Enjoy bank holiday weekend at Doddington
There’s plenty going on at Doddington this Bank Holiday Weekend! From nibbling cheese, to cooking in the Kitchen Garden, to enjoying a burger and a beer through to really good fun for all the family in the Kitchen Garden, there’s something for everything. And if it is just a quiet stroll that you have in mind, the House & Gardens are open Sunday afternoon as usual plus Monday as well. The Farm Shop & Café is open over the whole weekend, but booking is advisable if you would like lunch in the Café. (Booking not necessary in the Courtyard Café.)Please read on, and pop in soon… we look forward to seeing you!
Tasting in the Farm Shop - Whole Parmesan. 22/23/24/25 August
Try some gorgeous authentic Parmesan cheese from Park View! Park View will be bringing a whole Parmesan weighing approx. 22 kilos, so it's a chance to learn more about this wonderful product. Freshly cut from the whole cheese, this is Parmesan at its very best. Children would love to see this large cheese so it's an educational visit, too. Producer present, 10am to 4pm. No need to book, free.
Taste Italy in the Kitchen Garden, Sat 23 Aug, FREE
It will be an ‘Italian job’ at this Cooking in the Kitchen Garden demo on Bank Holiday Saturday 23 August at 11am when the dishes cooked will all be inspired by Italian dishes and use vegetables and herbs picked fresh from the Kitchen Garden itself.
The demo is free with no need to book, and takes place outdoors (with shelter/shade) in Doddington Hall’s two-acre restored Kitchen Garden and the Herb Garden both of which cookery and gardening fans are welcome to stroll round and enjoy during the demo. The outdoor cook will be Amy but you can also meet Jules from the Farm Shop and Gavin the Head Kitchen Gardener.
Amy will be making Kitchen Garden Sauce & Pasta, a really easy-to-make sauce for pasta that’s full of flavour but uses just a few Kitchen Garden ingredients such as tomatoes and herbs, and could also be used with gnocchi, on mini bruschetta as a canapé or even on pizza. Also being made will be lovely Doddington Runner Bean Salad with Dressing piled on Griddled Aubergine / Courgette – you’ll never want to boil your runner beans again!
Beer & Burger with Milestone Brewery in the Farm Shop / Courtyard
If the combination of good beer and good food is one of your all time favourite things, then you can't be in a better place than at Doddington on Saturday 23 August (Bank Holiday Saturday) from 12 noon to 3pm! (And we suspect you won't be alone...)
The guys from Milestone Brewery will be in offering you a taste of their great range (over 18s please) so you can get to know them better. If you want to chat brewing and beers then we're sure they would be delighted! Then simply choose a bottle of your favourite Milestone beer and settle down with a burger or a hot dog (includes chips and a quality side salad) to enjoy the Farm Shop Courtyard atmosphere.
If you're not sold by now, then remember that we use Phipps rare-breed meats in our Courtyard Cafe so your meal will be as delicious as the beer that washes it down.
All this for just £8.50pp. See you there! No need to book, but restricted to between 12 noon and 3pm.
Bugs, veg and unicorns: great fun for the children! (included as part of admission charge)
Families with children are being offered the chance to have fun in Doddington Hall’s beautiful walled Kitchen Garden Bank Holiday Sunday & Monday. The Kitchen Garden is full of fruit, veg, herbs, bugs and history! And when the bugs have been conquered, there are unicorns in the House that need to be found and a prize claimed!
Between the hours of 12 noon and 5pm (Wednesdays, Sundays & Bank Holiday Mondays only), families can arrive and have a great time together taking part in lots of fun and educational activities. No time restrictions apply, so parents can take as long as they wish.
On arrival, children will each be given an old-fashioned wicker trug by education officer Catherine Lee, which will hold exciting things such as a magnifying glass, a bug jar, a map of the Kitchen Garden and stickers. The intrepid child - with mum, dad or guardian leading the way - will then set off an on adventurous journey amid many fruit and veg, some of which are really old varieties and perhaps were around in grandma’s time!
Can you find the pears? Where are the cabbages? What exactly is an Edzel Blue? All these questions (and more!) will be revealed as vegging out takes on a whole new meaning and children will see what’s involved with growing the food that ends up on the plate.
As well as Hunt the Veg, bugs will become the centre of attention when they are found and identified as either a friend or enemy of the gardener. The bug jar becomes a very important part of the explorer’s equipment as he or she no doubt makes an incredible discovery of some really horrid creepy crawlies and some boisterous bugs!
Finally – switching from bugs in the dirt to taste buds in the mouth – the demanding but important role of crushing, grinding and squashing herbs in a mortar and pestle is ideal to discover more about herbs. Do you know what the sage in your sage and onion stuffing looks like? And what smells nicer, mint or rosemary?
Having fun in the Kitchen Garden is included in the admission price, so the good news is that once the Kitchen Garden has been thoroughly explored and conquered the rest of the Ornamental Gardens – complete with dinosaur egg and maze – and House are still to be discovered. The Unicorn Quest in the House is a fun trail round the huge and atmospheric rooms seeking out unicorns (and all manner of majestic and mythical creatures and characters!) Children can collect stamps and claim a prize at the end. Before going home to dream of bugs and unicorns, a cold drink and some cake or even an early BBQ tea become the perfect way to end a day out.
On Bank Holiday Monday Bug-art is included - a brilliant way to make life-like bugs out of natural air-dried terracotta, leaves and twigs (no painting or glue). Entry included in admission. No need to book. For more information or if you have any queries, please call 01522 694 308.
ENDS
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