About Us

Everything we grow begins with strong roots.

Our story, told by Amanda — one half of Cornish Garlic Co., alongside Matt, my partner in life, garlic growing and everything in between.

It All Started in Our Back Garden

Every great adventure starts somewhere. Ours started with just 50 elephant garlic bulbs and a few tubs in our back garden.

We didn't have a farm, acres of land or a grand business plan. We were simply curious to see what we could grow.

For two years, Matt carefully tended our elephant garlic in tubs, harvesting the bulbs and replanting what we'd grown. Each year, our little collection multiplied until eventually we had more garlic than we knew what to do with!

That's when we found an allotment in Liskeard, Cornwall.

We were complete novices, with plenty of enthusiasm but an awful lot to learn.

Fortunately, we met some wonderful people.

Fellow allotment holders and experienced farmers generously shared their knowledge, offered advice and encouraged us to keep going. One farmer even helped us find our name — Cornish Garlic.

And at the allotments, a lovely lady gave us our first plot. As our garlic multiplied, she kindly found us more space.

Before we knew it, we had four allotment plots filled with elephant garlic.

Looking back, we had no idea where this little adventure was going to take us.

When 1,000 Garlic Scapes Seemed Like a Mountain

Our first product came about almost by accident.

One day, Matt arrived home with around 1,000 freshly harvested elephant garlic scapes.

At the time, I thought that was an enormous amount!

Little did I know that in the years to come he'd be bringing home 4,000 to 5,000.

Wondering what on earth to do with them all, I decided to buy a dehydrator and experiment with making garlic scape salt.

We packed it into little 40g packets to sell alongside our fresh scapes.

And people loved it.

Armed with our scapes, our little packets of salt, baskets and a bright yellow gazebo, we set up our first market stall in Liskeard.

It was a simple beginning, but it was ours.

For the first time, we weren't just growing garlic. We were creating something from what we'd grown and sharing it with other people.

Finding Our Feet

As our harvests increased, we found ourselves with more elephant garlic than we needed for replanting.

So I started experimenting again.

This time, it was garlic purées, including ginger and garlic, and turmeric and garlic.

Then came another big step — the Great Cornish Market.

We arrived with our little black stand, our elephant garlic, salts and purées, feeling like very small fish in a very big pond.

But the customers were wonderful.

They loved the purées, and when we offered tasters of garlic scape salt sprinkled over fresh tomatoes, the reaction was incredible.

People weren't just interested in buying garlic. They were excited to discover different flavours and new ways of using it.

Looking back now, I don't think I fully realised what we had.

We were simply growing garlic, experimenting with ideas and sharing the results with anyone willing to have a taste.

Without really knowing it, we were building something special.

The Beginning of Our Gourmet Garlic Spreads

Somewhere along the way, our kitchen experiments led us to something completely new — our gourmet garlic spreads.

We can't quite remember the exact moment it happened, but we certainly remember our very first flavour.

Parmesan.

It became the beginning of a whole new adventure, and to this day, it remains our biggest seller.

Of course, stopping at one flavour was never going to happen!

I love experimenting with unusual combinations, discovering new ingredients and surprising customers with flavours they might never have thought to try.

Over time, our range grew and grew.

In fact, Matt sometimes has to remind me that there is such a thing as too much choice!

But for me, the greatest pleasure isn't simply developing another product.

It's watching someone's face when they taste it for the first time.

That look of surprise, the smile, or sometimes a rather enthusiastic noise — that's what makes all the experimenting worthwhile.

And there's nothing quite like seeing a returning customer who comes straight over to our stall and asks:

"Have you got any new flavours?"

Those moments remind us why we love doing what we do.

The Day Everything Changed

There are moments in life that stay with you forever.

For us, one of those moments happened at the Royal Cornwall Show.

We'd come such a long way from those first 50 bulbs in our back garden, but stepping into an event as big as the Royal Cornwall Show was genuinely frightening.

We had just two metres of frontage, and we were determined to squeeze every little bit of Cornish Garlic into that space.

We packed our stand with everything we'd grown, created and worked so hard for.

To us, simply being there felt like an enormous achievement.

And then something happened that we could never have imagined.

We won Best Newcomer and Best Product.

I cried.

I was in complete shock.

Even now, remembering that day and looking at the photographs brings tears to my eyes.

We'd gone from growing garlic in tubs in our back garden to standing at one of Cornwall's biggest agricultural shows, holding awards for something we'd created ourselves.

It was a turning point in our journey.

And something else happened that day.

We met the person who would become our landlord, helping us take another step forward in our growing adventure.

Eventually, we moved from our four allotment plots to renting half an acre of Cornish land, where we grow our elephant garlic today.

Once again, someone had opened a door for us.

And once again, we were reminded that we hadn't got this far alone.

The People Who Helped Us Grow

One of the greatest gifts this journey has given us is the kindness of other people.

From the allotment holders who patiently shared their growing knowledge to the farmers who offered advice and encouragement, so many people helped us when we were just finding our feet.

We're also incredibly grateful to the event organisers who welcomed us into their markets, festivals and shows.

They gave a small, growing business like ours the opportunity to meet customers, share our products and build the confidence to take the next step.

And then there are our customers.

Every person who has stopped at our stall, tried a new flavour, offered encouragement, returned for more or told a friend about Cornish Garlic has played a part in our story.

We will never take that support for granted.

To Our Family — Thank You

There is one group of people we could never thank enough.

Our family.

From the very beginning, they've been our biggest supporters.

They've believed in us when we've doubted ourselves, encouraged us through difficult times and celebrated every little achievement as though it were their own.

Their support hasn't just been emotional. They've helped us financially too, giving us opportunities to keep moving forward when things might otherwise have been much harder.

Behind the market stalls, new products and awards, there have been long days, worries, sacrifices and moments when we've wondered whether we could keep going.

And through it all, our family has been there.

We could never put into words just how much that means to us.

When we look at what Cornish Garlic has become, we know that part of it belongs to them too.

Because sometimes the people who help you grow aren't standing beside you in the photographs.

They're the ones quietly standing behind you, making sure you never feel alone.

To our family — thank you for believing in us, even when we struggled to believe in ourselves.

We love you, and we couldn't have done this without you.

Still Growing, Still Learning, Still Us

When we look back at everything that's happened since those first 50 elephant garlic bulbs, sometimes it's hard to believe how far we've come.

And if I'm completely truthful, I still feel like the same person who started all those years ago.

Still learning. Still experimenting. Still occasionally wondering how on earth we've managed to do all this.

But one thing I know for certain is that we couldn't have done it without each other.

Matt and I have been on this journey together from the very beginning.

We've shared the excitement of every new harvest, the nerves before big events, the joy of seeing customers return and the challenges that come with running a small business.

We've had wonderful days and difficult ones.

And through it all, we've been each other's rock.

When things are hard, we keep each other going. When things are good, there's nobody we'd rather celebrate with.

Today, we're still growing our elephant garlic in Cornwall, still creating new flavours and still getting excited when someone discovers our products for the first time.

We don't know exactly where this adventure will take us next.

But we do know we'll be taking it together.

And wherever it leads, we'll never forget where we started.

With 50 bulbs, a few tubs in our back garden and a little idea that grew into something wonderful.

With love and thanks,

Amanda & Matt
Cornish Garlic Co.

Everything we grow begins with strong roots.