It's summer and everywhere you go when driving in the English country side are roadside signs for fresh cherries and strawberries. And just a mere ten-minute drive from my home in Banstead, Surrey (about 15 miles from London) is the lovely Mayfield Lavender farm, a 25 acre Soil Association accredited organic lavender farm located on the Surrey Downs.
This farm, often referred to as Surrey Lavender, and is often confused with a small allotment project locally referred to as Carshalton Lavender or Mitcham Lavender. But Mayfield Lavender is the home of English Lavender, according to the owners. The family business was started by Brendan Maye (originally a Managing Director of Cosmopolitan Cosmetics UK - CC of Proctor and Gamble) who has revived lavender growing. It is easy to sense a great passion when you go there for a visit in the summer. What a fabulous sight it is! And the scent is pungent. The field sits in the heart of what was the most prolific lavender growing area in the world during the 19th and 20th centuries. Every summer the farm runs a photographic competition that attracts camera buffs and amateur photographers alike who also bring along their families to have picnics on its vast ground. Mayfield remains open until end of August. There are two types of lavender grown and are clearly distinguished by their different shades, one being more vibrant and the other more mauve in colour.
How did the farm get revivied? When Mr. Maye was working at CC, - the fine fragrance division of Wella UK, one of the brands in the portfolio was Yardley, which had been bought out of receivership by Wella and then added to the CC fragrance brands such as Gucci, Dunhill, Ghost, Anna Sui, Escada etc.
Mr. Maye read about an interesting collaboration between Downview prison and an environmental charity called Bioregional Development Group. They were working together to clear unused allotments in Carshalton and had planted 3 acres with English Lavender. Mr. Maye was impressed by the venture and to make a long story short, he eventually acquired the project from BioRegional as a personal investment to ensure that the Lavender growing project would not simply die away. He now works with his wife Lorna to nurture and build Mayfield Lavender and are committed to the organic management of the field. Since the lavender is grown without the use of herbicides or pesticides they are also following in the tradition of the original lavender growers. Find the lavender farm by clicking here. Brendan Maye had worked as Regional Director (UK, Italy Holland Belgium) of Procter & Gamble (Public Company; PG; Consumer Goods industry) responsible for the prestige fragrance division of P&G in the UK and Ireland, Italy, Holland and Belgium. Brands include Gucci, Lacoste, Hugo Boss, D&G, Escada, Ghost, Anna Sui, Rochas, Dunhill, and currently he is General Manager at New Wave Fragrances (Ed Hardy) Ltd.
Post Title
→Sweet Scent of Summer - Lavender Field Forever
Post URL
→https://fashiondesignforgirl.blogspot.com/2010/07/sweet-scent-of-summer-lavender-field.html
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