We are delighted to be reaping the rewards of B-Leaf’s ever-growing allotment...
We are delighted to be reaping the rewards of B-Leaf’s ever-growing allotment, having recently had a delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables including apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, runner beans, peppers, salad greens, carrots and fresh herbs.
B-Leaf is work-based initiative for adults with learning disabilities. It operates as a nursery and garden centre and provides an extensive training programme in horticulture and grounds maintenance. Trainees are supported by a team of dedicated staff who help them progress in whatever way they can to develop new skills, make new friends and ultimately lead more independent and fulfilled lives.
The trainees are involved in every step of the process of growing produce, from cultivating seeds, to ensuring plants are tended to and watered and when the time is right, they pick, weigh, pack and deliver the goods to us at Bryngarw House.
As well as helping grow the produce, trainees have also been helping out in the kitchen, with JJ working alongside the chefs to make homemade flatbreads recently.
Our Head Chef, Michael Guy, works closely with the team and trainees to advise on seasonal produce, with the aim of B-Leaf supplying Bryngarw House with all produce in the future. So far, the home-grown produce has gone into tomato and basil soup, apple cobbler, chutneys, green salads and more!
Plans for 2025 include a whole polytunnel dedicated to growing produce for us, Head Chef visiting B-Leaf once a week and all chefs volunteering in January to get the polytunnel up and running.
As a venue that is striving for sustainability in all areas, we are proud to always use Welsh and locally sourced produce, but we are especially proud to now be using produce from our own grounds. The benefits of this also include plastic-free deliveries and cutting right down on food mileage, as B-Leaf is on our doorstep and deliveries arrive on foot!