Thomas Cools

“As our chicory grows underground, the heads are more compact in texture than other types of chicory. I am convinced that the soil affects the flavour; every farmer’s chicory tastes different. Growing in soil is also slower. If chicory is given enough time and not forced to ripen too fast, the resulting flavour is mellower, less bitter.” When the chicory is dug out of the ground, it is covered in black earth. “Inside, we clean the chicory by removing its dirty outer leaves. Then we wrap it in blue paper as protection against the light. Light turns chicory green and that’s to be avoided at all costs.” During cleaning, many leaves get pulled off that have nothing wrong with them except a little dirt. “I thought it was too bad all those leaves were being thrown away as compost. I started thinking about other ways to put them to use. Soup was too simple. When my local chippy suggested croquettes, that sparked my interest. We set up a partnership with a manufacturer who turns our chicory waste into hand-rolled croquettes.”

You can buy these croquettes directly from the farm as well, like the chicory itself. “Direct sales are critical to our survival. The prices retailers are willing to pay are simply too low. Luckily, customers are increasingly aware of the value of quality products and are happy to visit our farm.”