The Watercress Beds
Since 1886 the Tyler family have been lovingly cultivating watercress by hand utilising the natural chalk stream water and traditional farming methods. Located alongside the picturesque River Chess in Sarratt, Hertfordshire Crestyl was the only surviving watercress farm from 19 original farms across the whole of the Chilterns.​ Classed as a superfood the peppery green leaves have been recognised since Victorian times for their numerous health benefits. Packed with iron, calcium and vitamin C the Tyler's watercress has been lovingly nurtured and produced from seed to table for some 140 years.
“The business was set up in 1886 by my great grandfather” says Jon, “He, and later my grandfather, would go on the steam train from Chorleywood to London to sell bunches at Covent Garden Market. They supplied hotels too. My dad worked in it all his life. As a baby I used to sit in the shed in a bushel box next to the bunching bench. They used the boxes for harvesting the cress by hand. I had my first sickle when I was five years old and always helped out!”
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“ We grow the cress the same way as it has always been done in gravel beds which are bathed in the flow of pure spring water from the Chess. We cut the plant back, knock it with wooden rakes to root and produce more plants. We collect it using the same bone handled kitchen knives that have been passed down the generations! We have my great grandfather’s diary to refer to – if there’s an infestation of flies we flood the bed down which washes them all away – it’s a tried and tested method and never fails!”
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You could not find a more nutritious, natural and fresh produce. ​Using the same bone handled knives that had been passed down the generations and following in the family tradition, Jonathan Tyler and his family now residing at Crestyl Barn, continued to grow and sell watercress up until a few years ago when an issue with the river sadly forced the production to come to a halt. Jonathan is working with local authorities to resolve the issue and is hopeful that one day soon he will once again be able to resume production. In the meantime, Jonathan tirelessly works to improve and maintain the rare chalk stream which is home to many local wildlife species including otters, water voles and kingfishers.
Until then exciting new ventures are on the horizon for the Tyler's and Crestyl. ​
