Gardens that feed the soul

WHETHER WILD AND RUGGED OR METICULOUSLY MANICURED,
each of these properties showcases a different aspect of what cultivating a garden can mean. What they all share is their power to inspire, heal and nurture, for gardeners, chefs and guests alike. 

GIDLEIGH PARK, Chagford, UK

The garden facing a National Park
Surrounded by 100 acres/40 hectares of pastures and ancient woodland dotted with Douglas fir, Gidleigh Park’s location in Devon, southwest England is quite the picture of a rural idyll. This Tudor-style manor, built in the 1920s, is perched against the side of a hill, a vantage point that offers incredible sweeping views over Dartmoor National Park, where wide expanses of undulating moorland are home to rare flora, wild ponies and some of the best country walks in the UK. But this is protected land, so the ethos here is very much about working with–and within– the natural landscape. You see this in the way the garden follows the sloped contours of the terrain. The lawn is terraced, providing a gentle descent to the bottom of the hill, where the North Teign River gushes past the putting green, croquet lawn and bluebell copse. To one side, the Victorian-era water garden is almost completely obscured from view by the dense foliage of ferns; on the other, the amphitheater-style kitchen garden is lush with fennel fronds and littered with ripe squashes. You won’t see anything exotic here, but there’s a reason for that. “We’re on some of the highest parts of Dartmoor, so a lot of things wouldn’t grow here because of the climate,” says Estate Manager Andrew Brimblecombe. But everything that is grown here is used in the restaurant’s kitchens, complemented by ingredients foraged from woodlands or sourced from local suppliers. “It’s all about working with nature,” says Head Chef Chris Eden, who sees the garden as a continual source of culinary inspiration. “I go there after lunch and all of a sudden my brain starts to trigger, and I think ‘what can we do, how can we make this into a dish?’”. The result? A one-Michelin-starred restaurant with a menu that champions ingredients found right on its doorstep, whether that’s locally sourced lamb with nasturtium leaves from the garden or a salad of the ripest tomatoes cropped in the greenhouse.

_{Gidleigh Park Chagford, United Kingdom © Oliver Smith} 

GRAVETYE MANOR, West Hoathly, UK

The flower garden
A meandering network of narrow, leafy lanes leads you to Gravetye Manor, a West Sussex bolt-hole just 36 miles/ 58 kilometers south of London, where the honey-hued sandstone of this 17th-century Jacobean pile is awash with greenery. The epitome of an English country garden sits at the back, comprised of a well-manicured lawn, flanked on all sides by flower-accented herbaceous borders and divided into quarters by gravel paths. To the right, and up a small flight of steps, an arboretum of sorts opens up on to an enormous walled kitchen garden that’s fragrant with lavender; to the left, acres of meadows, lakes and woodland set a bucolic scene. This pretty vision was conjured by Irish gardener and writer William Robinson in the 19th century. A pioneer of his generation, Robinson rejected the formal gardens of his time in favor of something altogether more natural: the idea was not to let everything run wild, but rather enhance the landscape’s natural beauty. Remarkable skill is required to achieve and maintain this, a task now overseen by Head Gardener Tom Coward. “We wanted a garden that didn’t feel intimidating or overwhelming, something anyone can be inspired by and enjoy,” he says. The transporting experience comes together in the one-Michelin-starred restaurant, where a modern extension with floor-to-ceiling windows immerses guests in nature. “It’s almost like that’s the stage,” says Head Chef George Blogg. “My role is to make the food match that.” To that end, the three-course menu is filled with ingredients plucked fresh from the kitchen garden, like the zucchini and tomatoes that go into the garden salad, or the gooseberries that go into the crumble soufflé. Edible flowers are used liberally to echo the scenery, while off-menu items appear in between courses to capture fleeting flavors only achievable when ingredients are picked at their very best, and served almost immediately after being harvested or foraged. Or, as Tom puts it, “the flavors of the garden that you can’t get anywhere else.”

