Eat Your Sussex Greens (Sussex Life - July 2009)

Sussex has long been a centre for salad growing in the UK. Clustered around the coastal plains of Chichester, salad farms in that area produce nearly one third of the country’s salad crops. As with grapes grown for wine in the county, the sandy soil and mild micro-climate in that part of West Sussex suits the production of delicate leafy crops and vine-ripened tomatoes.
Many of the larger growers were established before the Second World War, and were among the first producers in Europe to pioneer growing under glass. Whilst growers then used to concentrate on traditional varieties of lettuce, like iceberg and gem, these days you are just as likely to find exotic leaves like rocket and mizuna or micro herbs and cresses grown on hydroponic mats.

In truth, much of the produce from large-scale growers ends up being distributed across the UK, but there are many small salad nurseries in the county whose amazingly fresh leaves and vine fruit end up in box schemes and at farmers’ markets handy to all of us.

One of the most exciting growers in Sussex, Fletching Glasshouses, is a relative newcomer, setting up in 2006 on Fletching Common near Newick. Isobel, Alan & Emily Rae initially bought the property to house their rapidly expanding online business which sells plants over the internet. Finding themselves with over 2 acres of working but dilapidated greenhouses, the family set about reclaiming the productive growing space slowly, and now have 3 out of 4 houses back in production and are working on rehabilitating the 4th and final house.

The variety of leaves and exotic vegetables they produce is truly staggering, from baby courgettes and bushy-topped fennel to okra and tomatillos. However, they are rightly renowned for their salad leaves which they grow throughout the year. During the summer months, I always have a bag of their loose salad to hand and guests never fail to comment on the weird, wonderful and intensely flavoured leaves and shoots they find on their plates.

You can get hold of their produce from We Love Local but the Fletching team also appear at many farmers’ markets around the county. Find out more at www.fletchingglasshouses.co.uk.