Visit to Yeo Valley Organic Garden

On a beautiful, sunny September afternoon about 15 ladies from Harbourside W.I met in the car park of the Yeo Valley Organic Garden, Holt Farm near Blagdon. Our very helpful and knowledgeable young female guide, one of the employed gardeners, filled us in with the background to the evolution of the garden before leading us off on our tour.
 
The house and gardens were given as a wedding present to the current owner Tim Mead and his wife, Sarah who was at the time a London based dancer with no experience of country life. However when she moved to Somerset 18 years ago she embraced the country life wholeheartedly and applied her creative talents to completely restoring and redesigning the estate turning six and a half acres of land into a beautifully diverse, seasonal patchwork of ornamental and edible planting areas. The Organic garden is the only one in Britain to be certified organic by the soil association.
 
Our guide walked us around the different areas of the garden and explained how ideas are shared and discussed with Sarah who is still fully involved and constantly experimenting with new plans. A favourite area was the cut flower garden, which provides the adjacent restaurant and nearby Yeo Valley farm with a constant supply of fresh, seasonal flowers. We also enjoyed seeing the veggie garden with its variety of bizarre, unusually shaped marrows, the meadows, gravel garden and glasshouse with its underfloor heating where the gardeners escape in winter to warm their chilly toes!
 
Ornamental gates and sculptors by a local craftsman, James Blunt, add to the attractiveness of the garden. The setting is also stunning, as it sweeps down to the shores of Blagdon Lake with the beautifully restored farmhouse enjoying lovely views from its balcony.
 
After a fascinating tour lasting about an hour and a half we were ready to sit down in the very cosy restaurant and enjoy some refreshment. This turned out to be tea, scones thick with cream from the Yeo Valley farm and a selection of delicious homemade cakes. We were well looked after by the staff, enjoyed a leisurely tea and were even encouraged to take the leftover cakes home with us.
 
All in all it was an extremely enjoyable afternoon and Holt Farm offers a very pleasant and varied experience to its visitors.