Square Mile Farms, in partnership with elegant workplace and dining destination Devonshire Square, has created a vibrant community farm for City workers
Square Mile Farms are bringing farming back into the heart of the city through the stunning location of Devonshire Square. A vibrant five-acre square home to some of London’s most exciting restaurants and businesses, located a stone’s throw from Liverpool Street and Spitalfields Market.
From late June through to July, Square Mile Farms will be creating an immersive urban farming experience, where it will grow a selection of fresh herbs and vegetables, sharing the harvests with the local community through a programme of events.
Devonshire Square is home to a selection of wonderful restaurants with cuisines from across the globe. Square Mile Farms is collaborating with two of the restaurants where the chefs will be using the herbs to create classic Italian dishes and modern Indian street food.
Enoteca da Luca’s executive chef Giuseppe Ferreri will prepare a classic dish from Liguria – Trofie al Pesto, utilising fragrant basil grown in the urban farm. Workers at Devonshire Square, and its visitors, will be able to sample the dish at aperitivo time (5-6pm) on Tuesday 2 July.
Moving to a different continent executive chef Raju Ramachandran of Cinnamon Kitchen will be creating a range of inspired canapés incorporating freshly picked herbs including stir fried shrimp with red chard, thyme flavoured chicken tikka with coriander, and Indo Chinese stir fried chilli paneer in gem lettuce. visit the urban farm on 16 July 12.30-13.30pm if you don’t want to be disappointed.
Andy Booth, director of offices at Devonshire Square, says:
“Nuveen is delighted to partner with Square Mile Farms to provide a new urban farm for the City of London this summer. Devonshire Square is a green oasis in the heart of the City, and this concept adds another dimension to the garden aesthetic that makes the Square such a tranquil haven for workers and visitors.
Seeing locally produced goods, grown and harvested has multiple benefits, from educating children, and learning opportunities for local people, to being used as ingredients for our varied restaurants ”
During the summer there is a huge outdoor screen in one of the Devonshire Square courtyards which will be showing all the big sporting events which of course includes Wimbledon. We can’t promise a Briton in the final, but we can promise ice cream from Cinnamon Kitchen. During Wimbledon matches visitors will be treated to a deliciously refreshing lemon basil ice cream using organic lemons and basil grown in the urban farm.
Patrick Dumas CEO of Square Mile Farms says
“There can be nothing more satisfying than freshly grown produce, harvested by hand, that you have watched grow and flourish in front of you. Joining together to enjoy the bounty and sharing the experience has long been part of the human experience. Our indoor community farm represents a significant step towards sustainable urban living and community engagement”.
As well as the restaurant collaborations Square Mile Farms will also be hosting walk in workshops, running cooking demonstrations and sharing with the local community and schools to show how we can all live more sustainably, while still being able to enjoy the food we love.
Square Mile Farms will be growing 10 different crops using its advanced hydroponic growing systems, delivering fragrant flavours, all grown ultra-locally.
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