IMAGES: Kitchen garden opened at Rudding Park Hotel

Over 100 guests attended the opening of a kitchen garden at Rudding Park Hotel in Harrogate.
Lady Emma Ingilby, Matthew Wilson and Lady Mowbray (s).Lady Emma Ingilby, Matthew Wilson and Lady Mowbray (s).
Lady Emma Ingilby, Matthew Wilson and Lady Mowbray (s).

The hotel worked with designer Matthew Wilson to create the garden.

Matthew Wilson is Managing Director and Principal Designer at Clifton Nurseries, London’s oldest gardening business, as well as a panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners Question Time, regular contributor to the Financial Times and presenter of the Channel 4 series ‘Landscape Man’. His particular areas of horticultural interest include environmentally sensitive gardening, wildlife and landscapes, all skills which he has incorporated into this garden.

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Matthew worked with expert kitchen gardener Amy Lax, who formerly co-managed the Kitchen Garden at Harlow Carr, on the design of the garden.

Lady Emma Ingilby, Matthew Wilson and Lady Mowbray (s).Lady Emma Ingilby, Matthew Wilson and Lady Mowbray (s).
Lady Emma Ingilby, Matthew Wilson and Lady Mowbray (s).

At 1320 square metres the garden includes 52 raised beds made from English Oak trees (Quercus Robur) at Rudding Park. Over 100 different herbs, salads, edible flowers and fruits are grown, specifically chosen by Amy Lax to offer guests something different including Mizuna ‘Red Devil’, ‘Mint Crisp’ Lettuce, Amarath ‘Red Army’ and ‘Tree Spinach’.

Two AA Rosette Clocktower Restaurant at Rudding Park has championed locally sourced food for many years but the Kitchen Garden brings an opportunity for the chefs to work with Kitchen Gardener, Adrian Reeve, and select the freshest, seasonal ingredients and incorporate them into the new menu on a daily basis.

From Spring 2015, the Kitchen Garden will provide a fantastic space to host events for both business or pleasure. Experience a drinks reception, afternoon tea party or erect a yurt to create an exclusive setting for a dinner party. Guided tours can also be arranged for private events. Rudding Park guests will also be welcome to visit the garden, find a quiet spot to read or relax and listen to the tranquil water feature.

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Judi Mackaness, Director of Rudding Park said: “There is always something new at Rudding Park as we continually strive to improve our offering to ensure we remain one of the top hotels in the country. As our newest development, the Kitchen Garden will not only provide our chefs with interesting and innovative flavours it also provides an additional space for our guests to explore.”

Matthew Wilson said: “I’ve been working with the team at Rudding Park for over six years now, advising on the gardens and landscape, and the Kitchen Garden is another superb addition. It’s been so exciting to see it come together, and Amy has selected some really tasty and unusual varieties to get guests taste buds tingling! The quality of the food being grown matches the quality of the garden - everything has been built to the highest standard, which is typical of Rudding Park.”

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