Rosie Boycott launches new food campaign at Cranbrook Estate

Cranbrook Estate in the East End will serve as the model and goal for other housing estates in London as a new food competition has housing estates vying to be the best food growing community. The Edible Estates campaign, launched Tuesday, is hoped to i

Cranbrook Estate in the East End will serve as the model and goal for other housing estates in London as a new food competition has housing estates vying to be the best food growing community.

The 'Edible Estates' campaign, launched Tuesday, is hoped to increase the number of Capital Growth plots in London from the 526 now to 2,012 plots by 2012.

"All estates have patches of land, little nooks and corners, where they can garden," said Rosie Boycott, chair of London food. "They're nice things to find in concrete estates."

The Cranbrook community started in April 2009 from an old playground that had been locked up and was overgrown. Now, the plot is overgrown in a good way with 25 growers producing beans, lettuce, peas, potatoes, spinach, rhubarb and red cabbage to name just a few.

Estate residents grow mustard seeds and dudhi and then sell the surplus produce to neighbours for a low price.

"You can come here after work and pick what you want," said Helen Ford, chair of the Cranbrook Community Food Garden. "You know where it comes from, you know it's fresh, and you know it's full of vitamins.