Kitchen Gardens
Behind an old wooden gate, discreetly
sheltered in the grounds of the elegant 17th Century mansion of
Lainston House Hotel, lies a secret, ancient, walled kitchen garden
which has recently been restored beyond its former glory.
Apart from supplying the hotel’s award-winning restaurant kitchen with
fresh herbs and vegetables, the Kitchen Garden is now a charming
location for guests to enjoy contemplative, sweet smelling walks
and has also become the perfect location for early evening drinks
parties or afternoon tea. Additionally, through a local
schools initiative, tours will be arranged to give children a
greater understanding of home grown food and healthy eating.
Dedication
For the last two years, the four acre Kitchen Garden has been
meticulously planned by Executive Chef Andy Mackenzie together with
Head Groundsman Bob White and the gardening team at Lainston
House Hotel.
The ground has been dug out, drained and carefully replanted and
is already providing 90% of kitchen herbs. Crops
of tomatoes, salad, cucumber and courgette, lavender, apples,
pears, figs, quince, rhubarb and kiwi fruit are already in place
and these will shortly be complemented by carrots, onions, runner
beans, plus strawberries and raspberries.
And right in the centre of the garden, we've constructed a large
oak table, perfect for getting together with friends to enjoy a
glass of bubbly or a fabulous afternoon tea.
Lets get buzzzy...
In addition to the Kitchen Garden, Bob is a
buzzy Beekeeper! Two years ago a pair of bee hives arrived at
Lainston House complete with a hum of honey bees 'Apis
Mellifera' each. Under the supervision of veteran beekeepers Alan
and Margaret Johnson, to whom we owe many thanks, Bob and his team
have nurtured the colony and the number of thriving hives has now
grown to 10. They are located around the grounds, near the
kitchen garden, by the orchard and in the Avenue of
Limes.
We are expecting great things with this
year's harvest! Enjoy true Lainston House Honey on your toast
for breakfast, take a jar home and savour the memories of your stay
each time you dip into it! And of course Chef Andy MacKenzie and
his team will be using the home grown honey in their award-winning
kitchen for as long as supplies hold out!
Why not try out one of
Andy’s recipes – Honeycomb Parfait
It's proving popular so book in
advance this most private of dining areas that comes highly
recommended
Call us on +44 (0) 1962 776088