I just love these long summer evenings when it hardly ever seems to get dark. The cottage garden is a dream with lupins, delphiniums and roses, and the kitchen garden is beginning to produce an abundance of fruit, herbs and vegetables. The guests relax in the garden over afternoon tea with chocolate cake, whilst I select the evenings vegetables. There is a choice of Swift or Epicure potatoes; spring cabbage, spinach or Swiss chard, a gourmet selection of lettuce and lots of fresh herbs. Strawberries and gooseberries are in season, well matched with Elderflowers for faulous desserts.
i will be demonstrating at the Royal Highland show on Thursday, using all this seasonal produce.
Archive for the ‘Romantic Holiday’ Category
Fine Dining at Cosses Country House
Monday, June 21st, 2010Old Riley stays at Cosses Country House
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010Wolsey Lodge guests arrived in their beautiful blue Riley, having been to a rally near Loch Lomond. Wolsey Lodges are a great place for vintage car owners to stay as they nearly always have safe discreet parking.
Tim with his Riley
Other guests, this week have had great walking experiences doing the first section of the Ayrshire Coastal Path, walking aroung Glen Trool, the first section of the Southern Upland Way from Port Patrick and out to St.Ninians Cave on the Isle of Whithorn.
The path down the Merrick towards Loch Trool
The garden is looking glorious and guests have enjoyed afternoon tea and breakfast in the garden. It has rained all day today and provided a much needed watering of the garden.
In the garden at Cosses Country House
Holiday in Southern Scotland
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010Guests leaving this morning said that their visit to Cosses Country House was ‘the icing on the cake’ to finish a lovely week touring Scotland. They said that the dinner was fabulous – Fresh asparagus with Marrbury Smoked Salmon and home grown salad leaves; Fillet of Dalduff beef with mushroom stuffed with spinach and roast beetroot with balsamic and saute potatoes; Blackcurrant Creme Brulee; Scottish Cheese and Home made oatcakes; finished with coffee and home made Tablet.
They called in woodland Farm shop to buy farm house cheese – Ann Dorwood’s Aiket Brie and Epicure potatoes to take back home to Ireland; then they were going for a walk in Castle Kennedy before going for the ferry.
It rained last night, which watered the garden, as I had planted out the runner beans – St George and climbing beans – Cobra. The first early potatoes (in the green house) will be ready at the weekend, the spring cabbage is almost ready, and everything else has grown after the rain – including the weeds!
Gardens in Southern Scotland are a ‘must see’ in May
Sunday, May 9th, 2010May is my favourite month! Everything is poised to burst open, there’s an incredible amount of energy around and lots of bird song. There are carpets of bluebells throughout the woods, with many other wild flowers including orchids. The camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas, crinodendrons, embothriums and other spring flowering trees and shrubs provide stunning colour and scents. There are numerous gardens, open to the public, for the garden lover to enjoy and we suggest itineraries for guests to get the most out of their stay with us, including where to visit on their journeys to and from us.
Bargany is a favourite:
The boathouse
Glenwhan celebrates being open for 30 years next Sunday with a hog roast and special tour of the garden
www.glenwhangardens.co.uk . Castle Kennedy Gardens, famous for its huge display of ancient rhododendrons and exotic shrubs, and Logan Botanical Gardens are thrilling with their displays of trillions, meconopsis and rare plants. Many gardens are just open on certain days and details of these can be found in Scotland Garden Scheme www.gardensofscotland.org
Wisteria growing round the kitchen window
The perfect Garden Lovers Holiday (very romantic locations!)