Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Fish on the roof: ultra local food from Garden Ladder, Harringay
A mixed fish and plant aquaponics system. See video below for actual system being used.
The Garden Ladder is in the final stages of becoming the fourth restaurant in the UK to establish an aquaponics system to supply its kitchens with organic produce.
The system will be sited on the roof behind the Garden Ladder on Green Lanes, Harringay.
"We're committed to fresh, organic, locally sourced food and when we heard about this system we thought well you can't get fresher and more local that that!", Simon, joint owner of the Garden Ladder told me this morning
Due in operation this year, the aquaponics system will supply fresh tilapia and vegetables direct to the kitchens downstairs.
The aquaponics system works by combining fish farming techniques with hydroponics to recreate the essential ingredients of a river ecosystem.
Fish fingerlings (tilapia in this case) are grown in the tank. The waste from the fish – ammonia and nitrates - provides food for the plants that are on the surface of the tank where they purify the water by soaking up the nitrates and ammonia.
As soon as everything's up and running, Simon's promised to let me at it with a camera, In the meantime, the picture above is illustrative and may well be different to Simon's system.
Adult Tilapia.
Tags for Forum Posts: aquaponics, garden ladder
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by RJBurgon (artist) on
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FYI - the aquaponics system at the Ladder MORE than passes the EU guidelines on fish capacity. Far better than some salmon farm in Scotland say. You've obviously don't understand how aquaponics works - it creates a self-sustaining food chain for plants and fish alike. If ur veggie that's your decision and right - but please don't foist ur ideas on us meat n fish lovers - there's nothing wrong with trying to produce food more sustainably. Or would you like us to simply eat fish caught in the sea - where EU quotas ensure Throwaway wastes millions of tons of perfectly good fish every year.
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Farnworth on
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Hi Neil,
Whilst it may be true that there are no additional nutritional benefits per se to organic food, that's not necessarily what it's about. Some people prefer not to ingest the pesticides, fertilisers etc that are used in modern farmed food.
It is also common practice to shed farm cattle in factory farms nowadays, so advertising beef as 'free range' is perfectly legitimate.
Herring, don't know if it can be or is farmed yet, but I'm sure if you can sell enough of it, someone will work out how to...
All the best
Dan
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Mercury levels are indeed a serious problem, however, these would occur in both wild and farmed sea fish, as effectively the farming method is just corralling in open sea. Fresh water farming I don't know enough about so can't comment.
Agreed, lifestyle factors are are still the largest problem, but I wonder if awareness of organic vs. intensive farming leads to better and more informed diet decisions being made?
I'm quite surprised that the intensive farming rates for beef are that low, I would have stuck a finger in the air and guessed higher.
I bet no-one's farming herring yet because it's a limited market fish. I bet if Jamie/Delia/Heston/Nigella make it trendy that'd change quick smart ;-)
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Permalink Reply by Mook on
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I recommend this book to anyone interested in the future (and history) of our seas:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ocean-Life-Callum-Roberts/dp/1846143942
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So that's what's behind that door!
Do the fish mind the secondary from the smoking area below? ;-)
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Permalink Reply by Sharon on
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I remember noticing this going on and talking about it when I went for a visit the weekend I moved in (about a month ago now). I think it is a great idea as long as welfare standards are kept up. The removal of transportation and food miles is great, and knowing exactly where your food comes from is something that, as city dwellers, is very rare for us. For those who prefer a balanced diet I think it is a great step forwards and removes pressure on over-fishing and aggressive farming techniques with people trying to satisfy a number of consumers.
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Hi Sharon, you will be pleased to know we have had to register with DEFRA for growing and breeding Tilapia and are being advised by Stirling University concerning the welfare and health of our fish. We will even have to have a hospital tank for treating any Tilapia feeling a bit under the weather.
Aquaponics systems have very little health problems as no infections can get into the system as long as you start with healthy fish and follow simple housekeeping principles. Our fish are coming from Stirling University and guaranteed. Nice of you to mention it. Simon
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Permalink Reply by Justin Guest on
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I hope he has had a structural engineer look at this. 1m3 of water weights in at 1t!
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Of course we have had a structural engineer involved, its 4 tonnes of water, steel beams are the next stage to be installed.
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