Hintlesham Hall, the Grade 1 listed country house hotel in Suffolk, is opening the gates to its kitchen garden this weekend. Head Chef Lee Cooper explains how the menu starts just metres from the kitchen
A historic Suffolk country house hotel is opening the gates to its kitchen garden this weekend, giving visitors a rare opportunity to see where ingredients used in its AA Rosette kitchens are grown. Hintlesham Hall, near Ipswich, will take guests behind the scenes of its Grade I listed estate on Saturday with guided tours led by its Head Gardener followed by a seasonal lunch from the hotel’s kitchens. Throughout the year, Hintlesham Hall grows a changing harvest of fruit, vegetables, salads and herbs specifically for its chefs, creating an unusually close relationship between what is growing outside and what ultimately appears on guests’ plates.
And August is one of the most abundant times to see it in action. Herbs, tomatoes, fresh salads, Swiss chard and a variety of berries are among the ingredients currently being harvested, while the wider gardens are at their peak with sunflowers, gladioli, cosmos and lavender attracting bees and butterflies.
Sally McGregor, Head Gardener, said: “This is a garden-to-plate relationship rarely seen on this scale within a hotel setting – and one which means the changing seasons outside the kitchen can have a direct influence on the food served inside it.
“August is a particularly rewarding time because there is so much ready to harvest. The garden is constantly changing and that relationship with the kitchen means what we grow has a real purpose. The tours are a chance for people to see that side of Hintlesham Hall and understand just how much is happening behind the scenes.”
The Garden Tour will combine behind-the-scenes access with the chance to enjoy a seasonal lunch from the hotel’s kitchens. Visitors will discover what is currently growing, learn more about the work involved in maintaining the productive kitchen garden and explore the wider grounds at one of their most abundant times of year.
They will then sit down to a seasonal lunch prepared by the Hall’s AA Rosette kitchen team, bringing together the two sides of the Hintlesham story – garden and kitchen – before returning outside for a second afternoon tour.
The productive garden forms part of a wider approach at Hintlesham Hall to connect its food offering with the estate and the Suffolk countryside surrounding it. Alongside the kitchen garden, the grounds include established fruit such as fig trees and beehives producing the Hall’s own honey – creating ingredients with a genuine connection to the place in which guests are dining.
Head Chef Lee Cooper, a Certified Master Chef of Great Britain with over 20 years of experience in some of the country’s most highly regarded kitchens earning multiple AA Rosettes for his cooking, said: “For a chef, having a kitchen garden like this on the estate is a fantastic resource. Rather than thinking about seasonality as an abstract concept, we can see what is growing and what is at its best right outside our door.
“There is also something particularly satisfying about being able to tell a guest that an ingredient on their plate has come from the grounds around them. It gives the food a real sense of place and allows us to make the most of Suffolk produce at its freshest.”
The Garden Tour at Hintlesham Hall near Ipswich in Suffolk takes place on Saturday, August 22 and costs £55 per person. The experience includes a hot drink on arrival, a morning guided tour with the Head Gardener, a seasonal lunch from Hintlesham Hall’s AA Rosette kitchens, a second afternoon garden tour, time for questions and photographs and access to the grounds. Visitors should dress for the weather and wear appropriate outdoor footwear. To book, call 01473 652334 or email events@hintleshamhall.com
Featured image of Head Chef Lee Cooper – supplied
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