_{Gravetye Manor West Hoathly, United Kingdom © Oliver Smith} 

GLENAPP CASTLE, Ballantrae, UK

The exotic garden
At Glenapp Castle, a sprawling Scottish property in Ayrshire, the days are slightly longer but the temperatures are surprisingly moderate. That the estate comes to be here, at this precise latitude, is no accident. “When the Fifth Earl of Orkney bought the land, it was quite barren,” says Annmaree Mitchell, Glenapp’s garden consultant. “He started a tree-planting program, which went on between 1830 and 1850. That set us up with a lovely little microclimate, which has allowed us to grow some of the exotic plants we have.” The castle itself didn’t arrive until 1870, when wealthy industrialist James Hunter commissioned celebrated architect David Bryce to build him a home, and a Scottish Baronial-style construction, complete with battlements and turrets, was erected. Most of the property’s guest rooms overlook the woodland and out to sea, where Ailsa Craig, a rocky isle home to a unique bird sanctuary and a lighthouse, sits in the Firth of Clyde. The formal Italian gardens, created by renowned garden designer Gertrude Jekyll, came later still, when the Stock family took on the property in 1901. “May Stock was quite a keen gardener and she was the one who commissioned Gertrude Jekyll to design the formal gardens,” says Annmaree. “And the Azalea Pond was actually designed by her husband.” Today, the kitchen garden is the main attraction thanks to The Azalea, a restored Victorian glasshouse and bothy (a small stone cottage) that’s now a restaurant and event space. Lit by abundant natural light with bench seats against the window, guests sit under a gnarly 100-year-old grape vine that still bears fruit. Outside, in between herbaceous borders stocked with ornamental grasses and thistles, are raised beds overflowing with brassicas and rows of raspberry bushes that supply the restaurant. In another corner, a large herb garden is planted with varieties of mint and thyme, while a polytunnel at the back is where gardener Mark Hoad experiments with growing those aforementioned exotics, like kohlrabi and even watermelons. For Executive Chef Peter Howarth, this remarkable diversity feels “just like a chef’s playground. The garden dictates the menu, and we’ll build dishes around what’s available,” he says. So while the watermelons aren’t quite ready for the table yet, kohlrabi does appear on the menu, alongside beetroot from the garden, as a starter. There’s another side to the gardens here. “When guests come in, their shoulders just relax. I think a lot of that is our surroundings,” says Managing Director Jill Chalmers. “It takes away the stresses of life and it has a big impact on their mind, body and soul.”

_{Glenapp Castle Ballantrae, United Kingdom © Oliver Smith} 

LONGUEVILLE MANOR, St Saviour, UK

The island garden
A winding coastal road takes you to Longueville Manor, an urban sanctuary on the island of Jersey. The hallway of this magnificent property–a private residence for centuries–opens directly into extensive gardens. Today, a heated pool sits next to a reed-lined millpond where ducks frolic. From here, one set of paths leads to the lawn and orchard before melting into the woods, while others curve to the kitchen garden. The latter is a feast for the senses. Gravel paths make it easy to walk between rows of ruby-colored beetroot and cabbages, with sunflowers and nasturtiums adding pops of color. A restored Victorian greenhouse nurtures lemons, chilies and the most fragrant of basils. It’s a gold mine for Head Chef Andrew Baird, who credits the garden for making him a better chef. “You can’t compare the knowledge you get with a kitchen garden,” he says. “You get to know when things are at their best, or how a wet or dry summer might affect the quality.” Pak choi and artichokes are among the exotics grown by Head Gardener David Lewis, but Jersey Royals are always the highlight. Fertilized with seaweed, these lightly saline potatoes make a brief appearance in spring and, as the name suggests, are only grown in Jersey.

_{Longueville Manor St Saviour, Jersey, United Kingdom © Anne-Claire Héraud}

THE BATH PRIORY, Bath, UK

The urban garden
Just 20 minutes on foot from Bath’s historic city center, the garden at The Bath Priory stands out for its urban setting. It is a city hotel but it doe sn’t feel like it. Its 4 acres/1.6 hectares aretoo compact for expansive woodland, but the small, charming meadow beneath a towering cedar of Lebanon tree still evokes a sense of untamed wildness.“People come for the garden so I wanted to create something they can really sit in, enjoy and make their own,” says former Head Gardener Jane Moore, who was instrumental in shaping the setting. The croquet lawn and formal garden are visible from guest rooms, but the bench underneath a leaning mulberry tree and the sculpture tucked against a curved bank of hedges are among the surprises waiting to be discovered. Hidden beyond the bushes is a small kitchen garden planted with peach and quince trees, where viola and calendula attract pollinating insects.“These gardens are ornamental as well as functional, so we try to pick crops that are attractive and interesting,” says Head Chef Jauca Catalin. For him, working with a kitchen garden comes as second nature–a throwback to a childhood in Romania where his grandparents grew their own food. It offers ingredients and inspiration. That’s why you’ll find combinations like rainbow chard with gazpacho sauce served with turbot on the menu. Gue sts love the garden too, as much for a sneak peek of what they may encounter on the day’s menu as the chance encounters it offers with chefs.

_{The Bath Priory Bath, United Kingdom © Oliver Smith}