Annabel's Deliciously British have supplied D.D.P. for a number of years with British Strawberries, forced Rhubarb and Cherries.

They have been a massive success establishing high quality produce, coupled with a socially responsible brand since 2019.

Annabel’s Deliciously British strawberries look and taste exquisite. They grow from May to October on the family farm in West Yorkshire’s lush but rugged countryside, an operation they have been fine-tuning for over 16 years. They specify varieties based on the time of year, weather and flavour – only the best will do – and plant them over a five-month period to ensure continuity of supply.

Sustainable, environmentally friendly farming has been at the heart of the business for years and embracing the 'less than perfect'  fruit that doesn’t make it into their high class punnets goes into their jam and chutney ranges. This also gets them close to zero-waste. "I am now striving to ensure that my future business is sustainable, and does not compromise meeting the needs of future generations.” says Annabel, the owner and driving force behind the company's success. For more information, please visit: Annabel's Deliciously British | Yorkshire Strawberry Farm (annabelsdeliciouslybritish.co.uk)

NUTBOURNE NURSERIES

Nutbourne Nursery is based in Pulborough, Sussex – just 54 miles from Central London.

They are growers of speciality and heritage Tomatoes.

The tomato season generally runs from Spring through to late Autumn. It is worthy of note that tomatoes grown at Nutbourne are all insecticide-free and only natural predators are used for biological control.

“It was a million to one chance that I would become a commercial tomato grower," says Gary Griffiths. Son of a greengrocer, Gary grew up in Tooting, went to school with snooker player Jimmy White and has childhood memories of buying trips to the old Covent Garden and Borough markets.

Now he runs Nutbourne Nursery in a tranquil area of Sussex and is possibly Britain's top grower of specialty tomatoes. "No-one else is doing the vine tomatoes in mixed boxes – it's a niche product," he says.

Nutbourne is a family business with 0.41 hectares of glass and a small, highly skilled team.

They grow dozens of varieties, from the bite-sized Couer de Pigeon ('Pigeon Heart') to larger Couer de Boeuf ('Ox Heart'). At peak times during the season there can be over 10 varieties of English tomato, including tiger-vine, beef, orange-vine, red & yellow cherry-vine, san marzano, baby plum-vine, plum – loose, vine and loose classic salad tomatoes. At certain times during the season, you will also find some smaller cocktail tomatoes.

The J W Allen & Sons partnership was set up in 1980, with asparagus being introduced in 1985. Marketed under the “Portwood Asparagus” brand, 200 acres of the farm is now committed to asparagus, with 250 tonnes being produced annually.

The farm is based in Attleborough in Norfolk. Andy Allen owns and runs the business today. After studying Agriculture at Writtle College in Essex for three years, he travelled extensively around the world researching asparagus production in a wide variety of countries and environments. He has been involved in the British Asparagus Growers Association for more than 30 years, including 5 years as Chairman.

They have worked with asparagus breeding companies for many years, hosting field trials and collecting harvest date and, in fact, has a European variety “Portlim” named after Portwood Farm!

“We employ renewable energy practices wherever possible, including solar electricity generation, heat recovery and waste recycling. We look forward to developing the business into the future in a way that continues to meet both our customers’ and our own needs, and contributes positively to the local and wider economy.”

The business prides itself on its attention to detail and quality. It has invested in the latest equipment and technologies to enable the farm to produce high quality crops and optimise production using a cost-effective system. They have been accredited with industry standards in sustainable crop production and environmental protection.

Nurtured In Norfolk are Based in Dereham, Norfolk and are specialist growers of Micro Cress, Micro Herbs, Pea Shoots, Edible Leaves, Edible Flowers and Micro Veg. They are passionate about giving chefs and caterers not just high quality products, but products that suit their exact needs. They have a large range that are specially selected for their intense flavours, eye catching colours, visual impact and something a little bit unusual. Used and eaten whole, there’s almost no preparation and very little waste.

Allan and Sue Miller worked full time as chefs for 20 years before becoming growers. As ex chefs their simple ethos is that the quality and consistency of the product has to be of an exacting standard they would have expected and been happy to use themselves. This is especially important to DDP, as they fully understand what chefs are trying to achieve in terms of flavour, colour and presentation.

They both decided to invest their time and money into their business, which is when Nurtured In Norfolk really began. Growing from greenhouses in the back garden to use in the restaurant they worked at, to now supplying a large range of wholesalers and Michelin star restaurants with their top quality selection of Micro Cress, Micro Herbs, Pea Shoots, Edible Leaves, Edible Flowers and Micro Veg. Nurtured In Norfolk is very much a family run business, who now have a whole team of dedicated staff working alongside them.

All products have been grown on a natural soil base, benefiting from nutrients that are present throughout the growing stages and therefore extending the shelf life. They believe that growing them this way gives a far superior tasting product. 

For further information, please visit www.nurturedinnorfolk.co.uk

Ringden Farm is based on the Sussex/Kent border, in Etchingham and specialise in growing Apples, Stonefruit, Pears and Berries. The orchards at Ringden were first planted in 1949 and since then they have been expert growers of fruit along with a wide range of fresh fruit juices.

Like DDP, Ringden is a family business and they have vast experience and knowledge, which we are able to call on, particularly during the English Apple Season, from August onwards. 

As well as many common English varieties including Braeburn, Cox and Russet, they have supplied us with in excess of over 30 different varieties, which have included some lesser known ones such as Limelight, Red Devil, Rubinola and Saturn.

DDP has always championed British produce and the fruit grown at Ringden Farm has exceptional flavour, enabling us to 'fly the flag' with apples for around 10 months of the year.