Matt’s garden by the harbour
Sourcing quality, locally grown produce is hugely important to us here at Shepherd. And suppliers don’t get much more local than Our Terroir. Headed up by gardener Matt, Our Terroir supplies us with same-day harvested vegetables directly from a garden situated on a slither of land on the edge of Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
We caught up with Matt as he was picking our order of silverbeet and radishes.
Tell us about Our Terroir and what makes your produce special?
Our Terroir grows microgreens, edible flowers and garden produce in Wellington city. We grow as locally as possible and deliver garden produce within a few hours of harvest. Terroir is a french word, familiar to wine connoisseurs, that I think of as ‘expression of place as flavour’. Our Terroir is interested in allowing our local environment and ecology to express fully in the flavours of the produce we grow.
You grow vegetables right next to Wellington Harbour on Te Motu Kairangi/Miramar peninsula. What are some of the challenges and benefits?
I love wild coastal Wellington. I am intrigued by the possibilities of learning to adapt to our local conditions rather than battling them - finding crops that can handle the occasional southerly blast and varieties that thrive in our local context. One of my favourite examples is Henry Harrington’s dwarf cherry tomato, a heritage variety developed in Southland. It only grows about a foot tall, so is tucked down out of the wind, but loaded with trusses of fruit. This year the feedback on the flavour profile of our tomatoes was exciting.
What's the coolest way you've seen your produce used at Shepherd?
I love seeing the creative ways Shepherd uses Our Terroir’s produce. Sometimes it is the beauty of simplicity, such as raw radishes, sliced in half leaving the greens intact and sprinkled with flax seed seasoning and seaweed butter. I also love Shepherd’s ability to make use of seasonal abundance – often turning this abundance into sauces, pickles and ferments. A few week’s ago I tried a pickled tomatillo for the first time. Delicious!
How important is it to have a good relationship with restaurants and their chefs?
Relationship is paramount to everything Our Terroir does. It starts with our relationship with the soil and the local ecology and history and extends to a relationship with those who use and enjoy the produce from the garden. These relationships take time and I really value the chefs I work with that understand this and take the time to develop these connections. Delivering to Shepherd is often a highlight of my week and I am impressed by Shepherd Elliot’s commitment to supporting local producers.
