publication date: Nov 8, 2012
|
author/source: Alex Bell
Friends and family had raved
about the fabulous food in
The Garlic Farm Café and wonderful
elephant garlic
but we had yet to sample either ourselves.
You will find
The Garlic
Farm in
Newchurch, nestled in a beautiful valley on the
Isle of Wight. We visited
the
farm, education and heritage centre and
café on (perhaps the only)
beautiful sunny
October half term day which meant that Pippa and Toby could run
around
hunting for hidden pictures of the
garlic fairies in the
fairy trail
before testing as many
chutneys and relishes as they liked!
Farmer Colin, the garlic
farmer, chatted with us and talked with
deserved pride about the
family
business, started by his
parents and now run by him, his wife and two of their
five children. I asked him how he would
describe the farm and he immediately replied: "It's taste and production centric".
For anyone interested in
farming and
nature,
trailer rides and woodland walks,
peacocks and red squirrels and great
fresh food
The Garlic Farm is for you.
The Garlic Farm café and
shop are a fantastically slick operation;
the shop is well stocked with a huge
range of their own
chutneys, relishes and condiments as well as every variety
of
garlic. The staff were all charming and Toby and Pippa were as happy hunting
garlic fairies and peacocks as we were browsing the shop and
tasting chutneys.
The
farm was decorated with
pumpkins on our visit and
The Garlic Farm team talked enthusiastically about
the
Halloween trailer ride that had taken place the night before. An atmosphere
of
creative innovation and appreciation of nature are at the heart of
The
Garlic Farm with displays that change with the season and
special events to fit
the
farming calendar.
The Garlic Farm is a
free
attraction but for those who really love the
farm could even
holiday at one of
the six
farm cottages and take advantage of the
tennis court, football goals
and beauty of this
unique spot.
