Over the last couple of months, the catering team in conjunction with the team at BT Adastral Park have transformed The Hub coffee shop planting area from a daffodil graveyard to a thriving kitchen garden with a project called Plant+Plate, which was put together by Julie Cowie, Shane Simmonds and Matt Wilby. This was with the idea of helping reduce our carbon footprint, helping us become more sustainable and bringing something to the park that is unique.

BT Volunteers were involved in clearing the area. Planting was quick and easy, with many helping hands at the beginning of May and by June we were already reaping the benefit of the baby leaf lettuce and edible flowers. As a bit of information, when we do executive hospitality at this time of year we buy Violas, as the flowers are edible and look amazing and these come from Dereham in Norfolk. This would be a 70 mile trip for the flowers to get here and in the last few weeks we have used flowers in our hospitality twice. Meaning that we have been able to save 140 miles equating to approximately 55kg CO2 produced by an average diesel van going back into the atmosphere.

Another fact is that 1 litre of diesel approximately produces 2.62kgs of CO2!

As you will see from the picture from May to now we are seeing that we will be able to pick courgettes, tomatoes, runner beans, mangetout, potatoes, aubergines, strawberries, peas, rhubarb, chard, several different types of lettuce, beetroot and other herbs and vegetables.

Plant + Plate is definitely the way forward and with time and learning hopefully we’ll be able to expand the onsite garden!