KEVIN and Jan Dobbs are used to putting a smile on people’s faces.

Normally it is in the dentist's chair, but their latest venture has taken them to the tables of top restaurants instead.

They have branched out into micro leaves – nutritious greens that pack a punch of taste and goodness.

Everything from pak choi to mustard, broccoli to chervil, these shoots go from seed to plate in less than three weeks.

“This is absolutely the freshest produce that you can imagine given that as soon as you cut a leaf it starts to lose its flavour,” says Jan.

This transformation to urban cultivators has happened only recently, but their new project – Growing@Field28 – is already making a name for itself.

Inside the large barn on Field 28, next to The Dental Academy in Daresbury, they are using cutting-edge technology to grow the micro leaves and give gourmet chefs a reason to grin.

First in line to tempt his customers’ taste buds with the locally-grown greens is top chef Aiden Byrne who has been incorporating their fresh supplies into menus at his new Manchester restaurant 20 Stories.

“It’s fantastic working with Aiden,” says Jan. “It was really exciting to take our first delivery to him and find out how he’s using the produce in his dishes.

“We supply Aiden with living leaves and he cuts the salad at the table, so customers can enjoy that incredibly fresh taste.

“He is an excellent chef who makes beautiful food so it’s a thrill to think his customers will be tasting produce we’ve grown ourselves only a few miles away.”

As well as being hugely popular with chefs, micro leaves are a big hit in the health and fitness community due to the concentration of nutrients in the young leaves and the fact they’re grown without pesticides or biocides.

The project has certainly been an education for Jan who admits it has taken a few people by surprise.

But perhaps the roots of the project aren’t that difficult to understand.

“It’s quite a difference from dentistry, that’s for sure,” says Jan. “However, my family were all market gardeners for generations in north Wales and Kevin’s family were fishermen, so produce is somewhere in the bloodline for us both.

“We’ve always talked about it and we’ve always enjoyed gardening, just for a hobby. It’s nice to produce something and to feel like you’re making a connection with nature.

“We come into the barn before we go into practice and at the end of the day. It’s lovely and therapeutic. Dentistry can be stressful and yet in the growing area it’s really relaxing.”

While the current project uses technology to replicate nature’s processes indoors, the couple’s ambition is to use the wider plot outside their barn to grow unique and lesser known foods for restaurants and businesses in Cheshire.

They are looking to plant heritage produce which they hope to supply to restaurants, farm shops and retailers.
“The micro leaves are the start of things really. Next year, we hope we’ll be ready to grow on our land and in our glasshouse,” says Jan.

 “I’m not quite sure exactly where the drive to do this comes from as we’re busy enough as it is, but it’s just such a thrill to think we can do something we enjoy that also makes other people feel happy.

“There’s something very satisfying when you’re in a restaurant to see produce that you’ve nurtured with care being served to people alongside you and then watching it disappear.”

If ever there was a reason to smile, that would be it.