In the heart of England’s ever-evolving landscape, two bold ventures are redefining what it means to cultivate and consume food in the UK. From the flooded fields of Cambridgeshire, where rice is being grown for the first time, to the bustling urban hubs of the West Midlands, where Digbeth Dining Club (DDC) has transformed the region’s street food scene, these stories reveal a nation at the crossroads of tradition and innovation.
On a quiet farm just north of Ely, Cambridgeshire, a remarkable experiment is underway. Nadine Mitschunas, an award-winning ecologist, has made history as the UK’s first rice grower. Her four modest paddy fields, nestled on the land of farmers Craig and Sarah Taylor, are home to nine varieties of rice sourced from as far afield as Brazil, Colombia, Italy, and the Philippines. According to BBC, the crops are thriving, helped along by what the Met Office has confirmed as the hottest summer since records began in 1884.
“I’m actually amazed because they are big, happy, bushy plants,” Nadine told BBC, as she waded through the calf-deep water, proudly pointing out her favorite—Estrella, a Colombian variety that’s outshone the rest. The rice plants, still brown when BBC visited, are expected to be harvested in October 2025, marking a potential turning point for British agriculture.
This ambitious trial is the brainchild of the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH), working in partnership with the Taylors, whose family has cultivated the land for over five centuries. The project’s goals are as forward-thinking as they are practical: to explore what foods Britain could viably grow in a warming climate and to protect both the livelihoods of farmers and the health of the environment.
“Nobody has tried this before, but with climate change, we have crops that, 10 years ago, we wouldn’t have thought would be viable. In 10 years’ time, rice could be a completely perfect crop for us,” Nadine explained to BBC. The experiment is not just about putting British-grown rice on dinner plates; it’s about reimagining the entire agricultural system in response to a rapidly changing world.
Peat soils in the Fens, where this rice is being grown, are among the UK’s most productive farmland, yielding a third of the nation’s vegetables and generating around £1.2 billion annually. But this bounty comes at a cost. As these rich soils dry out, they release carbon dioxide—a process that accounts for 3% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions. By flooding the peat soils to grow rice and other water-loving crops like lettuce and hybrid willow, the project aims to lock in greenhouse gases and slow the degradation of the soil.
Initial results are promising. According to trial data cited by BBC, rice cultivation in these flooded conditions does not produce more methane—a potent greenhouse gas—than the carbon it helps to sequester. This delicate balancing act could offer a model for future farming, especially as researchers predict that, with average temperatures potentially rising by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius, rice could become a staple crop in parts of the UK.
For the Taylors, the project is as much about legacy as it is about innovation. “All my ancestors were Fenmen. I love this place, we’ve been here for 500 plus years,” Craig Taylor shared with BBC, his voice tinged with both pride and concern. “We don’t want people thinking we’re the ‘crazy rice farmers’—this is about rethinking the whole system and making it work for everyone.”
Sarah Taylor echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the importance of agency in the face of unpredictable weather and shifting agricultural fortunes: “We see that the future isn’t stable. We want to be able to write our own destiny and not have it decided for us. Our legacy for our children and hopefully their children is really important to us and I want them to know that we at least try to make a difference.”
The government, too, is watching closely. Officials from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs have visited the site, recognizing the potential for such projects to help the UK tackle one of its thorniest challenges: how to ensure food security while reducing agriculture’s significant environmental impact. The UK food system, including imports, is responsible for 38% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, with agriculture alone accounting for 11.7%.
“We’re at a critical juncture in climate change and we need to make decisions. We need to understand what sort of crops we could be potentially growing in the future,” said Professor Richard Pywell, who leads the project for UKCEH, in an interview with BBC. “It’s possible that for certain areas, peatland re-wetting and growing rice may be a viable option. In other areas, we may continue to grow our conventional crops, but under different conditions.”
While it may be some time before British-grown rice becomes a fixture in supermarkets, the experiment stands as a testament to the power of adaptation and creative problem-solving—a theme echoed in another corner of the country’s food revolution.
In the West Midlands, Digbeth Dining Club (DDC) has spent over a decade redefining the region’s culinary landscape. What began in 2012 as a handful of food trucks in a Digbeth car park has blossomed into a powerhouse of street food culture, nurturing hundreds of independent traders and injecting new life into urban spaces. According to BBC, DDC’s latest venture—a permanent canalside venue called Dockworks Waterfront in Brierley Hill, Dudley—promises to create 50 jobs and transform a derelict site into a vibrant community hub.
James Swinburne, DDC co-founder, explained the motivation behind the move: “We want to go back to our roots and what we’re really good at, which is nurturing street food traders, merging businesses and independents.” The new 7,000-square-foot venue, set to open in early 2026, will offer not just food but live music, comedy, sports screenings, and independent markets, all in a space that’s been vacant for 15 years.
DDC’s journey hasn’t been without its challenges. During the Covid pandemic, the team pivoted to a click-and-collect model from an old factory in Hockley, which later became the Hockley Social Club—a venue that hosted everything from ballet to reggae. But with Hockley Social Club closing at the end of 2025, Dockworks Waterfront is poised to carry the torch.
Over the years, DDC has organized events at iconic locations like Warwick Castle, Lightwoods Park, and Compton Verney. Their Longbridge venue, Herbert’s Yard, opened in 2021 and now hosts eight food traders, bringing street food culture to the heart of a business park. “We want to bring the culture to places seen as quite concrete sterile places,” James told BBC, highlighting the club’s mission to enliven overlooked spaces.
With up to 200 traders on their books and a track record of supporting entrepreneurs who go on to open permanent restaurants, DDC’s influence on the region’s food scene is undeniable. “We’ve worked with people who are starting out or they’re doing this as a bit of a project to start with, and then they become successful, that’s what we love,” James said.
From the muddy paddy fields of Cambridgeshire to the energetic markets of the West Midlands, these pioneering efforts show that the future of British food is being shaped by those willing to experiment, adapt, and dream big. Whether it’s rice on the table or street food on a bench, the seeds of change are clearly being sown.
