How the kitchen garden shapes the seasonal menus at The Lake Terrace, the Pool House Kitchen and our intimate Chef's Table tasting dinner for eight guests.
Most mornings begin the same way for our kitchen team: with a walk through the garden. Before anyone writes a menu or orders a single ingredient, someone has looked at what is ripe, what is nearly there and what has bolted overnight. That walk decides more about what you eat than any recipe book.
A garden first, a menu second
The kitchen garden sits a few minutes from The Lake Terrace, on a sheltered slope that catches the morning sun. It is a working plot of raised beds, fruit trees, herbs and a greenhouse for the cooler months.
Because the garden leads, our menus are written in pencil. A dish might appear for only a fortnight, disappear when the season turns, and return next year in a slightly different form.
What the garden gives us
Across a typical year, the garden supplies:
- Salad leaves, edible flowers and soft herbs for most of the warmer months
- Beans, courgettes, tomatoes and squash through summer
- Orchard fruit and berries for desserts, preserves and the Cedar Bar
- Root vegetables and hardy greens through autumn and winter
- Botanicals that also find their way into the Forest Spa
What we cannot grow ourselves, we look for close to home, favouring producers who share the same respect for seasons.
How a seasonal menu is built
Start with the best thing in the garden
Each new menu begins with a single ingredient at its peak. A handful of early peas, the first ripe figs, a row of beetroot that has come up beautifully. Everything else is built around letting that ingredient shine.
Keep it simple
The best produce rarely needs much. Our cooking leans on careful seasoning and a light touch. We would rather serve three things on a plate that taste vividly of themselves than ten that compete.
Cook for the setting
The Lake Terrace is where we cook our most considered dishes, best enjoyed slowly with a view of the water. The Pool House Kitchen is more relaxed, with fresh, sunny plates made for long lunches in swimwear. The Cedar Bar borrows from both, along with garden-infused drinks. You will find all three on our dining page.
If it did not taste good in the garden, it will not taste good on the plate.
The Chef’s Table
For guests who want to see all of this up close, the Chef’s Table dinner is our most personal experience. Just eight guests gather for a tasting menu that changes with whatever the garden is offering that week.
What to expect
- A sequence of small courses, each introduced by the chefs who cooked it
- Stories about where ingredients were grown and why they were chosen
- Thoughtful drink pairings, if you would like them
- An unhurried evening that often runs long after the last course
Because the table is so small, places are limited. We recommend mentioning it when you book your stay, and your personal host will take care of the rest.
Dietary needs and preferences
Cooking with the seasons makes it easier, not harder, to adapt. Let us know about allergies, intolerances or preferences before you arrive, and the kitchen will plan around them. Vegetarian and plant-led dishes are a natural part of a garden-first kitchen, not an afterthought.
Come hungry
The best way to understand our food is to taste it. Explore our offers for stays that include dining, or contact our team to ask about the current season’s menus.
