With their method of indoor vertical farming, local social enterprise Grow Bristol can grow for the city all-year-round, without the need for pesticides while saving a lot of water. After a short break, the team are back on the scene and founder Dermot O’Regan explains their new approach to urban growing.

Our mission at Grow Bristol has always been to grow the healthiest, tastiest and most local greens in the city, all-year-round. We also strive to find the most sustainable way to grow, including reducing the need for single-use plastics and eliminating food waste, both in the production and distribution of our fresh produce. After a bit of a break in supply to move site, we’re excited to be back with a new exciting set of products and a fresh approach.

We started supplying Better Food with our nutrient-rich, tasty salad leaves and herbs back in 2016, starting with favourites such as Super Microgreen Mixed Salad, Pea Shoots and an array of individual microgreens and microherbs.

Moving premises has given us the chance to completely rethink and redesign our approach and products, leading to the development of a new range of living salads and herbs. These are grown in a special organic (Soil Association certified), peat-free compost, reaching the shelves in a punnet made from recycled paper and cardboard. Our customers take home a living product, and can harvest and eat the salads and herbs when they are ready, which means it is the freshest and tastiest it can be. Once they are finished, the whole thing can then be composted in one place – either in a compost heap or added to green waste bins at home. It will eventually be turned back into compost that can be used to grow more food.  And of course, we continue to produce our greens without the use of pesticides or any other nasty chemicals.

Grow Bristol will be launching their new product range at the St Werburghs store, for a trial period, from Saturday 23 November. The range of living greens available includes:

Pea Shoots: taste just like fresh peas; delicious eaten as they are or thrown in a stir-fry; packed with vitamin C and fibre.

Sunflower Shoots: juicy, crunchy, nutty and very morish; great to snack on or used as a flavour-packed garnish; full of vitamin B, vitamin E and zinc.

Micro Radish Leaf: vibrant with a peppery hit; add colour and punch to any dish; bursting with vitamin C and macronutrients.

Baby Coriander: zesty and fresh with citrus notes; complements Asian-style dishes and more; a rich source of vitamin K and beta carotene.

Dermot and Oscar from Grow Bristol will be in-store at St Werburghs from 11am-1pm on Saturday 23 November giving customers the chance to sample their new product range. They would love you to come and say hi and tell them what you think of the new products.