Prior to dinner, I took a walk to the potager, which was hidden behind a clipped yew hedge. As I walked through the hidden entrance, my jaw dropped. I felt the same sense of discovery as Mary Lenox in The Secret Garden but in this case, it was for real. White gravel paths weave through the planting and invite visitors to explore the fruits of the gardeners’ care and skill. There was a looseness to the planting, large brassicas plump and ready to harvest had poppies, borage and dill growing amongst them. Lavender and creeping rosemary flopped across the paths. Fruit was ripening on the trees. Water features, designed to collect rain, were placed around the plot and overflowed, trickling into the borders. A traditional lean-to greenhouse was full of ripening tomatoes. The abundance of wildlife was equally impressive. The biodiverse nature of the potager ensured the garden was alive with bees, butterflies and hoverflies. In addition, there were plenty of sparrows who were diligently picking pests from the plants. I felt transported into another world, a tranquil world, and one so rarely found these days. A world in which people and nature work in harmony. I sat on one of the benches and took in the scene. My mind was at ease and soon, it was time for dinner.
