Our
Kitchen Gardens
We garden organically and practice No Dig, thereby preserving the life and fertility of the soil. We make our own composts, use biological pest control, propagate many of our own plants, save seeds, and increasingly plant to encourage wildlife and biodiversity. We try to provide as much produce as possible for our three establishments, with daily harvests to Allium, and twice weekly to the George and Dragon, and The Queen’s Head.
The local area is a rich source of fruits, leaves and edible flowers and we can often be found out and about, foraging in the hedgerows and verges.
We create seasonal flower arrangements for Askham Hall and The Queen’s Head, gathering flowers and foliage from our pretty ornamental gardens, as well as cut flowers grown in our Kitchen Gardens.
Meet our gardening team
We’re extremely lucky to have a wonderful team of experienced and passionate Kitchen Gardeners looking after our marvellously-productive kitchen gardens. Together with Head Kitchen Gardener Diane, Jo and Sally work tirelessly year-round, whatever the weather, to make sure our chefs are well-stocked and you, our guests, experience the seasons through our grown produce. If you’re staying with us, do make time to take a stroll, have a chat with them and find out what’s flourishing at the moment.
I guess I’m in my dream job! Every day is different and full of possibilities. Come rain or shine I’d rather be outdoors with my hands in the soil.
I left school at 16 and after several career changes (and a few decades) I now find myself gardening in this beautiful place.
The job is demanding and requires me to be super organised. I think my spell as a teacher may have come in useful here! I work with a great team who are full of passion and energy. We aim to and produce a diverse range of vegetables, herbs, fruit and edible flowers for the table and this involves planning and working in close collaboration with the chefs.
Amid the busy hustle and bustle of day to day tasks, I occasionally find myself in conversation with guests who have dined with us. It suddenly brings it all home, the simple pleasures of growing our own food and the pleasure it gives.
How to describe my job? Challenging, wonderfully varied, and immensely rewarding! On my days off I like take myself off for a fell walk, cycle ride and maybe a wild swim. And sometime I even indulge in a bit of Salsa dancing!
Since returning to Cumbria in 2019 and following a 20 year career working in Architecture and Interior Design in Manchester, I decided it was time for a change so enrolled on an RHS Horticulture course at a local college and I haven’t looked back.
I grew up on a smallholding in West Cumbria and have gardened and grown my own organic veg at home and on allotments for many years so when I started working in the kitchen garden at Askham Hall in 2020 it felt like the perfect fit.
I am currently studying part time for an RHS Level 3 Diploma.
When I’m not in the garden I like to be in the hills on foot, bike or skis.
I grew up in beautiful Northumberland, trying to grow flowers amongst my dad’s vegetables!
I spent my early career doing digital mapping to support the survey and management of natural resources in the UK and beyond.
I lived in Scotland for many years, moving to Aberdeenshire with my husband. As our three children grew up, I discovered a love of gardening – growing flowers, fruit and vegetables for the family.
In 2007 my husband’s work brought us to Cumbria and I had no hesitation in retraining in Horticulture at our local college. I haven’t looked back! I joined the Gardening Team at Askham Hall in 2019. No day is ever the same and work is a great pleasure!
When I’m not in the garden, I enjoy cycling, kayaking and long walks in the hills with our collie.
Greenhouses
We like to think of the Greenhouses as our power houses, where we sow, nurture, prick out, pot on and raise hundreds of young plants for the garden. In 2020, we installed a second greenhouse to meet the increasing space needed for propagation, winter protection of tender plants and all year round microherb production for our restaurants. The two deep sinks installed between the greenhouses provides us with a wash station for vegetables and pots – we don’t know how we ever managed without them!
Polytunnels
Our polytunnels enable us to grow produce throughout the cooler winter months and help to extend our growing season. In the summer, they are brimming with tomatoes, chillis, French beans and gherkins. In 2021 we produced over 1500 mini bell peppers for Allium!
Raised Beds
Our Kitchen Garden is made up of over 70 raised beds, all accessible for our guests to enjoy. This is where we grown vegetables, fruits, herbs and cut flowers, and with such a diverse mix of plants, there is plenty of scope for creativity alongside the important business of producing food.
Hotbeds
We first introduced our two hotbeds in 2016 and their success has been hugely significant, extending our growing season by almost five months! They enable us to grow consistently high quality baby vegetables. This winter we have built four more, bringing our total to 16. The hot bed system delivers on many levels, not least providing us with tonnes of nutrient rich compost to mulch and feed our garden beds.
New Square Garden
We aim to provide as much produce as possible for our three establishments with daily harvests to Allium, and twice weekly to the George and Dragon, and The Queen’s Head. Last year we supplied The Queen’s Head with almost all their vegetables and fruit and our team there was able to take full advantage of the seasonal food on offer.
Hillside No Dig Garden
During Lockdown in 2020 we established a new No Dig garden of just over half an acre in what was a pig field. The Hillside garden comprises 26 central beds encircled by many unusual trees and fruit bushes under planted with herbs, edible flowers and perennial vegetables. It has allowed us to both broaden the range of fruit and vegetables we grow and increase our yields. The whole project has been very rewarding and it’s true to say that we not just a little bit proud of what we’ve achieved since.
Orchard
Our Orchard was planted in 2018 with over 20 fruit trees including apple, plum, greengage and quince. In 2021, we decided to mow just the paths and leave the grass to grow. In the Autumn, we planted tulips and sowed wild flower seeds. We hope this area will develop into a haven for wildlife and insects and so encourage more biodiversity.
Compost and Waste
We aim to compost all our vegetative waste and in Winter 2022 we built another three bay compost heap in our hillside garden. In addition to this we now have a state-of the-art Ridan composter, capable of processing up to 400ltrs (200KG) of food waste per week – meaning literally nothing goes to waste and what goes in, goes back into both the Kitchen Gardens and the Garden itself.
We grow comfrey in the hillside garden. It’s full of nutrients and several times a year, we harvest it to make a compost tea to feed all the tomatoes, aubergines and chilli peppers in our polytunnels. The material from our hotbeds together with the compost heaps is used to replenish our soils. Healthy soil – happy plants!
Garden Tours
Feeling inspired? You’re very welcome to book a private garden tour… Available by prior arrangement only, for up to 30 people, these two-hour tours are a horticulturalist’s haven. Spend an hour with our Head Gardener and plantsman extraordinaire Colin Myers taking in Lady Caroline’s stunning gardens. Then an hour with our Head of Kitchen Gardens Diane Butcher – marvel at our incredible producing gardens, visit the hillside garden, the Pig Square, the fecund polytunnels and the brilliant hot beds. Then, time for tea and cake. For more information or to book, please give us a call on 01931 712350 and we’ll be happy to help.
