BRITISH IN PARTICULAR
We highlight some of the delicious, quintessential ingredients that are farmed, fished, made and grown up and down the country, and meet the remarkable producers who help bring them to our table
We look at the delicious ingredients farmed, fished, made and grown in the UK. This month: spelt
This month: spelt
There is an enchanted feeling about Sharpham Park in Somerset. Not only does it date back to the Bronze Age and was owned by abbots in the Middle Ages, but its fields grow an ancient grain – with the deeply spiritual Glastonbury Tor forming part of their backdrop. Over the past few days, the lengths of spelt have gradually dipped their delicate heads, which are long and fine, quite a contrast to the average stubby ear of modern wheat. The plant’s elegant bow is a sign that the seed is ripening in the late-summer sun.
Owners Roger and Monty Saul are travelling around their land in a Jeep to keep a close eye on the crop. Parking up in the wide grassy field margin, Roger gets out to test its readiness for harvest. “Timing and observation are very important,” he says, before biting into a grain. “No, it’s not quite there yet. When it hardens up and there’s a slight grittiness to it, then we’ll have to draft in the combines with only ten days or so to get it in.”
Twenty years ago, Roger didn’t know the first thing about arable agriculture. As founder of luxury fashion brand Mulberry, he was more familiar with classic handbags than combine harvesters. In 2003, at the same time as fighting to keep hold of the company he had created more than three decades previously, he was notified by Sharpham’s then-owner that the land was going on the market for the first time in a century. “It was a typical run-down Somerset dairy farm, but with the most amazing heritage – thousands of years old and sitting in the ley of Glastonbury.” Despite having all his money tied up in Mulberry shares, he found a way to finance the purchase and came to a decision about his business: “I thought, ‘it’s the right time to move on.’” The acquisition also fulfilled his childhood ambition of owning a farm, nurtured at his grandparents’ holding in Suffolk where, from the age of five, he had sat on tractors, played with pigs and charged around haystacks.
Embarking on his new venture, he consulted farming friends in the area about what to keep or cultivate on the 300 acres. Due to the nitrogen-rich soil, resulting from the former dairy’s high volume of cow manure, many suggested wheat. However, his sister Rosemary, who had been diagnosed with cancer, had an alternative idea. She had been advised by her doctor to eat a healthy gut diet and so turned to spelt, but couldn’t find any to buy. “I looked it up and came across all sorts of intriguing references,” Roger says. “One, from the medieval saint Hildegard von Bingham, wrote that it was good for the mind, body and soul. Another said the Roman army had used it to make their marching bread.” Spelt also contains vitamin E, a range of B vitamins, high levels of magnesium, iron and potassium. The ancient variety of wheat had been widely grown in Britain until the 19th century when newly developed threshing machines – which removed the stalks and husks – favoured modern versions, which were not only higher yielding but easier to de-husk.
The farm purchase was completed in the August of that year and, in its ideal high-ph sandy loam clay soil, the UK’S only crop of spelt was sown the following month. Roger employed a contract farm manager, Marcus Birch, who trialled German, French and Italian varieties on three areas of five acres. In 2004, they harvested the crops, favouring the German one, which stood out – literally – due to its stronger stalk and the impressive height to which it grew. They also sought and received organic certification: spelt’s tough husk protects it from pests and diseases, making it particularly suitable for this kind of system. The enterprise was an immediate success, with the farm being featured in a number of newspaper articles before the first crop was even harvested. Then, in 2005, Sharpham Park’s flavourful grain caught the eye of Waitrose, who signed a contract to sell their flour and muesli. “That’s not to say we didn’t make plenty of mistakes,” Roger says. “And we still do. The learning curve during the first year was almost vertical.” Having consulted historical records, Roger also decided to re-introduce some of the farm’s original produce, planting walnut trees and reinstating red deer for venison – health-beneficial foods that are proving popular.
Spelt is sown in September at Sharpham Park, but keeping on top of competitive weeds while maintaining an organic status is a constant challenge. Roger cites charlock as the main battle: “It’s a blighter! It grows up to six feet tall, and threatens to overshadow spelt.” Ploughing encourages its spread and so, when it can be avoided, spelt is simply sown over the last crop. Another tactic
includes drafting in sheep to graze on the charlock, which gives spelt a head start without the need to compete for light. In April and May, Roger hopes for just the right amount of rainfall, as too-dry conditions mean the crop is starved, while an excessive amount of rain in late July and early August, when harvest takes place (coupled with a lack of sunshine), could spoil it. Gathering in the two tonnes of grain is a frantic endeavour, but the wildlife on the farm provides some welcome entertainment. “Roe deer bounce out of cover, hares race around the edge of the fields and buzzards circle overhead looking for their quarry,” Roger says.
As well as cultivating spelt, Sharpham Park mills the grain in an on-site facility, in which the team recently installed new machinery to double its capacity. Sales of its flours, cereals and grains (which make for a delicious addition to casseroles, soups or salads) have risen by more than 25 per cent in the past year. Collaborations with retailers include a bread, muffin and cookie range with Marks & Spencer, as well as a pasta due to launch soon.
A constant source of inspiration for Roger is the feedback he receives from customers, including a local gardener, who thanked him for helping him get through the working day due to spelt’s low glycaemic index providing slow-release energy. Today, the fashion label founder-turned-farmer feels as passionately about the ancient grain as the day he first tasted it: “For me, the pearl spelt is our most exciting food. It can be used like rice and mixed with fish, meat or vegetables for a risotto. I love harvesting whatever we have in the garden and making a meal with it.” Now, surely that’s a simple pleasure to which the abbots would have given their blessing. Read on for some of Roger’s delicious recipes using spelt.
Sharpham Park (sharphampark.com) products are available from Waitrose, Ocado, Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s and Whole Foods Market as well as farm shops and delis. Roger Saul’s designer village Kilver Court in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, serves spelt-based foods in its restaurant (kilvercourt.com).