Water Lane

 

I was recently invited to the press lunch at Water Lane which used to be The Walled Garden Nursery 

In my previous post I mentioned that it was up for sale and it has finally reopened, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to visit.

Water Lane is located down a winding country lane lined with cowparsley and gorgeous views of the Kent countryside. Once parked up, I entered the large green wooden gate and was transported into a romantic walled garden filled with butterflies, flowers and a sense of gardening history

Upon arrival, we were greeted with a refreshing glass of gooseberry and apple mint cordial. It was such a hot day so this was much needed! 

Once everyone had arrived we began our tour of the gardens. It was fascinating to see how much had changed since my last visit and learning to understand what the plans for the future are.

The owners, Nick Selby and Ian James, have visions of restoring the peach case, the vinery and the greenhouses, all of which will be a long term labour of love. Four of the glasshouses have already been restored in 2017/2018, due to a generous benefactor, the granddaughter of the original head gardener, Ernest Hardcastle who used to come and play here when she was a child. They would like the site to be a working kitchen garden with a cutting garden with flowers available to purchase.

Now it's not just beautiful gardens that we came for! Food is part of the essence that makes Water Lane such a lovely place to visit so I was eager to see what we would be eating for lunch!

The owners, are clearly supporting the diverse and delicious food and drink producers from the High Weald and bringing their produce to the table. The food that is served to your plate here will also feature foods that have been grown on site.

The menu at Water Lane has earnt its place in the English countryside. The short and simple menu by head chef Jed Wrobel is guided by the seasons with British produce-led cooking that is simple and elegant but prepared with imagination and care. 

The menu focuses primarily on vegetables either grown in The Walled Garden’s own no-dig beds or from nearby organic and biodynamic farms. The menu will also include small amounts of grass-fed meat and day boat fish from nearby Hastings and Rye.  

As we sat down to lunch under the welcoming shade from the pavilion. we were intrigued to see what we would be eating! 

We were served gazpacho, beetroot with whipped rosary ash, raspberry and almonds. 

Goblin cucumber with brown shrimp. Charred aubergines, kalamata olives, romesco and crispy polenta.

Poached peaches with bay custard and a cinnamon crumb. we also made room for soft serve ice cream from Northiam dairy and pump street chocolate shavings.

Needless to say I left Water Lane feeling rather stuffed and very relaxed!

We were also gifted a bunch of sweet peas to take home which was such a kind and thoughtful touch, especially as I recently went to buy a small bunch from a local farmshop but put them back after seeing the hefty price tag! I am going to grow my own next year.

Thank you Water Lane for inviting me. It was such a lovely way to spend the afternoon and I met some wonderful people and felt thoroughly spoilt. I look forward to my next visit!