Estate to Plate
Originally, Middleton Lodge would have been a self-sufficient Georgian estate, growing and rearing the fruits, vegetables and meat for the families living on the estate. Milk and cheese would have been created in the estate dairy. The abundance of ingredients in the autumn, which would be preserved for the winter, before the new lease of life that comes with the spring and runs through to the summer.
This way of self-sufficiency inspires the day-to day running of the estate, creating new adaptations of these traditional ways to conserve and protect the natural beauty of the estate environment.
The seasons provide a natural rhythm for each recipe and menu we create. We nourish the soil, growing ingredients bursting with natural flavours and textures, and allowing each dish to elevate the produce and inspire each diner.
Alongside the gardens, the orchards have been restored to allow the original fruit trees to grow apples and fruits for the kitchens. Nearby, a colony of bees has been welcome to encourage pollination across the estate. Almost 90 per cent of wild plants depend on pollinators such as bees, so having this colony is very important to the estate.
