Last year, Woodbridge was named as the happiest place to live in the UK – which has came as no surprise to Elmhurst Kitchen Garden, a group where community spirit runneth over.
From sprouting broccoli to broad beans, rhubarb, apples, berries, herbs and potatoes, Elmhurst Kitchen Garden is bursting with life – and has graced many a dinner table with its fresh and delicious fare.
Jazz Machen and Val Sherwen tend to their leeks. (Image: Lucy Taylor)
David Adelson tends to the sprouting broccoli. (Image: Lucy Taylor)
Jazz Machen waters seedlings in the kitchen garden’s greenhouse. (Image: Lucy Taylor)
Volunteers came together on a sunny Saturday morning in April. (Image: Lucy Taylor)
Located in the heart of Elmhurst Park, the garden was created 15 years ago, born out of frustration at the increasingly long waiting list for allotments in Woodbridge.
“A few people got together, and asked is there a way of gardening without everyone having their own little strip?” explained Sue Stephenson, the Chair of Elmhurst Kitchen Garden.
The group identified a derelict area of land which had become wild and overgrown with black weed membrane, and, with the support of local suppliers, set about transforming it into a thriving kitchen garden, with 15 volunteers regularly visiting.
Have you visited the secret garden? (Image: Sue Stephenson)
Each Saturday, a table is laden with produce for the members to choose from, all of them having lent a hand to nurture the fruit, vegetables and herbs.
During lockdown, the group donated their wares to Suffolk Place retirement complex, so that the residents could benefit from freshly grown produce.
Mrs Stephenson continued: “We’ve got people in their 80s, and people in their 20s and 30s. It’s a real generational blender.
“You can come whether you know much about gardening or are a complete beginner, we promote lifelong learning, so swap skills and learn new ones.”