With an impressive portfolio of thirty different baby salad leaves on sale at the height of the season, Secretts of Milford is famous for them throughout the south east and London.

Used to decorate plates by many top chefs, it’s no surprise that 1.2 tonnes are sold every week, of which 550 kilos are transported into the metropolis. In context, the average weight of a bag of rocket in a supermarket is 30g, so in unit terms this is 41,300 bags! Freshly picked to order too, this is a tightly run business with a lot of early mornings. Organisation falls to Nicola Secrett who manages the team of growers, pickers and packers with great enthusiasm and is a fountain of leaf knowledge.

Chefs just can’t get enough of these gorgeous leaves: they add colour and texture to dishes. Placed strategically on top of scallops or scattered on venison Carpaccio, combinations are endless. Matt Edmonds, an award-winning chef formerly at the Gherkin in London, has just opened his first eaterie in Surrey, The Grantley Arms in Wonersh. Matt, when sourcing ingredients, was delighted to be able to buy the leaves he had been using in London and call them local. These leaves, he agrees, finish his plated savoury dishes with naturally beautiful shapes, colours and flavours. It wasn’t that long ago that Secretts grew the first rocket for a British supermarket as an experiment, and at that time the farm had no idea these tender leaves would become such an important element of future business.

Today Secretts is run by father and son team Charles and Greg Secrett, but they partly owe their success to a fascinating heritage. The story starts with Charles’ grandfather (Frederick Augustus Secrett) who chose horticulture from the range of options open to a young man in the early 1900s. Starting his first growing venture in 1908, Frederick was, by the time he died, a legendary figure known for his innovative growing techniques, irrigation inventions and mobile glasshouses. In addition, he was passionate about training and education and responsible for igniting a passion for horticulture in those with whom he came into contact.

Frederick’s great grandson, Greg, has carried on his tradition for growing and as well as supplying Secretts’ famous salad leaves to virtually every restaurant in the south east of England, Greg also grows a huge range of speciality vegetables for many top London restaurants. On direct dial to many of London’s most feted chefs (I wouldn’t say no to his contact list), Greg’s vegetable portfolio has cast iron street credibility. The 100 acre Secretts farm, whilst having a thriving wholesale business, also grows for its own farm shop, so while supply is seasonal, it’s food metres not miles here.

Known to be one of the most productive farms during the Second World War, Secretts was a supplier to local wholesale and retail markets.

But like many growers, business was hard hit by the emergence of supermarkets and changing wholesale buying practices. Cheaper imports and changing consumer behaviour means that many of the original crops grown on the farm were discontinued. Leeks, for example, last year had an all time low price on the market making them cheaper to leave in the ground than to harvest. This is, sadly, an all too common reality for many farmers.

However, by creatively diversifying, Secretts has found a niche market for its young, tender vegetables and leaves. In addition, a farm shop opened in 1977, and a ‘pick-your-own’ a few years later, have both proven successful whilst being challenged by two large supermarket chains opening in close proximity.

Stocking the farm shop with a wonderful range of artisan products and well known quality brands has allowed Secretts to maintain a large and loyal customer base. For example, the cheese counter has over three hundred cheeses and visitors travel from as far away as Brighton to shop. The farm shop is also famous for its wonderful confectionery displays at Christmas and Easter. Regular ‘meet the producer’ events are a hit with locals, as are Easter Egg hunts and farm animal petting events for children.

Innovation and experimentation is still important to the farm today. It grows a range of produce and selects from hybrid seeds which can be more disease resistant than heritage (true to type) seeds. Heritage seeds are used to grow Secretts’ gorgeous golden and red candy stripe beetroots and multi coloured carrots. Seeds are planted almost every day in the growing season and picked at just six weeks old. Famous throughout the south east at farmers’ markets and from Secretts’ farm shop, customers love these vegetables for their sweet taste and tender texture.

Goat’s cheese and roasted butternut squash salad with pumpkin seed dressing

Last year I photographed the new menu for Eliza’s Teashop, next to the farm shop, at Secretts. The recipes were the work of talented local food consultant and caterer Sally Iddles of Sally’s Fabulous Food (www.sallyiddles.co.uk). With such great produce available on site, it made sense to feature the mixed leaves on the menu. All the dishes we worked with on that day were fantastic, but this salad was so colourful to photograph it made my job easy – it also contains some of my favourite ingredients! I have eaten this since at Eliza’s and it’s replicated beautifully each time.

When choosing a goat’s cheese, there are lots of options and it’s really a personal decision. I like Sister Sarah goat’s cheese made by High Weald Dairy in West Sussex as it is locally made and has a great texture. Whatever cheese is chosen, make sure it is not too soft, but still has a creamy texture to complement the roasted squash.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

One small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
One dessertspoon olive oil
75g pumpkin seeds
300g firm, creamy goat’s cheese (see note above)
Two tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
Two dessertspoons aged balsamic vinegar or balsamic syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
One bag of Secretts’ mixed leaves

Method:

• Pre-heat oven to gas mark 6/200 degrees centigrade/fan 190 degrees centigrade.
• Place the chunks of butternut squash in a mixing bowl and coat in the olive oil by mixing vigorously with a metal spoon. Season and lay out on a baking sheet. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes.
• Place the pumpkin seeds in a small tin and place in the oven for the last ten minutes of the cooking time. Allow the squash and seeds to cool while preparing the salad.
• Cut the cheese into even sized chunks.
• Make the dressing by simply mixing the oil and vinegar together. Either toss the leaves in the dressing before placing in bowls, or drizzle over as part of the assembly stated below.
• Place four large handfuls of salad leaves in a salad spinner, wash gently and spin to remove excess water. Divide the leaves between four salad bowls. Place the cheese and butternut squash on top of the leaves. Drizzle with the salad dressing and garnish with the roasted pumpkin seeds.

In addition, on a smaller scale for individual chefs, Greg also grows crops of more unusual vegetables such as scorzerona and salsify. More recently, he has also grown a vegetable called celtuce (a cross between a lettuce and celery) prized for its thick stem. Chefs love the flavour and texture of this for accenting dishes. As part of the education heritage of Secretts, the farm hosts a chef event each year to allow chefs to see the farm in growing season and understand the intricacies of horticulture. These events are growing in popularity and the pick your own area is used for education purposes out of season.

In addition to tender market vegetables, Secretts’ asparagus is also a high profile crop. Thriving in the soil here, even though the established beds are elderly (in asparagus terms), they still produce good yields. Weather willing, asparagus should start to crop in early to mid April with a characteristically short season. Greg is currently looking at innovative methods that could increase the growth and harvest of asparagus by at least a couple of months. For locals, asparagus going on sale in Secretts’ farm shop signifies the end of spring.

For food service enquiries, visit the farm page of the website for contact details and ordering information. To visit the farm shop it’s good to know they have an onsite tea room, Eliza’s Teashop, serving delicious home cooked food, salads with Secretts’ leaves and gorgeous cakes. Ethical clothing company, Jo’s Jumpers, also offering fair-trade jewellery, is opposite the tea room. On the third Sunday of each month, Secretts’ hosts the Surrey Farmers Market which showcases local food producers. In the summer (from June) there is pick your own, featuring berries, beans, apples and plums.

For information on opening times, click on the ‘visit us’ page of the website.

Shirlee Posner

essence info

Secretts, Hurst Farm, Chapel Lane, Milford, Surrey GU8 5HU
Telephone: 01483 520500
Websites: www.secretts.co.uk and www.eatsurrey.co