“By the edge of the forest they spied a fine patch
To mulch, sow and then reap
By the edge of the forest they spied a fine patch
And to grow fruit and veg there a plan did they hatch
I’ll be good to the land and the land will be good to me”

– Robin Grey, “The Ballad of Hawkwood”

Just over the fence from Epping Forest, right on London’s north-eastern edge, is an urban farm run on Kropotkin-esque anarchist principles of mutual aid and solidarity. Founded twenty five years ago, OrganicLea is a workers cooperative growing and distributing fresh organic vegetables, salads and fruit around the Lea Valley via market stalls, a veg box delivery scheme and the Hornbeam Community Cafe in nearby Walthamstow. They also offer courses and workshops in foraging, permaculture, bee keeping, mushroom cultivation and beer making, as well as volunteer training and apprenticeship schemes, open days and other events, working with refugees, local mental health charities and like-minded organisations and small growers around Waltham Forest. OrganicLea are all about integrating environmental sustainability, social justice and community well-being for all, even operating a ‘solidarity pricing’ system, whereby those who are struggling financially pay less for their produce, supported by others who can afford to voluntarily contribute a bit more.

I’ve had connections with the co-op almost since its inception back in 2001, when I first met them at a permaculture gathering at nearby Dial House, home of the anarchist punk band Crass. In those days OrganicLea was a modest set up, initiated by a handful of visionary-minded folk on a couple of derelict allotment plots in Chingford, as well as running a ‘scrumping’ scheme for harvesting and redistributing unwanted apples from neighbouring gardens that would otherwise be wasted. They upscaled in 2010, moving a short walk around the corner to Hawkwood Plant Nursery, a 12-acre disused former council nursery site with state-of-the-art glasshouses, market gardens, and plenty of land to spare. Today they employ 24 paid staff and support hundreds of volunteers, and thousands of visitors have passed through their gates. Over the last year I’ve been ‘artist-in-residence’ at the site, documenting the activities of the growers, volunteers and co-op members through sketches, watercolour paintings (these illustrations are a few examples) and interviews as part of the process of planning for their next phase of development. It’s been a great opportunity to wander and explore the land, with three acres dedicated to intensive veg production, the rest being orchards, meadows, woodlands and ponds, largely given over to the purposes of wild nature.

It’s also been a privilege to listen to the stories of the diverse range of people who are OrganicLea, often over shared meals like roasted squash risotto and hand-picked salad, or a glass of ale fresh from the project’s small brewery (Tommy’s Ghost Pepper Chilli Stout and Rod’s Horsetail IPA are particular favourites of mine…) Lead Kitchen Worker Kerrie McFarlane-Green explains how she got involved and what the project means to her;

“I did a Permaculture Design Course here in 2024 then started volunteering… I love the location, I love the greenery, It’s very peaceful and quiet and calm. People here are forward-thinking. They’re open to exploring new ways of doing things… They care about the environment and the planet. They care about people… I’m allowed to come as me and do me and that’s okay. I come here sometimes feeling a bit low, but I’ll leave feeling revived and positive. So yeah. – Brilliant!”.

Ru Litherland, one of the founding coop members, reiterates similar themes;

“Like a lot of people, I’ve had a lot going on in my life in the last few years – difficulties in my relationships, housing, finances and all kinds of things. But when I come in that gate I just feel away from it all. I find this a very nurturing place. I find being here a refuge. On a deeply personal level that’s what it means to me… On a wider level it’s now become a sizeable organisation… It’s a kind of beautiful chaos, but I think it’s always been about trying to provide a living example of what we could be doing with land, and in terms of society and economy, that could be incredibly beneficial and way beyond what the imaginations of developers and politicians might be…”

Projects like OrganicLea show that another world IS possible, modelling socially and environmentally just food systems where land, seeds, water, and food production aren’t controlled purely by corporate interests or large companies, but by and for communities and the people who actually work the soil. I like it here.

How to begin at home: OrganicLea’s seven-step guide to transforming our food systems;

CLEAR GROUND: Ask questions about your food, where does it come from? Who grows it?

SOW SEEDS: Start conversations about food politics and policy with friends and family.

KEEP IT ALL WATERED: Support your local organic veg box scheme, farmers market or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).

PROTECT AND SURVIVE: Look out for events & campaigns that support community food and food sovereignty: defend gardens and allotments under threat.

PLANT OUT: Grow something you love and something your neighbours love: reclaim neglected land with some friends.

OBSERVE AND INTERACT: Subscribe to newsletters and get involved with the Community Food Growers Network, Landworker’s Alliance and The Land Magazine.

PRESERVE AND FEAST AND CELEBRATE: Get together with other community food growers at May Day, Harvest Festivals, Equinoxes and Solstices.

Graham Burnett, December 2025

Our next Permaculture Design Course at OrganicLea led by Graham Burnett and guest teachers begins in Spring 2026. For more information and to sign up click here or on the image below.