The English county of Kent is synonymous with growing hops, a tall climbing perennial branded with the exquisite Latin name humulus lupulus (‘wolf of the woods’) used to make beer. The hop plant is “dioecious” – the female and male plants are separate; the female plant bears the hop. Farming the hop necessities supporting it with tall wooden poles (typically up to 5m), wire and string. In spring, the plants are trained up the string, reaching the summit in early July, when they begin to flower and develop cones.

In September the cones are harvested – the strings are long so hop-pickers are perched on top of a tractor to cut them down. The hops are then dried in a Kiln or Oast house. From there the crop is sent to breweries.