Our Food Philosophy

Our food philosophy...

We are moving toward self-sufficiency - this is a minimum five year project and a major investment. You can chart our progress from the food miles printed on our daily changing menus. You will see whether your vegetables have travelled the few yards from the garden or not; you will see how far your pork or beef have travelled to reach your plate. We are not, and probably never will be completely organic, but we aim to grow everything naturally and with maximum use of natural fertilisers and minimum use of chemical sprays.

Our acre or so of kitchen garden was extended in the Autumn of 2007 The menus are presently based on fresh seasonal produce using vegetables and fruits from our prolific kitchen garden and orchards where possible, and supplemented with produce from local carefully selected suppliers. Our aim is that your vegetables and herbs will be picked and served to you within hours, if not minutes, of you eating.

The vegetable varieties are selected for their taste and the orchard is stocked with English varieties, medlars, walnuts, mulberries, figs and quince together with many varieties of soft fruit. Our rare breed chickens are now happily pecking in the orchard bringing us eggs for breakfast. In the spring of 2008 Quail will arrive and provide eggs for canapés and salads and sometime during 2008 our Tamworth and Large Black pigs will live in our home paddock. All our bread and rolls for lunch and dinner and muffins for breakfast are freshly made every day. Biscuits, scones and cakes together with jams, chutneys and marmalade are all produced in our kitchens.