AN ENTREPRENEUR who grows herbs and salads fertilised by fish poo is seeking to attract restaurants from across Oxfordshire.

Tom Astor, from Woodstock, produces the usually-imported greens at his aquaponics farm in a small rented barn in Sandford St Martin, near Chipping Norton.

Aquaponics is an environmentally-friendly method of growing greens, where fish waste provides an organic food source for the plants and the plants naturally filter the water for the fish.

Mr Astor admits he started from ‘a knowledge base of zero’ when he began building the farm last July, but the 31-year-old is a quick learner.

Since then, he has started selling his produce at farmers markets, while he also supplies The Boxing Hare gastropub in Swerford, outside Chipping Norton.

Mr Astor describes the last 12 months as a ‘steep learning curve’ but has ambitions to supply several restaurants with the exotic greens throughout the year.

He said: “I’m trying to grow exotic, expensive things more locally than normal.

“We’re operating at about 20 per cent capacity at the moment, but it’s a chicken-and-egg scenario.

“I’m not producing enough for a restaurant, but I need a restaurant to give me an order so I can start making it.

“I would eventually like it to be a full-time job.

“I’ve still not figured out the best way to get what I grow from my farm to someone’s plate, but I’m working on that.”

Mr Astor has a lifelong interest in food and charts his passion for aquaponics back to secondary school.

Aged 16, he learnt about hydroponics – growing plants without soil – which is a crucial element of aquaponics.

He studied geography at university, which he calls ‘the closest you can get to environmentalism’, before training as a chef.

Mr Astor’s culinary journey was put on hold during five years working in asset management in London, but the aquaponics farm represents a return to his true calling.

He named the farm 18 Anhalt Road after an in-joke with a friend, but he reveals it is also a nod to the future.

He said: “I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself so that’s where it came from.

“I’d be pretty limited with how I could grow if I called it ‘Tom’s Aquaponic Herbs from Sandford St Martin.”

For now, 18 Anhalt Road provides ingredients that would otherwise have to be imported from the Middle East and beyond.

Mr Astor uses the Japanese herb Shiso as an example, which generally costs £6.50 per eight grams – the equivalent of £800 per kilo.

The Woodstock resident believes he could grow Shiso for as little as £100 per kilo, all while avoiding using single-use plastics to minimise the environmental impact.

It is a difficult industry to crack and he is aware that he still has plenty of learning to do, but Mr Astor is confident the reward will eventually outweigh the toil.

He said: “The feedback I’ve had from farmers markets was that I didn’t farm enough and I wasn’t charging enough for what I sold.

“It’s pretty valuable but I want to get it right here first.”

For more information search @18anhaltroad on Instagram.