I started a couple of years ago. Having worked in horticulture all my working life and having a lifelong love of flowers it seemed the natural thing to do. I retrained as a florist just prior to the birth of my son and the two differing disciplines are a perfect match.

Considering that over 90% of flowers sold in the UK are imported via Holland, the local provenance of my flowers, selling to local markets and sustainability have always been my main concerns. In my small way I am trying to redress that balance.

I work in harmony with nature and the seasons and aim to pick very early in the morning to ensure super fresh flowers. Following a period of conditioning many flowers are being sold within just a few hours of picking. Customers are often pleasantly surprised that our flowers vase life is considerably better than 'supermarket flowers' - the fact they have not travelled half the way around the world has a lot to do with it!

The Flower Field offers seasonal freshly cut flowers on a regular 'box' from April to November; it's our equivalent of a veg box giving you regular flowers for you to arrange yourself. We also supply flowers for weddings and special occasions on a 'supply only' basis if required. Local markets are also an important and growing area for us, expect to see us around a lot more over the coming year. Where we are not able to supply our own flowers for a specific requirement, with close contact with wholesalers (another market for us) we are also able to obtain other British grown flowers and foliage as and when required. Whilst of course not being as significant as food, we feel that buying flowers locally when in season, thereby minimising global impact, is important.

The Flower Field is a young business but we've already been delighted with the reaction of customers who especially like to see traditional English flowers such as Cornflower, Nigella and Dahlia. We're particularly pleased that people keep coming back for more, and we see it as our challenge to continue to supply them with top quality locally grown flowers for them to enjoy. You can always see our latest photos in our gallery.

Claire Gilles