UK: Sprouts and swedes out, chillies and Chinese pak choi in, as British allotment trends change
Classic British ‘belly-filler’ vegetables are falling out of favour as gardeners seek out more exotic produce
By Tomé Morrissy-Swan
Telegraph
4 October 2021
Britain’s allotments have undergone a substantial shift over recent years thanks to the nation’s changing culinary habits, a swathe of celebrity chefs championing grow-your-own schemes, and even social media.
Classic allotment vegetables such as swedes, leeks, carrots and cauliflowers are going out of fashion, with courgettes, chillies, butternut squash and heritage tomatoes increasingly sought after.
Research by the curated online marketplace for gardening, Sproutl, has found that green cabbage has decreased by 55 per cent over the past five years; conversely, demand for imported brassicas like pak choi (30 per cent rise) and radicchio (15 per cent) is growing.
Old favourites including runner beans are falling out of flavour, while chard and kale are up by 28 per cent, and sweet potatoes almost 50 per cent. The humble ‘Maris Piper’, exalted by chefs as the perfect all-rounder, is still the most commonly grown potato, although the beet-coloured ‘Black Violetta’ is catching up.
Phil Gomersall, president of the National Allotment Society, attributes much of the change down to the youth of today’s growers. “Allotments are evolving into a more sociable place as the younger generations join the movement with their young families. Many allotment sites now have 50 per cent of young people and families on site.”
With this comes changing habits, he says. “The old belly-filler vegetables from the war-time era – potatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, sweden and parsnip – are now being superseded by courgette, chillies, squashes, herbs and many heritage varieties.”
One key reason, says Gomersall, is the rise of vegetarian, vegan and flexitarian diets. “‘Meat and two veg’ [meals] cooked in the home are on decline, and being replaced with the ‘more exotic dishes’ such as moussaka, ratatouille and vegetable curries.” Naturally, gardeners are looking for a wider variety of vegetables to grow.
One such young gardener is Neil Campbell, the head chef at London’s Rovi (part of the Ottolenghi restaurant group), who has turned his south-London back garden into a fully fledged allotment.
He says chefs using a greater variety of produce, often originating from abroad, has influenced what people are looking to grow and helped increase availability. “For instance, Italian vegetables like fresh borlotti beans were difficult to get 10 years ago. Now you can find a lot more,” Campbell says. Cavolo nero, an Italian kale, is supplanting brussel sprouts (down 27 per cent), for example, while romanesco broccoli is increasingly popular.
Campbell has recently started growing aubergines for the first time, and says nightshades such as chillies, tomatoes and peppers, which are becoming easier to grow as the weather warms, can have positive environmental benefits. Campbell follows a no-dig method, and believes the nightshade ingredients have benefits for the soil.
Both Campbell and Gomersall argue that social media has played a significant part in changing the way we grow produce. Many on-trend vegetables like heritage tomatoes, cavolo nero, radicchio or courgettes are more visually impressive than traditional root veg.
But despite the widening variety of vegetables grown, Gomersall doesn’t believe time is up for traditional staple vegetables. “Potatoes, cabbage, beetroot and tomatoes will still be the most common vegetables grown.”
The research also found that allotments are becoming far less masculine, which may also be a factor in the shifting trends. In 1973, just two per cent of allotment plots were held by women; today, it stands at over half.
“Over the past few years, the amount of women and families taking on allotments has increased,” says garden designer Kirsty Ward. “We are showing that the new generation of gardeners is here to stay, taking on these spaces and bringing new ideas, fun and flair to gardening.”
