North Country Local has started reaping the benefits of a lot of hard work as their first vegetables are ready to harvest!

Ken Holland of North Country Organics has been working hard all winter with his wife Tracy and their small family team at Vallum.  They have used poly tunnels to start seeds off and spent many back breaking hours planting each seedling by hand into the soil.  After a lack of rain (which saw ken tweeting that he was doing rain dances) all their hard work has finally paid off:

They have some quite rare vegetables such as the dragons egg cucumber (centre back) which tastes like honeydew melon then lots more recognisable vegetables going from the left: white spring onion, radish, yellow tomato, red spring onion, white beetroot, tiger tomato (i think!) baby turnip, baby leek, courgette, red carrots and of course their edible flowers.

Chefs across the north east have always known that the Hollands are excellent growers, with their produce being used at Jesmond Dene House, Close House, the Duke of Wellington at Newton and of course by Tony Binks at the Barrasford Arms in Barrasford. 

Now their produce will be going all over the country as Wellocks have discovered their amazing line in baby vegetables.  Wellocks were buying baby vegetables from France to distribute to Michelin starred chefs across the country.  They were thrilled to find a UK producer who can not only equal the quality but top it.  With freshness at the forefront of every chef's mind the Hollands can pick process and despatch their harvest, to get it to chefs the very next day.  Amazing.  To think Northumberland is supplying Michelin starred restaurants all over the UK!

We are so proud to have this hard working tenacious family on site.  And guess what .. we get the pick of the crop!