Beansprouts grown in Norfolk
Fast Food from the East
Summary of the article featured in the Eastern Daily Press 1st March 2010
Andy Shepherdson, Operations Director at Place UK has this to say about our beansprouts grown in Norfolk.
Healthy and nutritious, beansprouts are a very valuable source of Vitamin B and C. They also contain good levels of calcium, iron and phosphorus.
Beansprouts were developed about 300 years ago as a precious winter food in China. They are easy to manage but you need to know what you are doing. It's not just a matter of putting a seed into a bin and then leaving it, they must be kept at the correct temperature. It takes 6 days to grow to the correct length and quality in terms of actual ‘eat'.
We put 42kg of the dried seed which is pre-graded to ensure we can grow to a consistent length in a bin which is left to soak for 8 hours. The temperature is then monitored very carefully and the sprouts are then watered regularly using an automated sprinkler system.
We harvest twice a week, and they are supplied fresh to local wholesalers and in IQF form to food manufacturers.
For the past 10 years Glenda Bean has been responsible for running this side of the business and is on call 24 hours a day if something goes wrong.
True to Place UK's environmental policy we have invested in recycling and the water can be cleaned and then recycled.
We use temperature and time to control the length and girth of the product so it remains short and fat.
Who would have thought that the humble, healthy beansprout is thriving in Norfolk!
