The whole garden has been cloaked in sparkle dust today.
We had to stop picking the kale mid-December as it had stopped regenerating with the lower temperatures and it doesn’t look like picking up anytime soon. The sprouting broccoli started a little early (it should have waited until January) and has now slowed to a crawl when we should be inundated with sweet, tender spears. Richard says the foliage is tender and sweet to eat raw and there’s more of it this year. Mind, he looked a bit like Jack Frost after his visit to the garden!
We are starting to get back on an even keel at Vallum after the weirdest December ever. With schools finishing late we never really got that huge surge in visitors before Christmas. It came more between Christmas and New Year and seems to have continued into January. All very odd!
Sunday lunches are busy in the Restaurant and Tea Room with lots of lovely feedback. A wedding couple and their family loved the Chef’s Room for a private Sunday Lunch party, especially the log fire and Chesterfields.
We’ve been super busy with wedding viewings too. It’s quite humbling when you show people the marquee, talk about the food and have such positive reactions. After a steep learning curve, it is great to feel part of something which is actually working well, and which we love doing.
The guys in the Restaurant are working on menu and recipe development, having committed to new canapés and birdcage chicken on paper. Now we need to perfect the basics to make them amazing
January has raced away with us and our weddings will be in full swing come March. The new outdoor-indoor barn addition to the marquee is making slow progress but will be finished for Easter.
We have closed the shop to make way for workshop experiences this spring, but all our breads are still for sale in the Tea Room. Oh, and we are hiring waiting and kitchen staff. Email weddings@vallumfarm.co.uk Exciting times!
