Bee Safaris

Join our resident beekeeper Paula Carnell (aka ‘Queen Bee’) or a member of her bee team, for a walking tour of our colonies of rare, native and wild bees. You will discover the various hives hidden in our woodland (just as every colony is different, so are their homes!), learn more about their fascinating behaviours, and leave feeling totally...buzzing.

Advanced booking is required, though you may be able to book on the day if space allows. Garden Membership is required for entry to the gardens.

Click Book Now or enquire with our hosts in the Threshing Barn upon arrival.

The Botanical Rooms to Your Home

The Botanical Rooms Head Chef Ben Champkin has launched a weekly changing menu available every Friday and Saturday, for you to simply heat and serve at home.

Enjoy three courses with a mini apple sourdough made for two plus potted spread; either a meat, fish or vegetarian main with a seasonal side; followed by a delicious dessert.

There's even a West Country cheese selection for a final flourish.

Available with free delivery if you live in our fresh delivery area of BA, London or select local postcodes.

How it works:

Click to order for delivery.

Add a tipple of your choice and select your delivery date.

Wait excitedly for your order to arrive - lay the table, light the candles.

Warm up, serve, tuck in!

Limited number of meals available each weekend.

Tea on the Terrace

Starting Friday 16 April, join us at the Hotel each weekend for Afternoon Tea on the Terrace.

Enjoy full waiter service with views over the gardens, as you sip on tea and tuck into a selection of delights.

We'll be showcasing our very own blended teas and seasonal cocktails by our bartenders, made using herbs, fruits and botanicals from the garden. To eat, there are finger sandwiches made by our Head Chef of The Botanical Rooms and sweet treats crafted by our Head Pastry Chef - including cakes, tarts and of course, scones with jam and Somerset clotted cream.

To work off your tea, the croquet lawn and badminton court will be set for you to try your hand at these quintessential afternoon games.

Afternoon tea served Friday, Saturday & Sunday, in two sittings between 12pm – 4pm. £35pp includes tea, coffee or hot cocoa, with additional drinks available to order. Also includes complimentary access to the Gardens.

Booking is essential, with a £10 deposit required upon booking.

Daily Garden Tour

Discover more about the gardens from a member of the team who tends to them, in daily guided tours. Explore the history and inspirations behind different gardening styles through the ages, and the stories that bind them all together.

Book Now to secure your place on the day of your visit. Garden Membership is required for entry to the Gardens.

Live Cyder Tasting: Single Varietals

Each month, our cyder team will be hosting tasting sessions from the cellar, live streamed on Instagram and Facebook, that you can join from home.

For April's tasting, Cellar Master Greg Carnell and Cyder Maker Paul Ross will be tasting through our single varietal cyders, made from traditional Somerset varieties - Kingston Black, Dabinett and Yarlington Mill - paired with three Somerset cheeses.

Order a tasting set that includes 6 x 330ml bottles of cyder and three of our favourite local cheeses, then tune in live on Instagram and Facebook.

Click 'Order Set' before 1pm Wednesday 21 April to get yours in time for the live tasting.

Baking with Heritage Grains

Heritage grain is so much more than a baking buzzword. Healthier and easier to digest than mass-produced grains, these small yet mighty grains contain complex flavours and hold greater nutritional value than their modern monocrop offspring. Our Bakery team love working with them and we're lucky to have some of the country's best producers right here in the South West.

In this virtual workshop Head Baker Sam Bobbett, will discuss the benefits of heritage grains and lead you through how to make a soda bread and seeded crackers. He will also offer tips and hints on how to get the most out of your sourdough.

The workshop will be live streamed on our Instagram and Facebook.

Sign up then order your kit from Mobile Newt, available nationwide. We'll deliver it in time for you to bake alongside Sam, asking questions as you go.

Blossom Pressing & Mounting

Join gardener and Heritage Manager, Maiko Ishida, on a blooming good floral-themed workshop that offers the chance to create a piece of the garden to take home. You'll choose your plants and flowers to press, then learn how to arrange and mount them in readiness for framing and hanging on your wall.

You will be led around the flower gardens by a member of the garden team, where you will select and forage your chosen blooms. You will then arrange, press and mount.

The workshop includes the flower press, pressings and ready-to-frame flowers, as well as a selection of papers to continue pressing flowers at home.

The day ends with a seasonal picnic lunch in the garden, also included in the price.

Limited spaces available.

Floral Cordials & Champagne

May signals the first of the elderflower blooms. These ubiquitous hedgerow and woodland margin plants, with their dainty, lace-like flower heads, carry a delicate floral scent that we preserve in a corking sparkling elderflower wine.

As well as elderflower champagne, you will also learn how to create seasonal floral cordials and receive tips on mixing summer cocktails using your infusions.

Join us in the garden for the workshop to create your own floral cordials and elderflower champagne, using flowers foraged from the estate. You will be led through the full process and will also receive tips on how to mix delicious cocktails using your infusions.

The workshop ends with a seasonal picnic lunch, included in the price.

