Restaurants that cultivate and cook with produce grown from their own plots are not hard to come by in 2019. A modern obsession with seasonal, fresh ingredients and the provenance thereof has resulted in many owners and chefs creating business models (sometimes called “farm to table”) that see them invest in land rather than countless suppliers. But it wasn’t always this way. And, in a crowded field, Mr Raymond Blanc’s restaurant Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in Oxford, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year – can lay claim to being a pioneer.

“We have about an acre and a half to grow about 90 different vegetables and herbs and we have a two-acre orchard. A hundred varieties of apples; 20 pears. We have apricots, cherries…” Head gardener at the two-Michelin-star restaurant is Ms Anne Marie Owens, who has overseen all matters flora from the beginning and, today, is as enthusiastic as ever. “When I first started here Raymond asked me what I had grown and what it tasted like. ‘We didn’t eat it,’ I said. ‘Mon dieu, mon dieu!’ I remember him dragging me into the kitchen to force-feed me vegetables. He was so passionate about everything being fresh. He was ahead of his time. He was in Oxford and dreamt of a bit of space – 35 years ago in Britain this was unheard of. When I arrived here, Swiss chard was exotic!”

Not all of us have acres of land on which to grow produce, of course. And an amateur gardener and cook cannot be expected to cultivate and cook with Swiss chard. So, we asked Ms Owens for some quick, casual beginner’s tips on getting the most out of a small city plot (or window sill).

“Start with some easy things, but make sure you grow what you enjoy eating. Have a look at what vegetables you actually buy. It’s easy to say ‘sow radish, they’re really quick.’ But there’s no point if you don’t like them. If you love courgettes, which are big plants, then go for it!”

“It could be as simple as putting some potatoes in. People think it’s boring but you’ll appreciate the freshness. As soon as you cut a plant and lift it from the soil it starts to break down.”

“Lettuce and radish are really simple. As are French beans, which are very productive and benefit from being fresh. Pea shoots are really effective, too. If you’re a gardener who wants to take it gently, squashes are fantastic. You’ll get a good few meals from those.”

“The gardening year starts in autumn. Dig your soil through and get some good coarse compost – you want some air in there. You can make compost from your vegetable trimmings. Then, over winter, let the worms do their job.”

“In March, you could start growing tomatoes on a windowsill in a pot. Or you could try some peppers. They like to start nice and early and have a long growing season. Anything like that you wouldn’t put outside until around May.”

“By May or June, all the things I’ve mentioned can go directly into the soil. Obviously, you can trot down to the garden centre, avoid the hard work and buy tomato plants or squash plants and put them straight in. But I would suggest growing from seeds, which you can buy online. I enjoy the nurturing and the satisfaction of the harvest.”

“Don’t be afraid of going down to your local allotment. Ask the pros there for advice. You’ll see what grows well for them. They might be growing Brussels sprouts or cabbages, all the things that like heavy soil.”

“It’s all about organic. Don’t use chemicals, use rotation. Different plants take different things out of the soil. Make sure you don’t put the same plant in the same place year after year.”

“Feed the soil not the plant. The organic matter going back into the soil is what keeps it alive. The worms, the microscopic things that make it rich. If you don’t put something back in the wind and rain will strip the soil of nutrients.”