Spring changes on our rooftop garden

As March is coming to an end and the much anticipated spring season returns for its annual visit, it is the perfect excuse to head up to our beautiful rooftop garden and find out what’s new and interesting as the weather steadily improves.

Our gardener, Sean Gifford from InMidTown.org, who not only looks after our rooftop garden here at Le Cordon Bleu London, but also a selection of spaces around the Holborn and Bloomsbury area, is back tending to our plants every Wednesday from 3-5pm. It is the perfect time for students and teaching chefs to visit the garden and explore the beautiful, fresh ingredients that the rooftop have to offer, which are sure to add a bit of character to any culinary creation.

The rooftop garden presents some very challenging growing conditions due to it being very windy, and the soil depth being quite shallow, but Sean will be trying his best to grow the new plants that have been requested by our Chefs and lecturers this season, which he will be planting over the next eight weeks or so as and when they become available.

Hopefully we can expect to see the following over the coming months:

• Quinoa
• Amaranth
• Stevia
• Pea shoots
• Fuschia
• Thai basil
• Sweet rocket
• Green shiso
• Shallots
• Strawberries - Mara de Bois and Mignotte varieties
• Garden peas

In addition to these new and exciting plants, all of the perennial plants (those that live for more than 2 years) that have survived the winter are still on offer, with many of them coming to life and being ready to harvest right now! These include the following:

• Rosemary and rosemary flowers – which we can thank for the floral taste of our Le Cordon Bleu honey, as our bees were foraging from the nectar of these plants last year.
• Rose scented geranium leaves and flowers – great for using in desserts.
• Young fennel fronds – a very versatile plant that can be used as a vegetable, a herb or a spice.
• Salt bush leaves – great in salads or as an addition to pasta dishes.
• Moroccan mint – great for making tea or flavouring food.
• Wild garlic (Allium ursinum) – their first season in our garden, so only a few leaves should be picked to give the plants a chance to bed down and grow strong when they return in spring 2018!
• Green in Snow mustard – very hot and spicy leaves

We will be heading back to the garden again as we move towards summer to see how all of the new plants are getting on - make sure to stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest news!