Crops of herbs, salad leaves and mini-vegetables grown in tunnels originally built as wartime air raid shelters beneath London are about to go into restaurants and homes.
Renowned chef, Michel Roux Jnr, has joined a pair of West Country entrepreneurs to launch the urban farm revolution.
The team has raised £750,000 to fund the start-up costs of the subterranean farm and the ‘Growing Underground’ brand, which also has the backing of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
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Crops of herbs, salad leaves and mini-vegetables are being grown in tunnels originally built as wartime air raid shelters beneath London
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Green shoots: Phase one crops include the likes of pea shoots, several varieties of radish, mustard, coriander, Red Amaranth, celery, parsley and rocket
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Celebrity backing: Renowned chef, Michel Roux Jnr (pictured), has joined a pair of West Country entrepreneurs to launch the urban farm revolution
Phase one crops include pea shoots, several varieties of radish, mustard, coriander, Red Amaranth, celery, parsley and rocket.
They are grown using the hydroponic system, which effectively circulates water enriched with nutrients through trays of plants, which sit on a bed of hemp.
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The underground farmers intend to use water that seeps down through the earth to sump rooms alongside the tunnels, which will be purified to feed the plants.
While the sunshine is replaced by banks of LED lights, which are powered by green energy.
The tunnels were originally built between 1940 and 1942 in order to protect vulnerable families from the Nazi’s flying bombs, which brought havoc to the capital during World War 2.
Inside the former air raid shelter where veg is grown for London
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Charlie Angela takes a close look at some of the green shoots cultivated at Growing Underground, London's first underground farm in the site of a disused World War Two bomb shelter
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The tunnels were originally built between 1940 and 1942 in order to protect vulnerable families from the Nazi’s flying bombs, which brought havoc to the capital during World War 2
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The team has raised £750,000 to fund the start-up costs of the subterranean farm and the ‘Growing Underground’ brand, which also has the backing of the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson
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Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Jr (pictured) gets a taste of some of the green shoots cultivated at Growing Underground, under Clapham Common
The Clapham North tunnels opened in July 1944 and were equipped with bunks, medical posts, kitchens and sanitation and had capacity to accommodate up to 8,000 people.
They are some 12 storeys below ground level, even lower than the Northern Line tube line, however they have lain unused since the war.
The depth means the temperature remains at a steady 16C, which allows crops to be grown 52 weeks a year without any need to worry about the seasons, frost or drought.
The scheme was hatched three years ago by Richard Ballard and Steven Dring, who believe it could help cope with the pressure of urban population growth, while producing good, healthy food which can be on dinner tables within eight hours of harvest.
The chef, Michel Roux Jr, who was a judge on the BBC’s Masterchef and presenter of Food & Drink, is so excited by the idea that he has joined the company as a director and will be advising on crop selection, product design and partnerships.
He said: ‘When I first met these guys I thought they were absolutely crazy, but when I visited the tunnels and sampled the delicious produce they are already growing down there I was blown away,’ he said.
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Crops are grown in a sealed clean-room environment with a bespoke ventilation system, advanced lighting and a sophisticated irrigation system that enable the farm to produce crops at very low energy
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Growing business: The company eventually hopes to have 2.5 acres under cultivation in the tunnels in an enterprise employing 20 people
‘Little shoots can be grown, wonderful herbs and salads. The market for this produce is huge.’
He said: ‘I’m looking forward to creating my first dish using produce from the world’s first underground urban farm, less than two miles as the crow flies from the heart of London.
‘It’s great to be involved in this ambitious project, for which we have equally ambitious growth plans. Above all, it’s fantastic to be able to source produce that is so fresh in the heart of Britain’s largest city.’
Crops are grown in a sealed clean-room environment with a bespoke ventilation system, advanced lighting and a sophisticated irrigation system that enable the farm to produce crops at very low energy. The farm’s mission is to deliver fresh produce with zero effect on the environment and all energy is sourced from green suppliers.
Growing Underground’s first commercial client will be County Supplies London, supplying restaurants via Covent Garden market. The plan is to then make them available to shoppers via the website Farmdrop.co.uk.
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Farmdrop co-founder and CEO Ben Patten shows off some Growing Underground products outside the farm site in Clapham Common, south London
The company eventually hopes to have 2.5 acres under cultivation in the tunnels in an enterprise employing 20 people.
Co-founder, Richard Ballard, said: ‘We’re delighted that our first shoots will be delivered to the surface in the next few weeks. After eighteen months of research, development, growing trials – and tribulations – we’re about to start supplying into the market.’
His business partner, Stephen Dring, added: ‘Phase one represents more than £750,000 investment in sustainable urban farming for London and we’re delighted to be fulfilling our first orders within weeks.’
Boris Johnson, who supported the original idea for the farm through his London Leaders business start-up programme, welcomed the launch.
‘This is a fine example of the dynamic start-ups that are helping London lead the world in green business innovation,’ he said.
‘I want even more entrepreneurs to help create these brilliant concepts that are delivering thousands of jobs and boosting London’s green economy to almost £30 billion a year. I wish Growing Underground every success.’
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