers return day after day for the freshest watercress.

freshly made beds

The natural chalky stream surrounding us provides all the freshwater we need for the gravel-lined beds. Watercress grows all year round, as high and low temperatures protect it due to the flowing spring water that leaves the ground at 10-11 degrees. In winter, the water feels almost warm!

Seedlings are cultivated in polytunnels and then planted out in cropping beds. They quickly take root in the gravel, and as they grow, the water flow across the beds gradually increases, allowing for more nutrients to enrich the plants.

Finally, Merv lets the watercress mature and harvest after a year's growth. Cut ‘head-up’, by hand with a knife and laid into crates. These are washed by submerging in a trough of flowing water, then chilled to less than 5 degrees and bunched, ready for the shop and markets in London.

Each summer, some of the Watercress is allowed to flower and set seed, and then this seed is dried and stored for the next planting round.

the original superfood

Watercress has been long recognised as a nutritious, delicious food; Hippocrates, the father of medicine, is said to have located his first hospital beside a stream in Koz so that he could grow a plentiful supply of Watercress to aid his patients.

It is also said to have been the staple diet of Roman soldiers and, more recently, the poor man's food of the Victorian age; Watercress was munched from a paper cone in the streets, making it one of the first fast foods but more importantly, an early superfood.

Rich in vitamins and antioxidants, Watercress is a very nutrient-dense food -it contains more vitamin C than oranges, more vitamin E than Broccoli, more calcium than cow's milk and more folate than bananas; it is also rich in iron and beta-carotene.

Ideally, it is best to eat Watercress raw to preserve its nutrients. Add it to your smoothies or juices for breakfast or in a salad. Also, we like adding a handful or two of raw Watercress at the end when cooking soup.