Spotlight On: Greg Sandles of the Gower Wildflower & Local Produce Centre

Gower Wildflower & Local Produce Centre, Blackhills, Gower.

Gower Wildflower & Local Produce Centre

Greg Sandles is the General Manager of the newly opened Gower Wildflower & Local Produce Centre in Blackhills:

VisitSwanseaBay.com: "How have the first couple of months been for you, so far?

Greg Sandles: Hectic! We opened on July 11th and it's been a steep learning curve for all of us. The long hours are starting to pay off and we are really beginning to see the results. We've had excellent feedback so far from all our customers, and the visitor numbers have been better than we initially expected.

VSB.com: What does a typical working day look like, for you?

GS: I'm in by 8am and the first job of the day is meeting with our vegetable grower, Tim, to find out which produce would be best to use on the menu. Then it's a case of preparing the food for the day ahead. The veg we use in our food comes fresh from our vegetable garden, and we only use the best seasonal produce available to us.

We are open between 10am and 5pm, 7 days a week. Each day is different, with the weekend being our busiest period.

VSB.com: What's the best part of working at the Centre?

GS: Living close by! ... I also love working with food and experimenting with different produce, and we've had nothing but positive feedback so far, so that's really rewarding.

VSB.com: Can you tell us about any future plans lined up for the Centre?

GS: As a new business, we have a number of ideas we'd like to develop over the next 12 months. We have good facilities for hosting corporate events and meetings so we'd like to promote that aspect of the business more. We also have plans to atract groups along for pond dipping activities and making this available to children in the school holidays.

We'd eventually like to expand our kitchen area, and next Summer open during the evening for diners. Our grower, Tim, also has plans to introduce 'wild food foraging' trips!

VSB.com: On a more personal note, where is your favourite place to visit in Swansea Bay, and why?

As a keen surfer, I would have to say Llangennith or Hunt's Bay in Pennard. I try to get down there whenever I have any spare time!"

For full information about the Gower Wildflower & Local Produce Centre, visit the Centre's website, gowerwildflowers.co.uk.