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Chelsea, London. In the heart of London lies a secret botanical garden, one of the oldest in the world. On the bank of the river Thames, the Chelsea Physic Garden was founded in 1673 by the Society of Apothecaries. The pharmacists chose a favored spot, south facing and rich with alluvial soil, in a little village called Chelsea. At the time, plants were the main source of medicines, and physicians used physic gardens to experiment with new remedies, and to grow plants commercially.

Ever since those early days, the theme of the garden has been clear: to explore the potential of medicinal plants, many of them edible herbs. On a recent visit, head gardener Mark Poswillo took me into the Garden of World Medecine. Each plant is labeled and I learned that wormwood is good for malaria, juniper eases dropsy, and pomegranate is used in cases of pneumonia. A whole bed is devoted to plants that relieve cancer.

There are more explanations in this part of the garden than I can take in. Some remedies come as a surprise – did you know that okra is a diuretic, and that licorice sooths stomach ulcers?  For example digitalis, derived from the pretty bell-like flowers of the foxglove, stimulates the heart. A flamboyant red poppy is a source of the sedative codeine (the notorious opium poppy is another variety).

“The soil is wonderful”, declares Mark Poswillo. “We can grow so much, we have over 5,000 species here. We even have a huge olive tree that bears fruit, very hard to do this far north” Yet the garden itself is tiny, less than four acres, a green island surrounded by 10-foot brick walls. Entrance gates are narrow, and almost the only clue as you walk by are the towering trees, among them a majestic Ginko Biloba, and a rare infant Metasequoia, a variety of Sequoia discovered in China only 50 years ago.

 Not surprisingly, the centuries-old houses overlooking the garden are among the most sought-after in London. And if you’re a gardening enthusiast, there is yet another reason to live in the area: the world famous Chelsea Flower Show takes place annually down the road, in the grounds of the historic Chelsea Royal Hospital.

Strolling the shaded paths and green lawns of the Physic Garden, I notice the fleshy green leaves of the legendary mandrake, a plant that was said to scream when pulled from the ground. For 2000 years until very recently, it was used to calm the pain of surgery, and is now an endangered species. A mission of the Physic Garden is to protect and propagate rare species. When the state of Georgia was first settled, cotton plants were sent from Chelsea to the new colony. By the 1700s, the Garden had initiated a botanic garden seed exchange system that continues to this day, forming part of the worldwide Index Seminum (Latin for seed exchange).

Today’s garden is constantly evolving. Mark Poswillo’s latest project is the creation of an American prairie garden that will combine more than 60 species of wild prairie grasses and perennials supplied by US nurseries: “our brief is to grow pure species, not cross-breed cultivars”, says Mark Poswillo firmly. A prairie is dominated by grasses, with short grasses where rainfall is scanty, and taller species on moister ground. Wild flowers such as bergamot, asters, black-eyed susan and sunflowers brighten the ground cover.
The true tall-grass prairie once covered a vast area from the Gulf of Mexico north to Canada, and from the Rockies east into Ohio. Today it is rapidly disappearing as water supplies come under threat. “We hope this garden will alert our visitors to the dangers for plant habitat far outside these walls”, says Mark. The Chelsea Physic Garden is open to the public.

For more information visit: www.chelseaphysicgarden.co.uk

TO MAKE A GRAND SALLET OF DIVERS COMPOUNDS

In 1660, thirteen years before the founding of Chelsea Physic Garden, an English chef called Robert May published “The Accomplisht Cook”. He makes much use of fruits and vegetables, which the English found easy to grow in their temperate climate. In his recipe for “Sallet”, he mentions a dozen different vegetables including the “Virginia Potato”, brought back from the New World a century before but slow to be adopted in Europe. This is one of the first mentions in any cookbook. Focus of the salad, says May, can be “roast meat as chicken, mutton, veal, or neats [beef] tongue …..on fish days, a roast, broil’d, or boil’d pike boned”. Robert May arranges his ingredients in separate piles, rather like a Cobb salad, and I have followed his directions to the letter so each diner can compose their own mix. Samphire is a seaside plant resembling asparagus.

3 cups diced cooked chicken, lamb, veal, or beef tongue
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 head Boston or romaine lettuce, coarsely shredded
1 thinly sliced orange, or 1 lemon (for decoration)

For the garnish
3-4 tablespoons capers, drained
½ cup green olives
½ cup black olives
small bunch of watercress, stems discarded
¾ cup samphire (sea asparagus) – optional
½ cup pickled mushrooms
½ cup pickled oysters (optional)
2 lemons, peeled and cut in segments
¼ cup dark raisins
¼ cup toasted almonds
3-4 fresh or dried figs, sliced
1 large potato, boiled and diced

For the dressing
3 tablespoons wine or cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup vegetable oil

1. Mix the cooked chicken or other meat with the tarragon and onion and toss with the lettuce. Pile this mixture in the center of a large platter or deep tray and arrange the garnishes around the edge in neat individual piles, putting ingredients of contrasting colors next to each other.

2. For the dressing: lightly whisk the vinegar with salt and pepper until the salt dissolves. Gradually whisk in the oil until the dressing emulsifies, then taste for seasoning. Spoon the dressing over the salad and garnishes. Decorate the platter with orange or lemon slices. Serves 4-6.

        

© 2004, Anne Willan. Distributed by Tribune Media Services International.

Anne Willan is the founder of the famous French cooking school, LaVarenne, and has also served as president of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. She is the author of over a dozen internationally published cookbooks, including her latest book, A Cook’s Book of Quick Fixes & Kitchen Tips ( John Wiley & Sons, September 2005).