THIS Southfleet farmer is pioneering a new crop in the UK and is stocking up the shelves of supermarkets with his new greens.

Matt Gedney of Court Lodge Farm is one of just a few farmers in the country who are growing tenderstem broccoli, a vegetable usually grown in places such as Morocco and Kenya.

Matt started growing the crop because of the demand for locally grown, organic vegetables and is now selling it to stores such as Marks & Spencer .

It is a mix between broccoli and Chinese Kale and was first grown in Japan, but Matt believes stems grown in the UK are fresher than those that have been imported.

Andy Macdonald at Coregeo - Tenderstem’s UK Marketing arm said: “British tenderstem has proven to be extremely popular with consumers during summer 2008 and while it will continue to be grown overseas to ensure year round supply, it is hoped that the volumes of UK crop will continue to grow year-on-year.”