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The British veg growers behind your box

By Emily Sutton

From crunchy green beans and delicate courgette, to nutty Tenderstem broccoli and golden sweetcorn, Barfoots help us deliver beautiful seasonal vegetables, week after week.

All of the best ingredients come with a good story. Barfoots are a family-built business who are committed to quality, innovation and sustainability. Our partnership goes back half a decade, and their carefully grown produce plays a key role in the recipes we create year-round.

Trailblazers of the veg world

Founded by 5th generation farmer Peter Barfoot in 1976, Barfoots have helped shape the British vegetable market as we know it. They were the first producer to introduce courgettes to British supermarkets on a large scale, and they’re still pushing boundaries today.

The Barfoots approach is simple: grow with care, never compromise on quality, and always look after the land that makes it all possible. With climate change bringing more unpredictable weather each year, sustainability is woven into everything they do. That’s why they’ve invested in state-of-the-art facilities, including an impressive network of reservoirs that provides water access to 90% of their land. Everything they do is powered by green energy – and they’re completely self-sufficient. Inedible waste material is converted to energy to power operations and fertilise crops, while waste water is converted to irrigation.

Their crops stretch across 10,000 acres across the South Coast of the UK, including the Isle of Wight. This unique climate offers the wonderful advantages of growing in tune with the environment: extra light from the sea, fewer frosts, and gentler summer temperatures help crops grow with less stress. Barfoots are deeply committed to work hand-in-hand with nature, supporting healthy soil and thriving biodiversity to grow crops with care – not just for today, but for the future. Thanks to their efforts, founder Peter Barfoot received a CBE, awarded for Services to Sustainable Farming back in 2020.

Quality you can taste

Barfoots’ vegetables crop up in our recipes week after week, and it’s easy to see why. We love their vibrant Tenderstem broccoli – it’s versatile, super-fresh, always packed with flavour. Pair it with juicy pan-seared duck, use it to elevate creamy pasta dishes, or toss it into fragrant stir-fries.

Their crunchy green beans are also a staple on our weekly menus. Enjoy them tossed with fresh mint, the perfect side for our twist on fish and chips. Or let them shine in a refreshing salad, balancing the heat of our warm chorizo puttanesca gnocchi. We also love to dish them up alongside comforting pies, adding texture and bringing a pop of green.

Ready to taste it for yourself? Explore our weekly recipes and discover the difference great ingredients can make.

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