We’re really excited to be having a stall at Powderham Garden Festival this bank holiday weekend – Friday and Saturday 2nd and 3rd May. The castle, near Exeter in Devon “… was mentioned in the Domesday Book. It came into the Courtenay family in the dowry of Margaret de Bohun on her marriage to Hugh de Courtenay, son of the first Courtenay Earl of Devon in 1325… Margaret bore her lord eight sons and nine daughters … [she] left Powderham to her sixth son, Philip, in her will. Sir Philip began building the Castle as we see it today in 1391. The building had the typical medieval long hall layout with six tall towers, only one of which remains today.” It’s a fantastic vevue with stunning grounds!
The festival will be the first garden show to be hosted at the castle and will see “the West Country’s finest specialist nurseries … selling everything from roses, pond plants, herbs to tender perennials, bringing a host of beautiful plants and advice under one roof. …
Expect a packed programme of events over the two days including a Gardeners’ Q & A with Toby and a team of experts. Ann Swithinbank from Radio 4’s Gardeners’ Question Time will be giving talks and demos on Saturday, while organic expert Charles Dowding and Neil Lucas from Dorset ornamental grass nursery will be speaking and giving demo’s on Friday. A host of other experts will be here, including local Devon historian Dr Todd Gray, demos from local dowsers and Powderham Forge and more speakers yet to be confirmed.
There will also be plenty of family fun and entertainment, including a children’s tent where we will be giving away hundreds of pumpkin seeds as part of the launch of Toby’s PumpkinFest 2014, plus delicious West Country food [including us!!] and drink, live music and entertainment.”
The menu we’ll be selling is going to be fresh, local, seasonal, interesting and delicious! There’ll be a selection of salads; Beetroot, orange and watercress, local free-range pork, noodle and spring veg salad with satay sauce, local celeriac and Laydilay mayo remoulade, and delicious organic salad leaves with edible flowers. We’re making sandwiches to order with an exciting variety of fillings; roast carrot hummous, Sharpham rustic cheese, rhubarb and orange chutney, egg and Devon Organics watercress mayo, locally smoked mackerel pate and roast chicken, sun dried tomatoes and roast red onion mayo. These will all be served with Totnes Bread Club wraps or the fantastic wholemeal loaves from Seeds2Bakery, Totnes.
We’re also making cake and selling gluten free fritatta pieces, so come along and say hi, try some fresh, healthy and seasonal food. It’ll be a fantastic bank holiday day out of colour, local delights and beautiful surrounds!