Set in the bucolic South West, The Newt in Somerset, a sister estate to Babylonstoren in South Africa, (see article from HF Winter 2019/20) offers perhaps one of the most unique family get-aways we’ve experienced. From garden tractor and walking tours, visits with animals, cyder tastings to spa days and seasonal feasting, there truly is something for everyone.
We arrive on the working estate early to beat the crowds but we needn’t have worried. With 2000-acres of fertile farmland, feathery friends and cyder orchards there’s plenty of room. Our hosts have recommended wellies and umbrellas as they do at most times of the year suggesting that “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes”. Even on this mid-summer morning, its damp and there’s a chill in the air.
From good soil
Fields mix with orchards, polytunnnels and glasshouses while playing host to shops, estate-led eateries and a cyder mill. Somerset is apple country, so head to ancient orchards, old barns with cyder presses within. On site for the day, or as a seasons pass holder like my daughter, visitors of all ages enjoy front row seats, tastings and demonstrations from a variety of gardeners, chefs, bakers and animal husbandry experts who are there to explain philosophies and processes —the goal, of course, to help both young and old understand the joy, and value, of working in harmony with the land and local conditions. There’s little that happens out of sight.
Leading the Whey
A newly resurrected former 1912 milk factory hosts the Newt’s new trackside restaurant and open cheesemaking facility called the Creamery. Diners, sitting alongside floor to ceiling glass windows enjoy a birds-eye view of Margaretha Van Dam and her artisanal team working with rich and creamy milk from the farm’s water buffalo. The daily arrival of raw, unhomogenized and nutritionally complex milk allows the Creamery to produce the most amazing soft unaged cheese and deep-flavoured yogurts.
To your door
Seasonal gifts and freshest of Somerset spoils are harvested, baked and butchered can be shipped home or found for sale in the Shop. Raised on the estate, the rare-breed beef, lamb and venison are dry-aged and butchered and salted to order. Bountifully provisioned food and wine hampers combine thoughtful presents for the home and garden in the one-of-a- kind gift boutique.
More than a day
The home of the Hobhouse family for several centuries, Hadspen House is an exquisitel twenty-three bedroom Georgian limestone mansion, the colour of burnt honey, that’s lovingly nestled in the cyder orchards. The nearby Farmyard where livestock still graze is home to 17 more rooms, a pool, bar, snug and the all-day kitchen. Recently voted the world’s best boutique hotel.
Membership at The Newt provides unlimited access for 12 months to explore the gardens, woodlands and exhibitions.
The great garden escape
Whisking guests on a First-Class adventure from London Paddington to the heart of the West Country by train to experience all things Somerset, on your day trip you can explore ancient woodlands, fertile farms, manicured gardens and the art of cidermaking. Bespoke itineraries, seasonal programming and expert guides offer a few special surprises.
