Sitting quietly between the shoreline and the hill, sheltered from northerly winds and warmed by the early sun, this little pocket of land at La Haule has lived many lives. Over the decades it has been tended, cultivated, enjoyed, rested, and repurposed – a campsite, a garden space, a working plot, and a seasonal hub for growers who each shaped it in their own way.
Like many old agricultural sites, its story has shifted with the island’s changing needs. And now, in 2024, it is ready for a new chapter – one that reconnects the land with its roots while welcoming a fresh perspective.
Enter Frank: a former chef turned builder turned grower, someone with an instinct for flavour, a respect for craft, and a quiet belief that good land deserves to keep feeding its community. His journey hasn’t been linear – it’s been full of unexpected turns, setbacks, and serendipity – but every step somehow led him here, to La Haule.
This is Frank’s story.
And it’s also the story of something bigger: a hopeful shift in Jersey’s food system, where growers and kitchens begin working side by side, where niche ingredients can be produced locally rather than imported, and where the island’s forgotten plots are revived into sustainable, circular, soil-to-soul ecosystems.
Because this is not “field to fork.” This is Soil to Soul. And it’s the start of the kind of food future Jersey deserves.
Before La Haule, Frank had a field in St Martin and a simple plan: a retirement project, a few polytunnels, shelves of niche crops Jersey chefs struggle to source without importing. A quiet life.
But Jersey had other ideas.
Despite being told there were “no restrictions,” planning objections flooded in – more than 30 of them – from Islanders who didn’t want to see sheds or tunnels on a field already designated for farming. His application was rejected. He upgraded his licence. Reapplied. Rejected again.
No appeal. No clear reason. Just: “It didn’t look right.”
Most people would have given up. Instead, fate stepped in.
Out of nowhere, someone knocked on the door and offered to buy the field – covering every penny Frank had put into it. Break-even. Clean slate. A gentle push in a new direction.
Within days, Frank had made contact with the wonderful owners of La Haule. Within weeks, they walked the site together. Within two weeks, they signed a lease.
Some things aren’t accidents. Some things are Kismet.
When Frank first stepped onto the land, he didn’t see the tired structures, overgrown landscapes and broken machinery. He saw potential.
He saw:
One year later, he’s cleared and working to revitalise the entire site:
La Haule is becoming its own ecosystem, its own microclimate, its own beating heart.
As Frank puts it:
“The foundations were already here. I’m just waking the place back up.”
An Gort” – the name Frank chose the moment he set foot on La Haule – comes from the Irish for ‘cultivated field.’
It’s a word that speaks to tending, restoring and coaxing life back into the soil, which is precisely what this patch of land has been waiting for.
For Frank, it isn’t just a name but a declaration of intent: that this once-forgotten corner will grow again, thoughtfully, respectfully and with purpose.
A cultivated field, reborn in name and in spirit.
Frank’s story isn’t linear. Few good stories are.
He started as a chef, working early mornings and late nights in kitchens. Then he became a builder, running a successful company for over two decades, working on data centres, telecoms sites, and major Jersey developments. For 12 years he worked almost exclusively for a single client – until he realised he’d lost the part of life that made him feel alive.
“I had 20 guys on site, endless paperwork, and no time,” he said. “And then my mates started passing away. It was a reality check. What are you working for if you’re not enjoying your life?”
The calling back to food – real food – happened slowly.
It wasn’t a career change.It was a homecoming.
And now, at La Haule, the chef in him has woken back up
The plan? To invite chefs to walk the land with him and simply point:
Grow this. Grow that. Grow what we can’t get without an aeroplane.
Not large-scale agriculture.
Not competition.
Just niche, premium, local, flavour-led growing – the missing piece of Jersey’s food system
Frank often starts his day walking from Beaumont, watching the sunrise over Elizabeth Castle, a reminder of why this matters. The land, the air, the sea, the peace – this is Jersey’s magic.
Now imagine this:
Not a dream. A plan.
And it starts now.
This isn’t just Frank’s story.
It’s ours.
A builder, a chef, a grower, and a patch of overlooked land have become the catalyst for a renewed food culture on the island – one that values craft, community, collaboration, and care for the soil beneath our feet.
At The Pantry, we are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with growers like Frank, with Jersey farmers, with policy makers pushing for resilience, and with all who believe that good local food should be accessible, celebrated, and sustainable.
Because all roads lead to La Haule.
And all good food begins in the soil – and ends in the soul.
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