Good things, as they say, often come in small packages, and when it comes to cooking, there are few better examples of that adage than micro greens. A staple in the fine dining world, the young, tender shoots of herbs and vegetables are relied on to garnish dishes, adding a pop of vibrant colour, depth and height to a plate that is otherwise hard to achieve. And though their aesthetics are a big part of their appeal, they’re certainly not a case of style over substance; their much earlier harvest time, usually within two to four weeks of germination, means they are crammed with concentrated flavour. Micro lemon balm, for example, has citrusy notes that pair perfectly with desserts and seafood, while micro basil has an even more powerful herbaceous kick than its full-sized counterpart. And while they have traditionally remained the preserve of the professional chef, home cooks are beginning to experiment with their potential, thanks to a flurry of new independent growers.
A familiar name in the micro herb world, Nurtured in Norfolk certainly isn’t a new kid on the block, having first started thirteen years ago as the brainchild of chefs Allan Miller and Sue Drane. Looking for consistently high-quality micro produce, they decided to go it alone, growing their own micro cress and pea shoots from home. It soon caught the eye of local suppliers and they began to bump up their yield, expanding their set-up from a kitchen windowsill to a greenhouse and, later, warehouses. Though they had a spell of juggling cheffing with growing, they soon took the plunge into the micro green world full-time, ‘they were ahead of the curve,' says operations manager Alex Crossland, 'a lot of what has followed has done so in their footsteps, and they were the pioneers of a lot of produce that has since grown in mainstream popularity.'
Today, they grow a huge range of micro cress and herbs, micro vegetables, pea shoots, sea vegetables and bunched herbs across their five-acre site. There’s everything from micro coriander and micro mint to mustard frills, sweetcorn shoots and baby turnips, all of which are predominantly grown for some of the country’s finest chefs – they work with the likes of Gordon Ramsay, Heston Blumenthal and Tom Aikens – as well as other food businesses and keen cooks (their edible flowers range is proving particularly popular with home chefs). Since starting out, they’ve not only developed their understanding of how to grow all things mini, but also put the spotlight on certain produce – Alex says Allan and Sue have boosted the profile of the likes of micro mint and kinome leaf. Nurtured in Norfolk has, of course, evolved over time, mirroring changes in restaurant kitchens; while they began selling living products which needed a trim, they have pivoted to predominantly punnet produce as kitchen brigades have shrunk, which arrives ready for chefs to use.