Far away on a small island near Normandy on the west coast of France is home to 58-year old Bill Davies, otherwise known by the locals as the Grumpy Greengrocer. Jersey is just nine miles by five miles in size – its small but it has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world. “There’s an abudance of local produce, culture and characters here. It may be small in size, but it has a big personality,” says Davies. Jersey's farming roots run deep through the island's history and heritage.

Davies makes his living on the island as a greengrocer/market trader in St. Helier’s Central Market in the Channel Island of Jersey. His market stall is called ‘Just William’, but he’s better known on social media as Jersey’s ‘Grumpy Greengrocer’. He sells a variety local and imported produce, working with farmers to provide the very best for his customers. His nickname doesn’t really reflect his personality and his daughter Grace, says he goes out of his way for customers. Apparently the name stuck as a joke when a customer was caught out on the counter squeezing his (victoria) plums.

Davies has lived in Jersey his whole life; he grew up on a farm in the centre of the island. He was brought up around quality cattle and pigs and beautiful vegetables as he had a Saturday job in the Central Market from the age of 14. He learned a lot from farmers over the years and has always been interested in farming heritage and passing this knowledge on to others. “Working in the market, what makes Jersey different is the quality of the produce. It's so fresh and straight from the field that morning. We’re incredibly lucky.”

Davies gets involved in the whole process – from planting to the finished product ready to sell on his stall and to hotels/restaurants. He sells local produce, but also imports exotic fruits and vegetables for his customers due to a growing demand. “We like to sell only the best, sell it fresh and at the best price. We like to look after both the farmer and the consumer,” he says.

In addition to his involvement with the market, with Grace’s assistance they started the Farm School Initiative to provide a safe environment where children could learn about food and the farming industry. “We wanted not only to farm organically, but to change the way children value the food they eat by doing so. Many of the children we speak to think that cabbage just appears ready prepared from them in the supermarket. We feel this needs to change!”

Children can participate in a six-week project with their school or join after school or Saturday clubs. On the first day the children are given a plot of land to farm and 12 plants. They have to measure their plot and look after it for the entire program. At the end of every session they’re given a recipe and shopping list. Then, they get to pick their ingredients for the recipe to take home. “We hope our project inspires children to learn, play and grow. Children don’t get enough unstructured play,” says Davies. “They need to learn outside sometimes, get their hands dirty and be inquisitive about the natural environment. There hasn’t been a better time to inspire and inform the younger generation about where our food comes from and the lengthy process required to get it to our tables.”

Grace loves to see the children’s faces when they harvest the produce they have grown and nurtured themselves. “They work hard on their plots and they are so excited by the end result. Many of the children love seeing the animals and feeding the chickens, but for most it is the experience of learning outdoors that brings them back week after week,” she says.

Every school class that participates starts by learning the basics: how to propagate, plant, nurture and harvest. “We also look at farm management, farm animals, the importance of a clean water source and more. Our club members, who join us weekly, take this further by working with tools, looking at farm machinery, animal husbandry, soil and compost, and also marketing the produce they grow. We teach the basics so that every child that joins us has some awareness of where their food is coming from and how they can grow their own so that they can take those skills away with them when they leave us,” says Grace. View a video of the Farm Club here.

One more role that Davies adds to his plate is as ambassador for Jersey (view the short film here). “It's beautiful, diverse and it's also a very safe place to live. The sea is never more than 10 minutes away and if we're lucky, we can sneak a surf in after work.”

Bill Davies

Grace Davies