25/08/2026
Lots of lovely things coming from the garden this month dictate the course of our dinner menu. Tomatoes of course, served with a refreshing white gazpacho, topped with sliced of BBQ octopus and freshly harvested fennel flowers. Some stunning chicken from Connor and Chiara, just up the road from us Half Penny Farm , is the basis for our main course. Cooked on the grill & served alongside sweetcorn & girolle mushrooms, it’s our attempt at capturing the end of summer/early autumn transition. Figs (from a very productive tree in the garden and from our friends Sidbury Manor ) are transformed into a tarte fine, with crisp, buttery pastry & crunchy almond. Alongside a buttermilk ice cream and an aromatic oil made with fig leaves.
Weekday nights menus have included various terrines and pâtés, perfect with the many pickles we now have lining the shelves. Our take on brodetto - a rich fish stew combining cuttlefish, tomato, mussels & cod or hake – has also made a welcome return.
It’s been an exceptional year for berries and stone fruits and so we’ve been very busy preserving and jarring as much of that summer sun as possible. The gift shop shelves are fuller than ever before: Peach & Fig Leaf, Apricot & Camomile, Strawberry & Verbena, Cherry & Rosemary Jams, Courgette Chutney, Brown Sauce, Granola – there should be something for everyone.
Plate in photo one by TOAST
