A PARTNERSHIP between a chef, a plant specialist and a farmer has led to the creation of one of the biggest commercial herb gardens in the North.

Sandhutton Growers was the idea of Alison Dodd, a cordon bleu chef and catering specialist who tackled the frustration of not being able to find fresh herbs she wanted by growing her own.

The business is a partnership between Ms Dodd, plant specialist John Wilkinson and farmer Trevor Bosomworth, who wanted to diversify following the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001.

Sandhutton Growers, based on four acres of farmland in Sandhutton, near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, has been supported by Rural Enterprise, with grants from the Government.

Ms Dodd said: "What started as a hobby has become a business. When I trained as a chef, there was a lack of general knowledge about herbs and how to use them. That has changed a lot with the huge interest in cooking prompted by TV chefs."

The company uses glasshouses, polytunnels and fields to enable them to grow herbs all year.

The herbs and salad crops are cut and packaged before being supplied to wholesalers, food companies, hotels and restaurants across the UK