I’ve just returned from a trip of a lifetime!  I was delighted to be invited along with the Academy of Culinary Arts for a tour of the Prince of Wales’ Highgrove Estate and Homefarm.

We started by touring the beautiful gardens at Highgrove.  Every inch of the place is completely breathtaking, from woodland gardens to wild flower meadows, cottage gardens and lavender orchards.  Every area is filled with colour texture and scent and the whole space just fills you with a kind of calm with each separate garden exuding a different feeling and atmosphere.  There’s a very Victorian feel too, you can tell the gardens designs were very much influenced by the Queen Mother. 

I had a couple of favourite spaces; firstly, of course, had to be the walled (kitchen)garden.  When the Prince of  Wales moved to Highgrove this garden was virtually derelict and had previously been used to grow little more than potatoes.   Now the beds are formerly edged with box hedges and are packed with an array of completely organic vegetables and fruit trees.   I also loved the Carpet Garden, which was inspired by a Turkish carpet and had been created with geometric shaped beds filled with roses, olive and orange trees and ceramic tiles, the whole area edged with beautiful cypress trees.  Highgrove is completely organic and the gardens are as self-sufficient as possible.  Nothing is brought in, all seeds and compost come from the estate.  There’s even a reed bed sewage system where all of Highgrove’s waste water is treated.  I really adore gardening and this place is simply amazing, if I didn’t cook I would garden!     

After Highgrove we went for lunch at Trouble House Inn, a gastro pub serving really good simple food.  The owner and operator, Martin Caws, previously worked for Marco Pierre White.  To start I had the goats cheese and beetroot tart which was really good.  We’re currently serving Scottish hake in The London Carriage Works, so I thought I’d try the Trouble House Inn’s Cornish Hake for my main, the quality was fantastic.    

Next we went on to Home Farm.  This really is a most incredible place.  We were shown around by the farm manager David Wilson who, having worked with the Prince of Wales on the farm for the past 24years, had a vast wealth of knowledge.  At Homefarm they are passionate about preserving rare UK breeds; Ayshire dairy cattle, rare breed pigs including Saddle Backs and Gloucester Old Spots, and rare breed Hebridean and Cotswold sheep.  The Prince is enthusiastic about restoring mutton to dinner tables hence the launch of The Mutton Renaissance Campaign.  (We use Hebridean mutton through the season from Callum Edge Butchers, Wirral.)  Again everything at Homefarm is completely organic and all designed to encourage as much wildlife as possible; there are butterflies, bees and dragonflies everywhere.  The whole place is just perfect, even the tea rooms and the shop.  It’s been a long time since I’ve been somewhere where everything has already been thought of, and I really wouldn’t change a thing.

They’ve done it! Orla and Sarah were beautiful and brave all the way down; Dave was cool and sat on a ledge to wait for Mary who was petrified.  Sue, our Outside Catering Manager, and Bernie, our Patisserie Chef, were there to meet all the guys at the bottom.  They brought ice and glasses to make Negronis, (the tense and terrified Mary’s favourite aperitif), accompanied by Bernie’s famous and perfect Victoria and berry sponge! A fun day was had by all and the team has managed to raise around £600 for The Stroke Society.

We planned this Barbeque on a warm and sunny day in March little expecting in our very English way that it would pour down in the middle of July.  Pentagon Fine Chemicals, based in Widnes, held their annual Oscar Awards evening at which they treated all of their employees to a sumptuous feast, alfresco.  They munched their way through steak, guinea fowl, Asian marinated king prawns, halloumi and vegetable kebabs, and although the rain was incessant, guests were able to enjoy the evening dashing between the marquees and their festively decorated club!  We are looking forward to welcoming the winner of the business contribution award who has won a stay at our hotel, now that we’re all home and dry back on Hope Street.