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Steve in one of the watercress beds<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
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‘British weather is perfect for watercress’ the words of Steve<\/a> \u2026 my host at the watercress farm in Hampshire.
\nBritain is one of the few countries to grow watercress and has been for hundreds of years. As far back as the 1600’s and most likely even earlier it was foraged in the wild where it grew in streams and rivers but as from 1808 it was first commercially cultivated by\u00a0 William Bradbery, along the River Ebbsfleet in Kent.<\/p>\n

The success of the watercress trade is very much entwined with the British railways. In 1865 the ‘Mid-Hants Railway’ or Watercress Line was opened, it connected Alresford to London giving Hampshire watercress growers the opportunity to get their crop fresh to the London markets. The delicate leaves would be picked by hand by the men and tied into bunches by the women to be placed in wicker baskets for the transport.
\nAt London’s Covent Garden watercress would be sold by street vendors who often were children. The bunches of watercress were said to have been formed into posies and eaten like that for breakfast straight away or if you were lucky to be able to afford a loaf, between two slices of bread. In Victorian Britain it was called ‘the poor man’s bread’, it provided the working class with a good portion of nutrition for the day and became one of the first foods for on-the-go.<\/p>\n

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The Watercress Line declined during the years of the first and second world wars and gave her final blow to watercress growers in the 1960’s with the closure of the line.
\n<\/a>Now a flourishing industry, watercress is gaining popularity again and Alresford even has a Watercress festival in may.
\nWe now have Watercress all year round but it used to be a hardy winter crop, feeding off spring water that has a constant temperature of around 10\u00b0 C, watercress is unaffected by frost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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The clear water feeding the cress<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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Planting seedlings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The beds on this Hampshire farm are still the original ones from the 1800’s, they are cleared each year to keep the crop healthy and follow the natural line of the river benefiting of the natural spring water. Hawks and Falcons are used to chase away stealing pigeons and bats are set free to clean the beds of small insects that could affect the health of the crop. They very much work together with nature, preserving the wildlife that likes to reside around watercress and to keep the beds chemical free.<\/p>\n

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University
\nstudents are at the site to study this method as was Steve at one time
\nin his life. Steve has a PhD in the nutritional physiology of watercress
\nand his course was part funded by the watercress industry. He tells me watercress contains more vitamin c than oranges, more iron than spinach and more calcium than milk.
\nHe himself swears by eating a few bunches, raw in his hand like the ‘Poor man’s bread’ every day and has done for thirty years.<\/p>\n

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Steve with his ‘Poor man’s bread’<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The
\nwatercress from Hampshire does taste perfectly peppery filling your
\nmouth and nose with mustardy warmth and then refreshing it with the
\njuicy stalks.
\nIt has been a favorite on my plate for quite some time,
\npreferring it to Rocket salad. It is so versatile, like the ‘poor mans
\nbread’ straight out of your hand or just plain between two slices of
\nbread, spicing up your soups, salads and smoothies. I can’t get enough
\nso with my precious bunches the farm kindly gifted me I had a lovely
\nsalad, a sarnie, an egg and a trout and watercress pie. (check back on friday for the trout and watercress pie)<\/p>\n

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Watercress from the Watercress Alliance is sold all over the UK in supermarkets and market stalls. Have a play with this brilliantly British crop and I assure you that it’s mustardy bite will not let you go in a hurry.<\/p>\n

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The Poor man’s bread<\/b><\/p>\n

What do you need<\/b><\/p>\n