Joff loves nothing more than liasing with our chefs to ensure we have fresh and seasonal produce for our kitchens from our kitchen gardens.
Buying his first house in Cirencester wih a beautiful, red-brick walled garden, set Joff Elphick, our Head Gardener, on a horticultural adventure that lead him to our Southrop potting shed in the autumn of 2011. After studying at Pershore College under Chris Beardshaw (Gardeners' Question Time, Gardeners' World) Joff graduated and moved to Oxford to work for Raymond Blanc on his two-acre vegetable garden at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. He went on to take a position with the Gardens Advisory team within the head office of The National Trust. His enthusiasm for historic gardens led to a position as Assistant Head Gardener at 17th century Barnsley House, former home of gardening writer Rosemary Verey.
“My fondest memories of that time were the construction of a silver medal-winning garden at The Chelsea Flower Show and the creation of new organic vegetable beds in the ancient ridge and furrow system beyond the existing garden. This gave me the opportunity to work with chef Franco Taruschio of Walnut Tree fame - an enthusiastic raider of the vegetable garden and truly inspiring.”
After a five-year stint as head gardener on a private estate in Bibury, he joined us at Southrop.
Joff also enjoys fishing, broadcasting on local radio and is the founder of The Gloucestershire Moth Group. He is married to Tracey, an artist, and has three children.