In search of veg

You know how it is when you’re a bit summer veg-ed out? I mean it’s been great to eat so many lush peppers, crisp courgettes, sweet sweetcorn and many and varied salads, which always taste better when the weather’s great, but I’m a bit summer veg-ed out. So feeling the need for something different, I decided to set out and try a new green grocers and to combine that with a walk to up my steps.

I even took the long way round and headed through Charlton Park. My plan was to stop off and explore Charlton House on the way back, but after being drawn towards the cafe and its elusive clientele I changed my plans.

The cafe wasn’t open sadly, but that’s a good reason to walk this way again surely? The path led me on towards Charlton House, a Jacobean building originally a residence for a nobleman associated with the Stuart royal family, then later a wartime hospital, then a museum and library and now a community centre. It’s also where we got our first and second Covid jabs during lockdown.

When we were there then we popped our heads around the garden gate, noting that there was a garden and most likely more there than we could see at a quick glance. It’s taken a while to get back there, and we were right. There is a lot more there and the Amnesty International Peace Garden opens daily.

I was quite taken with the sculpture and the ‘froth’ of plants that greets you as you enter the garden which aims to be ‘a place for quiet reflection and contemplation’ and which opened in 2006.

The paths continued to lead me through the garden, wandering around the beds. There’s plenty of places to stop and pause, and to sit and enjoy the space. There’s also signs throughout the garden explaining the watering strategy during the current drought, and which reiterate the importance of putting the right plant in the right space.

Even though many of the plants are perhaps browner than they would usually be, there’s still colour and texture in the space along with some great trees.

And while this is a fabulous space, it wasn’t getting me the veg I came out for. So while I could have stayed and enjoyed the space for much longer, I was off in search of veg. Inside the local green grocers I found more summer veg, but also the start of autumnal squashes. I left with more courgettes, sweetcorn, a cauliflower and an onion squash - and a resolve to seek out some new recipes and ways of making the most of the summer veg while it’s still around.

And the bonus was, I’ve found a local garden and a cafe to come back and visit.

A posh lunch out

Last Saturday MOH and I got our glad rags on and headed out for a posh lunch, we even put proper shoes on. Mine weren’t quite the heels I once would have worn out, but small steps and all that. As it turned out, it was a good test for the wedding we’re off to later this month, so that’s all good.

Lunch was at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex, and yes, we were back - it’s been a while, but it remains one of our favourite places. It’s not somewhere we go often and is definitely in the treat category, which makes it all the more enjoyable. The attention to detail is phenomenal, and nothing is overlooked. This small table decoration in the lounge is a great example of that - a yellow tulip, and leaves and flowers from a strawberry plant shows how simple can also be effective.

The menu cover picks up the detail of the image panels on the walls around the restaurant, and the view over the garden is absolutely stunning.

And the food. Well, I even managed to remember to take pictures before I started to eat. This was my starter of asparagus, it looks a picture and the taste was sublime. I followed this with hogget and wild garlic and finished with the intriguing fennel, honey and lime - which was nothing like you’d expect, or I’d be able to recreate. All of it was absolutely delicious, and it was great to see more dishes around the table as between our table we managed a good selection from the menu for each course.

The yellow tulips, along with gorse and the purple-blue irises formed another stylish but not dominating table centre.

As it was such a glorious day we opted to have coffee in the garden, which was full of spring flowers - and clearly is well looked after.

There’s plenty of grounds to explore, but after a good lunch and in our finery, a walk to the walled kitchen garden was all we were up for. But even so, the route there was calming and enticing. It was slightly further than I remembered, and previously I’d done this in heels, but we got to the iron gate and let ourselves in.

It’s another huge space, and needs to be as the produce from the garden is used in the kitchen - but what a space.

We headed back towards the restaurant taking a different route, one stepped and easier to navigate, but definitely no less colourful only to be greeted back at the stone porch by the cheeriest pots of fully in bloom tulips. They definitely make your heart sing, don’t they?

Throughout the public spaces there were large arrangements of flowers, all of which we’d seen growing in the gardens. We stopped for a picture making use of one of the large mirrors, and we just about snuck in alongside one of the large displays - so here’s us wearing flowers, in amongst the flowers.

We might not be back for a while, but I’m pretty certain we’ll be back at some point.

The lodge with a gateway to the garden

Much earlier in the year while looking for a place to holiday in the UK during school holidays we stumbled across The Gatehouse Lodge at Easton Walled Gardens, and it looked idyllic. It was also very reasonably priced, and available on dates that suited us, so we snapped it up. Lincolnshire may not be on everyone’s holiday list, but it’s a beautiful county. The walled gardens are close to Grantham which has great transport links, and also less than quarter of an hour from my brother’s house as it turned out.

One of the attractions for me was the private entrance to the walled gardens, which holiday cottage guests could make use of when the gardens were closed. That meant we often had the beautiful gardens to ourselves and could pretend they were our own - the garden to holiday cottage was heavily skewed to the garden side here!

The homely and yet quirky interior was also a plus - not many holiday cottages come with their own chandelier and library, but this one did.

And this was how close to the gardens we were - I’ll share pictures from the garden another day.

Back in the living room we spent the evenings enjoying the view out towards the garden, and of the interior decor. Unfortunately the August weather meant we didn’t get a chance to make use of the small patio area, which was a shame.

It was great that the kitchen was well equipped, and the welcome package was very much welcomed by us. We now have a rule of checking out what holiday cottages have in the way of utensils and such before deciding what we might cook while we’re there - we didn’t need to here. In fact the only thing that was probably missing was some espresso cups - and you can live without them (or I can anyway!).

There were some great additions to the decor, this clock was one.

And I am rather partial to a fish shaped plate - we carried one around Dublin when we visited many years ago, and just about got it home safely.

It was a compact and bijou lodge, which we knew and were perfectly fine with. The bathroom was larger than ours, and tranquil - with some great tiles.

And the bedding, I could quite happily have taken this home - I didn’t of course.

I fell in love with these coasters, and I’m still on the lookout for some - a good holiday momento - but I think eBay is going to be my best chance!

So a great place to stay, and you haven’t even seen the garden yet - you will soon.