Welcome to the 2025 growing season!
You may notice a fresh new look for Pitfield Veg online, but aside from the long-overdue launch of our website, not much has changed.
Pitfield Barn reopens for the season in the first week of April—just as the daffodils begin to bloom and bees start scouting the fields for early nectar. With blackthorn nearly in blossom and weed seeds beginning to sprout, it’s time to step away from the laptop, leave the warmth of the wood burner, and get stuck into bed prep and seed sowing.
As we navigate the British regions "hungry gap"—that in-between time when overwintered veg comes to an end and new crops aren’t quite ready for harvest—the veggie stall will reopen slightly later in April, as usual on Fridays and Saturdays. A limited number of veg boxes will be available for collection from the barn on Thursdays and Fridays.
Broad beans, spinach, salads, and radishes and wet garlic will be the first to appear, along with an exciting new addition: veg plants ready for your own garden! Expect strawberry plants, squash, cucumbers, courgettes, spring onions, leeks, and many more to help you stock up your garden.
Veggie deliveries to Brighton & Hove restaurants and cafés—along with our veg box drop-off point at Shoreline Café—will resume in mid-May, just as the season kicks into full swing. Exciting times ahead!
Wholesalers, chefs, and caterers—are you looking for fresh, seasonal produce sourced directly from the farm?
I love collaborating with chefs who craft incredible dishes inspired by seasonality and locality, using ingredients picked especially for the occasion. Alongside staple crops, I grow unique varieties of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers—ones you won’t easily find on supermarket shelves or through regular wholesalers.
If you're interested in incorporating my produce into your restaurant menu or a special event, get in touch! You can request access to my wholesale page, where you'll find availability, pricing, and monthly forecasts.
? Pictured: A collaboration with The Herb Kitchen to celebrate their 10-year anniversary—smoked mackerel on nasturtium leaves, topped with salsa verde. Picture by Veega Tankun
Sussex Surplus Joins the Team!
Part of my vision for Pitfield veg is to enable a broader community to access fresh and nutritious food. Having met the Sussex surplus team, I believe they are on the right path and I am proud to support their mission.
As a community-focused social enterprise, they rescue fresh vegetables from local farms and transform them into nutritious meals and long-life products. What makes their mission even more inspiring is their dedication to providing opportunities for young people who face barriers to employment. Sussex Surplus organizes weekly community meals, sells their delicious soups in local shops, and even offers catering services.
I first encountered the Sussex Surplus team last year when I was looking for a charity to donate a giant pumpkin. At the time, they were busy processing and batch-cooking gleaned squash from farms across Sussex, so what’s one more pumpkin to add to the mix? They were more than happy to take it, along with a box of leftover garlic I had at the end of the season. After spending time with their team over a shared meal, I knew I wanted to continue supporting them. Their work—feeding the community, rescuing food from waste, and providing a supportive workplace for young people—is truly invaluable.
You can help support this collaboration in different ways:
- Add a Sussex Surplus support payment as an extra for your regular orders.
- Going on holiday or unable to collect your box one week? Donate your box! Sussex Surplus will be able to use that credit to buy the freshest produce or receive a payout to help keep their operations running!
- Wholesalers, caterers and restaurants! Ask to round up your bill for them. They will receive 100% of funds raised!
Hopefully you are as excited as I am for the coming growing season! By choosing to support local farming you help rebuild resilient food systems that thrive on connecting and sustaining communities at its heart. Thank you!
