The leek harvest got underway this week at Seddon and Sons in Lancashire and a good crop is expected.
“We are about a week later than normal,” said James Seddon who looks after agronomy and sales at the company. “We had very little rain in winter so the soil was dry leading up to planting, then just as the plants arrived, it rained for a week so we had to delay planting which has caused the later start to the harvest.”
The weather has been frustrating according to James, it has been hot and dry and they have had to irrigate which takes manpower and increases cost, it also no substitute for rain.
Seddons grow leeks on 180 acres to supply the wholesale markets and caterers. Compared to growers who supply the retailers they are relatively small, but Seddons is one of the bigger suppliers to wholesale.
“Quality this season is looking very nice, the sizes from the first harvest are slightly small but we need to harvest now as the next crop is coming on and sizes will be better. Demand for leeks in the UK is steady, possibly increasing. The leek is a humble vegetable, it’s not a commodity like potatoes or carrots and not a speciality vegetable like kale. I would like to see more leeks in summer menus, I think it has a great flavour which suits the summer. Leeks are similar to onions with a milder and more delicate flavour .”
The British Leeks Growers Association has been doing well promoting leeks with a PR campaign and social media pieces.
Growing, harvesting and packing leeks is a labour-intensive business, how smoothly the product travels through the packhouse is where growers can make or lose the most money.
“In the past we used agencies to recruit our labour, but a few years ago we decided to take on our staff directly to secure our labour supply. Now we have our core staff which is supplemented by seasonal labour from the government’s visa scheme. This can mean more paperwork securing visas etc but means we have good high-quality workers. Harvesting and washing is done mechanically but leeks have to sorted and graded by hand so grading and sorting systems which are used on other vegetables doesn’t work for leeks. We are of course always looking for ways to streamline our operation or new ways to mechanise.”
Seddons harvest for 10-11 months of the year and when they are not harvesting there is planting be done so they can offer year-round work.
For more information:
James Seddon
Seddon & Sons
Tel: +44 01704 821587
james@seddonandsons.co.uk
www.seddonandsons.co.uk