Imagine a place where the weather is constant every day. No need to worry about whether to take a jumper, coat or even carry an umbrella. Growing @ Field 28 has a microclimate space that is illuminated from 6am until midnight 365 days of the year, with a constant temperature of 22 to 24 degrees centigrade, creating perfect conditions for growing fresh herbs and cresses.

Remember growing mustard cress at school in an eggshell with a bit of wet cotton wool and a smiley face drawn on the front in felt-tip pen? Lead vegetable grower Ciaran Maguire and the team at Growing @ Field 28 have taken this to another level, producing micro herbs for hotels and restaurants across Cheshire and beyond.

Red sorrel growing in the microclimate. Red sorrel growing in the microclimate. (Image: Kurt Thomas)

I first became aware of these little pockets of flavour while working with an excellent chef named Marc Mattocks, who swore by them in his recipes. They were a new flavour addition to dishes, especially fish and salads, where we were looking for more subtle undertones. Deliveries were random as producers experimented and we would often blind-test to see how sharply our sense of smell and taste buds reacted.

‘We are currently growing pea shoots, mitsuba mashimori (Japanese parsley), red vein sorrel, lemon balm, borage with its hint of cucumber, and oxalis, which has a delicate flavour of apple,’ says Ciaran. ‘Some of these can be ready in just seven days from seed.’ Growing @ Field 28 stemmed from the passion of dentist Kevin Dobbs, and his wife, Jan, whose family have farmed in Grimsby for more than 100 years. They bought the field, adjacent to the Dental Academy, in 2011 to grow speciality produce. After a chance conversation with acclaimed chef Aiden Byrne in 2017, work began on the urban farm and the creation of a microclimate to cultivate the young shoots.

Ciaran Maguire and Sarah Jappy from Growing @ Field 28. Ciaran Maguire and Sarah Jappy from Growing @ Field 28. (Image: Kurt Thomas)

Edible flowers have been introduced, alongside the potted garden blooms, under the watchful eye of Sarah Jappy (lead flower grower), pictured here, along with Ciaran. These include viola, apple blossom, marigolds, calendula, allium flowers, and courgettes with their large orange bloom often filled with a delicate mousse and steamed.

The business supplies restaurants and hotels across Cheshire, Manchester and Liverpool, including for Liam McKay at The Chef’s Table in Chester, and the Chester Grosvenor, with some deliveries going as far as Cumbria and London.

Lead vegetable grower Ciaran Maguire checking the new potatoes. Lead vegetable grower Ciaran Maguire checking the new potatoes. (Image: Kurt Thomas)

If you would like to see the operation for yourself, the farm shop and deli at Growing @ Field 28 is open seven days a week, where produce from the fields and the polytunnels is on sale and there is a lovely little café with bread and cakes produced in the site’s own bakery.

Medium and large veg boxes are available on weekly or fortnightly plans, or as a one-off box to collect from the farm shop. On the last Saturday of every month, the doors stay open after hours for the Seed to Plate Supper Club and there are events throughout the year, from growing experiences to fine dining and wreath-making. Ciaran adds: ‘Pop in now for the first of the Cheshire new potatoes.’.

Growing @ Field 28 is at Chester Road, Daresbury, Warrington WA 5LR 01925 740685 field28.com