Askham Hall Gardens
A letter from Diane, Kitchen Gardener at Askham
This year we have been focusing on a new area of land at Askham Hall to enable us to maintain the supply of fruit, vegetable and edible flowers to all our restaurants. Demand has risen since we acquired the Queen’s Head in Askham back in the spring of 2019, and our accolade of a Michelin Star for Restaurant ‘Allium’ at the Hall in the autumn of 2019 which saw a dramatic increase in table bookings.
A small field to the north-west of the Hall, which had been home to our rare breed pigs, was deemed to be the perfect location. Following a very wet winter, we were only able to begin work in March once the ground had dried out. The field gently rises to the north and has a southerly aspect, good soil, but unfortunately rather a lot of stones of all sizes which are being painstakingly removed (glacial deposits of terminal moraine, we think).
Since the closure of the Hall and our other establishments in March, we have been able to make good progress with the help of volunteers. All socially distancing of course!
We have now created 26 beds with barked paths running in between. In line with our kitchen garden, this will be a ‘no-dig’ venture, with an emphasis on mulching and feeding the soil with our own compost.
These beds provide the opportunity to grow more vegetable such as potatoes, Kales, winter brassicas, leeks, and swedes as well as perennials such as Jerusalem Artichokes, Horseradish, Sorrel and seakale.
We are also looking to plant more fruit bushes and trees along the boundaries, especially those less well known such as Saskatoon and Wineberry.
To encourage nature to help control pests and diseases, we have already begun sowing and planting herbs and flowers to attract pollinators and predators. What a joy to discover ladybirds amongst the wild camomile, ( commonly called Pineapple weed) which has colonised all the main arterial paths. Thankfully this appears to be our only significant emerging annual weed, it’s edible and we love it! This week we planted a lavender hedge; attracting the bees, it’s also wonderful as a cut flower for the restaurant tables, and the flowers are edible too.
Going forward together, we hope to create an area that is biodiverse, beautiful, and edible. It is a very exciting project and we look forward to sharing it with our visitors when they return.
Click the link below for panoramic views of the various garden areas at Askham Hall. You can use your mouse to drag each image around 360 degrees.
Panoramic views of Askham Hall Gardens
Founded on a family-owned ‘living’ estate, the Askham Collection is a trio of unique places to eat, drink and sleep on the edge of the Lake District.
With 1000 years of accumulated knowledge, stay with us and we’ll share our insight, our landscape, our produce and our heritage with you. Walk far, swim wild, run free then return to ‘home-grown’ inspired menus and well-stocked wine cellars waiting to be enjoyed.
These special places are deeply rooted in, and connected to, the land around us. As the current custodians, it is our pleasure to welcome you and share in them and for the time that you’re here, to call them home.
For more information about Askham Hall, click here
Easing of lockdown and gradual re-opening
We are delighted to announce, with great anticipation, the first phase of our gradual re-opening. Askham Hall Gardens will re-open to the public on Saturday 20 June, 11.30 am to 7.30 pm, and be open every day until further notice.
We’re firing up our popular wood-fired pizza oven and will be offering take away pizzas from outside the cafe (from 12 to 7) using fresh ingredients straight from our kitchen gardens, tray bakes and drinks. For the first time ever we’ll be operating the pizza oven through to the early evening! Outdoor seating rest areas and toilets available. Dogs permitted in the outdoor cafe area but not the main gardens.
Take a stroll around our spacious 12 acre grade II listed gardens, which are looking amazing at this time of year! During lockdown we have been extending our kitchen gardens in order to maintain the increased demand for the supply of fruit, vegetables and edible flowers to all our restaurants.
In line with government guidelines, we’ll be operating a fully ‘Covid-19 secure’ environment, details of which can be found on our website.
After almost 3 months of closure, we are super excited and really can’t wait to see you all!! We’ll be sure to let you know about the next steps in our gradual re-opening of the Askham Collection as and when we are permitted, over the next few weeks and months.
Charles, Marie-Louisa and the team
