WAITROSE WATERCRESS

Sean and his wife Penny are part of the team that supplies Waitrose with the summer crop of this salad favourite. The farm they work on has been producing watercress since 1850 and was the first to be awarded the LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) marque for Waitrose in 2002, which recognises food production that’s sustainable, and grown with care for the environment

“People are often surprised to discover that watercress really does grow in water, that’s why there’s a tradition of cultivating it where we are, in Hampshire and Dorset, because all the chalk in the ground makes the spring water very pure”

Sean Ede, production manager at The Watercress Company

Did you know?

The peppery taste of watercress comes from isothiocyanates, known as ITCs, a compound created when we chew or blitz it. Watercress is high in vitamin C, which helps the immune system, and high in protein, which helps your muscles grow