British chia seeds grown in Essex are set to go on sale in August following a successful collaboration between Halesworth home-grown pulses, grains and seeds firm Hodmedod and a pioneering farmer.
Andrew Fairs, of Fairking, Great Tey, near Colchester, managed to grow what is believed to be the first commercial crop of the seed, from central America, in the UK. It was previously thought it couldn’t grow to maturity in the UK climate.
“The crop received no pesticides and both yield and quality far exceeded our expectations - and the bumble bees loved it too,” said Andrew. Nick Saltmarsh, Hodmedod co-founder, added: “We are delighted to be able to offer British-grown chia seeds as another step in our mission to increase the diversity of both British farming and British diets.”
The oil-rich seeds, which have become increasingly popular in Britain, are from the Salvia hispanica plant, a member of the mint family.
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