4 August 2026

Our Sheffield team joined Food Works for their third visit to the charity’s site. Food Works is doing incredible work to create a sustainable food system by reducing waste, growing food responsibly and ensuring local communities have access to nutritious food.

The team spent the afternoon potting on red currant plants that had been struggling during the recent heatwaves. It was quite sobering to hear just how badly this year’s crops have been affected by the changing climate.

On a more positive note, the team learned a great deal from Bethan Robinson at Food Words, who showed them how to create compost using the lasagne technique. The team also discovered that Dian Coleman is a keen compost enthusiast! The lasagne method, also known as sheet composting, is a no-dig gardening technique that creates a nutrient-rich growing bed by layering carbon-rich and nitrogen-rich organic materials directly onto the ground.

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It was fantastic to look around the nursery and see what had changed since our last visit, as well as the new season’s crops. We were even allowed to try the cape gooseberries from the same plant that Food Works gave us last year. Unfortunately, our office plant, Audrey III, has yet to produce any fruit!

Rosie Stillman
Senior Structural Technician

The visit provided a relaxing environment and a great opportunity to bond as a team while welcoming our new starter, Will Jebb. At the same time, the team was able to support a fantastic charity that is helping to create a more sustainable food network across the city.

The team is already looking to plan another visit soon, potentially to Food Works’ brand-new site.

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It was a pleasure to contribute while also spending quality time together as a team. Thanks again to Maddy Starzak and Bethan Robinson for hosting us and creating such a welcoming atmosphere.

Somesh Ainapur
Structural Engineer, commented on the day