Mitford’s Garden At

Hawkstone Hall & Gardens

Introducing to you Mitford’s Kitchen Garden

Being able to sustainably provide an abundance of fresh and seasonal produce for Hawkstone Hall has been one of our goals since opening in 2019.

We are delighted to announce the arrival of The Kitchen Garden here at Hawkstone Hall & Gardens.

The Kitchen Garden enables us to hugely limit the food miles that are required to run our hotel, thus lowering our overall carbon footprint. Anything that we can’t ensure adequate volumes of will be sourced from local farmers, helping us to become as sustainable as possible.

‘Our goal is completely self-sufficient’ by 2025’

says Executive Chef

‘We’ve been looking for the perfect place for our own Kitchen Garden over the
past 12 months’‘The site had to be around 1 acre in size, with
good sun exposure, some areas of shade, and relatively easy access to the
kitchens’.

The Walled Garden was decided upon as the most suitable space within our grounds
for this exciting project to commence. In a nod to Beatrix Potter, one of the
authors honoured in the hall’s literary history, the garden has been affectionately named ‘Mitford’s Garden’.

Follow the Kitchen Garden’s journey on @foodbyhawkstone Instagram page

or use the hashtag #fromplantingtoplate

What’s in store

A large and established Olive Tree centrepiece surrounded by planting
beds with glasshouses framing its edges will form the foundations of Mitford’s Garden.

For now, we will be growing a wealth of seasonal root and other vegetables, fruit, and herbs which will all be foraged and hand-picked on the day.

This will lead to constantly evolving menus revolving around
not only the seasons, but our own Shropshire weather patterns and what the soil produces – that’s very exciting for any chef!’.

Our home-grown produce will join the existing ingredients from the apple orchard, the fig tree, and foraged wood sorrel already used on the menu.

Buzzing News at Hawkstone Hall

We would like to introduce you to the newest members of the team, a new hive of honeybees which arrived at Hawkstone Hall & Gardens early April 2023.

The hives are located next to the kitchen garden, allowing the gardeners to look after them and ensure the bees are in a safe and secure environment, helping them to settle in and start producing honey.

We are hoping in the next 4 weeks, the bees can produce enough honey to add onto our breakfast menu for those staying at Hawkstone Hall & Gardens.

Eventually, Hawkstone Hall are excited to be able to start selling jars of honey to those visiting from our very own bee colony.

The olive tree

Imported from a small village named ‘Kiti’ in the Southeast of Cyprus, we welcome our beloved olive tree.

The olive tree will serve as the centrepiece to the kitchen garden, standing proud in all its glory.

From ground to glass

In addition to using home-grown produce to inspire seasonal dishes for our restaurants, we also look forward to incorporating hand-picked fruits and herbs into our cocktail recipes. From courgette martinis to a red-king radishes, stay tuned.

Steve Stott gives his Spring/Summer gardening insights

May

During Spring it is key to keep an eye on the weather like a hawk! Late frosts can catch gardeners out. Throughout May I will focus on planting French beans, squashes, sweetcorn & courgettes. Oh, and continue to sow succession crops such as radish & spring onions.

June

As the temperature rises in June and days become longer, it’s all about maintaining the moisture and repeat the sowing of beans, carrots, beetroot, spinach, cauliflower, in addition to all of the salad crops. Strawberries in the garden will start to show, so pick regularly to promote fruit production.

July

July is the time to sow spring cabbage, chicory, fennel, and carrots (but beware of the carrot fly when thinning seedlings) Enjoy harvesting fruits of your labour, keep on weeding, and watch out for pest & disease!

Steve Stott five top tips to growing a kitchen garden

Steve Stott takes care of the Kitchen Garden here at Hawkstone Hall & Gardens and is responsible for growing all of our local ingredients which we use in our restaurants across the Distinctly Hospitable Group venues; Hawkstone Hall & Gardens, Weston Hall & Saracens Head Weston

~ Make sure to research your plants. What’s the height and spread? Make sure to give yourself
enough space.

~ Know your soil and what plants grow best in that soil type

~ Compost is a gardener’s best friend!

~ Keep a gardening diary noting when you plant, what you have planted and where you bought it.

~ It’s not all hard work. Make sure you take time out to enjoy the results of your efforts, it’s good for the soul