Our burgeoning herb garden is the latest of a series of hidden gems around the Paradise Birmingham estate.
Tucked alongside the Paradise Bees and Bug Hotels (which have successfully been in situ for the past two years) in the northern part of the site, the new garden area is a dedicated space where occupiers can spend time planting and harvesting a wide range of herbs, vegetables and fruit.
At the moment several large growing tubs – up to three metres in length – are producing a wide range of produce including pumpkins and carrots, tomatoes and strawberries, to name just a few.
As well as our in-house eateries and public-facing restaurants, Paradise is supplying volunteers from our occupiers with green fingers the chance to contribute to a true community facility that takes visits from local schools as well as businesses and engages with people from across the city.
This week, amongst the group enjoying the garden, was PwC chef Radu Giurca. He said:
“Using herbs and honey from Paradise itself reinforces the local provenance of the produce we’re serving. Sourcing from the estate reduces waste and ensures zero miles of travel – and carbon.
With a herb and vegetable garden directly outside our building at One Chamberlain Square, we get the choice of the very freshest plants and can utilise everything – from root to stem.
“At PwC we take pride in providing wholesome, healthy and fresh meals every day to the hundreds of staff who work in our building. Everything we can make from scratch we do – from our own pesto and sauces to salads, desserts and sandwiches. And this extends beyond just our day to day preparations to a fine dining experience in the evening when visitors and stakeholders may be travelling from all over the country to meet up in Birmingham.”
John Beavan, Paradise’s own beekeeper, reflects on the impact of the bees and now the garden on the wider development, and indeed the city:
“The herb and vegetable garden is a great new addition to this very special corner of Paradise. Along with our existing bee hives which are home to 160,000 bees, it shows that even a large commercial destination like this can be attuned to sustainability and a net zero future.
“These elements of the site fulfil a clear need from occupiers and the people here every day to connect with nature even when in the workplace. It enables people to get hands on, practical experience of nurturing and harvesting herbs and vegetables. It shows that nature can sit alongside the built environment seamlessly, something that Birmingham actually demonstrates very well with its acres of city centre parks and squares and miles of canal weaving through the city.”
