Meet Ashley – the quiet engine behind The Fleur Kitchen.

Ashley is the other half of The Fleur Kitchen.

He works full-time, coaches the local children’s football team, plays family taxi driver, and, most importantly - he’s the maker, fixer, builder, and doer of all the things.

When I (Joanne) first floated the idea of taking on an allotment, Ashley wasn’t exactly sold. I think he could already see the mud-splattered future and the never-ending list of jobs it might bring. But, as always, he humoured me, and now, he’s the one who pops down to the plot more than anyone.

These days, he proudly holds the title of Compost Master. We spend more time than I ever thought possible discussing how well the heap is rotting down. And honestly, it’s become one of our favourite topics.

We took the allotment on in the thick of winter. It was bitterly cold, the ground often frozen solid, and we were the only souls on site. But Ashley, with his usual quiet persistence, got to work. Pulling up weeds, digging out endless buckets of stones, and lovingly feeding the soil with well-rotted manure, all before we’d even planted a single seed.

Since then, Ashley has:

• fixed gates

• moved our enormous IBC tank (more than once!)

• set up a rainwater collection system

• cleared and sorted the shed

• built a potting table

• made paths and laid bark

• installed arches

• tackled weeds and rocks by the bagful

• dug and turned soil

• built compost bins from scratch

• planted more than I can count

• harvested more spuds than any one man should ever have to

• visited garden centres on his rare days off

• devoured books and articles on everything from soil health to succession planting

• built raided beds

• built our polytunnel

• and spent countless hours moving manure from one end of the plot to the other

While he’s usually working behind the scenes rather than planting the seeds, Ashley’s plant knowledge has grown into something quite impressive. His latest passion project is planting trees to coppice. Because, why not have more nature to nurture.

The truth is, none of this. The Fleur Kitchen, our allotment, or our family’s journey toward living more sustainably would be possible without him. He’s the quiet force that keeps it all running, and we’re endlessly grateful.