Live Cyder Tasting: Fine Cyder

Each month, our cyder team will be hosting tasting sessions from the cellar, live streamed on Instagram and Facebook, that you can join from home. With the darling buds of May, we shall be delighting in our Fine Cyder.

Cellar Master Greg Carnell and Cyder Maker Paul Ross will be exploring the complex yet subtle notes that set our Fine Cyder apart.

Order a tasting set that includes 2 x 750ml bottles of Fine Cyder and a recipe suggestion from our chefs, then tune in live on Instagram and Facebook.

Dawn Walk: Orchard Blossom

For this month's Dawn Walk, Arthur Cole visits the orchards to meet our Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell. As they stroll through the apple blossom they'll discuss the relationship between the bees, the orchards, the adjoining hedgerows and the apple juice, culminating in a seasonal picnic breakfast at the end of the South avenue.

Watch live on Instagram and Facebook, or join in from home by ordering a fresh breakfast to tuck into at home - we'll deliver it the day prior, so that you can feel like you're in the orchards with us.

*only available in our fresh delivery areas

Floral Cordials & Champagne (Virtual)

Tune in live for this virtual workshop with Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart.

May signals the first of the elderflower blooms. These ubiquitous hedgerow and woodland margin plants, with their dainty, lace-like flower heads, carry a delicate floral scent that we preserve in a corking sparkling elderflower wine.

Follow our foraging tips then tune in to join Alan as he leads a virtual workshop on how to create this early summer treat. As well as elderflower champagne, you will also learn how to create seasonal floral cordials and receive tips on mixing summer cocktails using your infusions.

It's free to join or you can order a kit (£45) and have it delivered in time for the workshop - click Book Now to be notified as soon as the kits are available.

Woven Picnic Basket Workshop

Willow weaving has been a traditional Somerset craft before even the Romans arrived.

In this workshop, Somerset-based garden designer and willow weaver, Angela Morley, shares her knowledge about this time-honoured tradition of using versatile willow stems to weave beautiful and practical creations. You will be led through how to create a basket, to then fill with a delicious seasonal picnic lunch to be enjoyed in the garden.

Limited spaces available. All materials and equipment are supplied, with entry to the garden and lunch included in the price.

Over-Fire Cooking: Estate Lamb & Vegetables

The warmth of sun on our faces, the abundance of produce spilling out from the vegetable beds, the unmistakable clink of ice in a glass, and the familiar smell of smoke from the cooking fires - outdoor dining is taken to the next level in the Gardens this June, and we want to share the good life experience with you.

Join us for a smoky summer workshop led by our Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, as you discover how to get the most out of cooking spring lamb and seasonal vegetables over fire.

You will prepare the lamb and select, harvest and prepare a wide variety of vegetables fresh from the garden, learning how best to release their flavours by cooking over the flames; culminating in an al fresco banquet with the rest of the group.

All ingredients and materials are provided, with garden entry and lunch included in the price.

Dawn Walk: Wildflowers

Wake up to the sounds of the summer birds and crickets with Arthur Cole, as he walks and talks you through the wildflowers and wild margins of the Estate.

Order a fresh breakfast from Mobile Newt and we’ll deliver the day prior, so you can tuck into our finest farm produce after or during this live virtual tour - streamed on our Instagram and Facebook.

Over-Fire Cookery: Estate Vegetables

The warmth of sun on our faces, the abundance of produce spilling out from the vegetable beds, the unmistakable clink of ice in a glass, and the familiar smell of smoke from the cooking fires - outdoor dining is taken to the next level in the Gardens this June, and we want to share the good life experience with you.

Join us for a smoky summer workshop led by our Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, as you discover how to get the most out of cooking seasonal produce over fire.

You will select, harvest, prepare and cook a wide variety of vegetables fresh from the garden and learn how best to release their flavours over the flames; culminating in an al fresco banquet with the rest of the group.

All ingredients and materials are provided, with garden entry and lunch included in the price.

Dawn Walk: Bee Safari

Wake up to the buzzing of our bees with Arthur Cole and Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell, as they walk the flight-lines of the bees in the peak of their summer foraging.

Order a fresh breakfast from Mobile Newt and we’ll deliver the day prior, so you can tuck into our finest farm produce with honey specials after or during this live virtual tour - streamed on our Instagram and Facebook.

Beeswax Lip Balm Workshop (Virtual)

Join our Head Beekeeper Paula Carnell and Head of Wellbeing Franziska Lang, as they lift the honeypot lid and delve into the health-promoting properties of this precious golden nectar.

You will learn how and why bees make honey and its health associations, as well as the relationship bees have with the world around us and the role they play in a balanced ecology. Paula’s engaging stories of bees and beekeepers will inspire you to look at the world with a ‘bee’s eye’ view.

You will make a nourishing lip-balm using the contents of your kit:

Beeswax block Babylonstoren olive oil Avalon Calendula flowers (fresh) Glass jar for infusing flowers Propolis for lip balm Tins for lip balm Honey (for tasting) Herbal tea

All materials and equipment are provided and under Paula’s guidance you will extract wax and propolis to make a soothing lip balm and learn about other immune-boosting remedies.

Order your kit to be delivered one week before the virtual workshop. Available anywhere in the UK.

