Andrew Eats His Greens | Food

Date Published:: 19/05/2008

The grade I listed Royal Crescent is a jewel in Bath’s architectural crown. To view it from the front is to behold one of England's finest Georgian buildings. But tucked round the back is an even more impressive local gem. A tiny greengrocers shop made from two garages knocked together.

I'm with owner and forth generation greengrocer Tony Eades and he’s telling me its history. "We used to be a bit further down, but the shop was blown out during the war. My dad just picked up what was left, set the table up in one of the old mews and carried on."

In the 1950s the council knocked down the mews and replaced them with garages. They wanted to evict the Eades, but the residents of the Crescent – which at that time included minor gentry – objected and the council made two of the garages into Tony's shop. It's been the same ever since. "I did want to update it," he says, but every time Tony talks about modernising the shop there's a howl of protest from his regulars.

Branded by an orange

I'm meant to be doing laundry today, but couldn't help popping my head into Eades. It's got that charming old look about it and before I know it we've retired to the nearby Marlborough Tavern (they also get their veg from Tony) for a drink. Tony tells me about the family trade. "When people say how long have you been a grocer, I tell 'em I've got Jaffa printed on my arse. My mother would save the blue tissue paper the oranges came wrapped in to use in the lav," he says in a soft Somerset drawl.

Then in walks Gordon Jones, joint head chef of The Dower House restaurant, after spying Tony through the window. A Brummie by birth who grew up in Scotland Gordon also gets vegetables and produce from Tony. Gordon talks me through some of the dishes he makes with Tony's produce, such as a blackberry sorbet, served with cucumber and mint and finished with a purple sprouting broccoli juice. Gordon uses the tips of the plant long after it's been picked and is going to seed. "Tell you what I'll show you, come for dinner later, aye," says the chef.

From this...

Keeping Bath green

He asks Tony to get some of the broccoli tips and Tony invites me to help him pick them. I dump the washing back at the B&B, grab my camera and next thing I'm in a Land Rover with Tony chugging up a country lane to his 2.5 acres in nearby Swainswick. It's a beautiful spot with a stunning view over the city, which nestles in the valley below. "I've had offers for it from developers," says Tony, "'name your price' they said, but I won't sell it, ever. It's important for Bath to keep this hillside green."

It's also where Tony grows a lot of his veg - broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes - and, surprisingly, Christmas trees. We start picking some things for Gordon to use that evening. Tony talks through his attitude to growing. "I let crops go to seed, it's good for the bees, and we need to do everything to encourage them. If I was more intensive I would have ploughed all this back under now it's been harvested, but it can't all be take, you've got to give something back."

Around me there's poppies, dandelions and all sorts of other meadow flowers. Tony then rips up half a 3ft kale plant. "Gordon'll like this," he says and we're off back to the car.

The broccoli baton

We enter Gordon's kitchen and greengrocer and chef pick over and sort the produce. It's reminiscent of a relay race, with the broccoli as the baton. Throughout this project I've been constantly in awe of the production process from field to fork. And unless you're pulling a blackberry off a bush yourself, everything you eat has been grown or made or killed or cooked by lots of different people.

What's fascinating is how each person's skill contributes to the end result, even though that finished product may be much further down the chain. It's also great to see Tony's knowledge and experience in partnership with Gordon's drive and talent.

...to this

What follows is a fantastic meal made by two young talented head chefs and a loyal brigade, all of whom are under 30-years-old. When the dish featuring the picked-30-minutes-ago kale juice arrives it's divine. Brassicas get bad press as a boring smelly veg and at best it's seen as something filling for wintertime. But here's a member of the brassica family in a dish that's fresh, light and summery. OK, unlike the cucumber it's never going to work in Pimms, but Gordon's use of things like young kale and wild herbs and petals in his cooking is sublime.

I head back to the B&B afterwards. "Nice evening?" says Andrew the owner. "I’ve been with Tony Eadas," I say. "Oh we get our veg from him" he says.

If you fancy seeing Gordon Jones and his fellow head chef Mark Brega in action they'll be doing a demo at Channel 4's Taste of Bath festival, 3-6 July 2008, Royal Victoria Park.