Watercress is incredibly healthy stuff. The Wholefoods ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) ranks foods from 1-1,000 on their nutritional content gram for gram. Whilst blueberries score 160 watercress tops the chart at a whopping 1,000!

l The peppery taste of watercress is due to a chemical reaction occurring when chewing breaks down the plant’s cells. Glucosinolates (glucose +amino acid) combine with an enzyme myrosinase to create Isothiocyanates (ITCs). These ITCs have been shown to have cancer preventative properties, repair the damage caused by exercise, stress and everyday living and actually boost the immune system too.

l Victorians thought the plant was a cure for toothache, hiccups and even freckles.

l The Romans believed that watercress cured baldness, was an aphrodisiac and was a great cure for a hangover, and they knew how to party… l Romans and Anglo Saxons ate it to prevent baldness.

100g of watercress has: l More Vitamin E than broccoli l More vitamin C than a clementine l More calcium than 100ml of whole milk Steve Collis – The Watercress Company Steve is Dorset production manager at The Watercress Company. He looks after all of their five Dorset farms covering around 8.8 hectares. Watercress is in his blood – his father, mother and sister all worked in the Dorset watercress beds before him, and in fact Steve worked on the beds as a holiday job while at school.

Apart from a brief stint in construction, Steve has spent all his working life at The Watercress Company, which grows around 350 tonnes each year between May and October in Dorset alone, supplying all the major supermarkets and hundreds of smaller businesses. This makes him a true expert, as much of the specialist knowledge used by growers is passed down through generations working on the beds, rather than learnt at agricultural college.

Steve’s knowledge allows him to produce the finest, healthiest watercress around, thanks also to Dorset’s generous supply of fresh, clean water – it’s no coincidence that the beds in this area have been used since the 1890s. The water originates from reservoirs of fresh water lying under the beds and it journeys up through natural chalk aquifers, meaning the water arrives relatively warm, very pure and up to 90 years old in this purifying process.

The plants are tethered to the gravel beds with anchor roots, while the upper roots float in the abundance of water, sucking up all the available nutrients to nourish the plants which are locked in ready for us to eat.

Steve recommends keeping watercress in the fridge to help it stay crisp and healthy, preferring to eat it simply on its own on in a sandwich. He never covers it in dressing as he thinks this masks the beautiful peppery flavour of the leaves.

When he’s not at work he loves spending time with his children, and laughs at the fact that they, unlike him, haven’t been roped into the family business while still at school. There’s always time… The Ultimate On-the-Go Snack: Chicken, Watercress and Mozzarella Wrap Lower in gluten content than other snack options, this wrap won’t cause a big energy high only to crash later. The combination of ingredients is high in protein, antioxidants and flavour! The watercress gives a big iron hit alongside the spinach, red onion is great for cardiovascular health and a little chilli gives the digestive system a boost. Leave the mozzarella out for a dairy-free alternative or replace with goat’s cheese.

Serves: 2 Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 5 minutes You’ll need 1 tbsp olive oil 1 chicken breast, cut into small chunks and seasoned with salt and pepper 1 garlic clove, finely chopped 1 small handful of grated hard mozzarella 2 large flour tortillas (we used seeded ones) 1 red or yellow pepper, sliced 1 red onion, finely sliced ½ tsp chilli flakes 15 pitted olives, black or green, quartered 1 handful watercress 1 handful of spinach Few torn basil leaves For the dressing 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard, mixed Salad (to serve) What to do Prepare and cut the chicken into small chunks. Then, in a frying pan, heat the olive oil and fry the seasoned chicken over a high heat for approximately 4 minutes until browned on all sides and cooked through. Turn the heat down add the garlic so it softens.

Put a thin layer of the grated mozzarella on the tortillas, then spoon the other ingredients (cooked and raw) out evenly on top.

Finally, drizzle the dressing over the filling, roll it all up, tucking in the sides like a burrito and cook it in a dry, medium-hot frying pan for 2-3 minutes each side, using another pan to weigh it down.

Slice in half and serve with salad. The cheesy filling should be all gooey and have a spicy kick!