Where do your sprouts come from?

Map

This is a map of Agricultural Land Classification- Grade 1 is best and Grade 5 is worst in quality.

If they are grown in the UK it is likely that your Christmas Sprouts will be grown somewhere in the Fens- the best farmland in England;  formed partly from the rich silt deposits of a shallow sea, before it was drained.

Higher ground like the Pennines and the Northumbrian National Parks are cold and infertile, and not much good for growing arable crops. Parts of the Northumbrian National Park are also used for military training, as are bits of other open land (see previous blog). Forestry is generally not considered to be agriculture- the New Forest is a National Park.

​Inundation and river plains have had a great influence on farmland quality.

​Look at the colour and organic composition of this image- there is great beauty in maps.