Live Cyder Tasting: Rosé Cyder

The juice of the distinctive Red Love apple gives our Rosé Cyder its deep, sensual colour and unique flavour profiles - the perfect accompaniment to languorous summer evenings.

For this month's live virtual cyder tasting, join our Cellar Master, Greg Carnell, with wife and Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell, for a tasting with a difference - on a horse-drawn carriage ride through the cyder orchards. Live streamed on Instagram and Facebook.

Sign up now and we'll let you know when the tasting set is available to order.

Beeswax Lip Balm Workshop (with lunch)

Join our Head Beekeeper & honey sommelier, Paula Carnell, in this half-day workshop lifting the honeypot lid on the folklore and scientifically proven health benefits of different honey varieties for both bees and humans.

Using honey, beeswax, propolis and herb infused oils, Paula will demonstrate and guide you through making your very own beeswax lip balm.

As your wax is melting, savour the tasting journey of a selection of honeys from around the world, sipping The Newt's own blend herbal teas. Paula’s engaging stories of bees and beekeepers will inspire you to look at the world with a 'bee's eye' view.

The kit will contain all the ingredients to make your lip balm for yourself and as gifts for loved ones, plus a selection of honeys to taste during the workshop, with herbal teas blended to reflect the ingredients in your lip balm.

The day ends with a seasonal, vegetable-led lunch in the Garden Café, overlooking the gardens and happily foraging bees.

Limited spaces.

Gardener & Chef: Growing for the Plate

August is a month when the vegetable beds have been soaking up the summer warmth, the vegetables have been swelling and are ripe for the picking - so it's a great time to come and harvest with us.

This fresh produce deserves the finest send-off, so we have setup the picnic area above the wildflower meadow to have everything you need to cook your picked bounty over fire, creating inventive and delectable dishes with Head Chef, Alan Stewart.

The day begins meeting our Head of Edible Gardens, Rose Szarowicz, and Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, in the Gardens of The Newt, followed by a short journey to our Market Garden over on Avalon Farm. At the Market Garden we will meet the gardeners who have been cultivating and tending to the plants, picking alongside them to fill our trugs for lunch. Trugs filled to the brim, we head back to the main gardens to cook our harvested produce over open fire, culminating in an indulgent lunch picked and prepared by ourselves under the expert guidance of Rose and Alan.

All equipment and ingredients supplied. Garden entry and lunch are included in the price. There is the option to purchase cyder, wines and cocktails to wash it all down.

Limited availability.

Dawn Walk: Crops & Grains

Wake up to the sounds of the summer with Arthur Cole as he explores unseen areas of the farm, sharing more about our crops and special heritage grains.

Order a breakfast from the Mobile Newt and we’ll deliver the day prior, so you can tuck into our finest farm produce after or during the tour.

Dried Flowers & Grasses Displays with Lunaria

Dried flowers and grasses can provide striking, long-lived displays for the home.

In this half-day workshop, Deborah Bain - a Bruton-based artist and founder of floral design studio, Lunaria - will lead you through how to select and arrange different materials to create late summer urns and an early autumn decoration to adorn your mantlepiece.

The day will culminate in a seasonal lunch in the Garden Cafe, overlooking the gardens.

All materials and equipment are provided. Entry to the Garden and lunch are included in the price. Limited spaces available.

Dawn Walk: Kitchen Gardens

Started during lockdown, our popular Dawn Walks with Arthur Cole have been live streamed every month, to audiences all over the world.

Now, for the first time, you can join Arthur in person for an exclusive early morning walk through the gardens. Starting your day on the right foot to the sounds of the songbirds, before harvesting produce while Estate Head Chef Alan Stewart stokes up a fire, brews the coffee and prepares your harvest for an al fresco breakfast in the Kitchen Garden.

Entry to the Gardens, breakfast and coffee are included in the price. Limited spaces available.

Cornbread & Tamales Workshop (Virtual)

This month we are celebrating the mightiest yet sweetest of the cereal grains: sweetcorn.

Tune in live on our Instagram and Facebook to join Head Baker, Sam Bobbett, and Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, as they guide you through creating cornbread and tamales in your kitchen - with a Somerset accent from the addition of cheddar and apples!

Order your kit and we will deliver it to your door prior to the start of the workshop.

Available nationwide.

Cornbread & Tamales Workshop

This month we are celebrating the mightiest yet sweetest of the cereal grains: sweetcorn.

Join us on the Estate to embark on a safari through the cornfields. Pick the cobs, learn about the different cultivars then join Head Baker, Sam Bobbett, and Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, as they teach you how to make and bake cornbreads and tamales - with a Somerset twist (of course!) involving cheddar cheese, apples and cyder.

The half-day workshop culminating in a delicious seasonal lunch. Entry to the Gardens and lunch are included in the price. Limited spaces available.

Home Ground Cyder Making

Cyder is the lifeblood that runs through The Newt’s veins; carrying within it the very essence of what our Estate is about: Somerset, apples, heritage, horticulture, creativity, experimentation and responsible stewardship of the land.

Join our expert cyder team throughout apple harvest season in the month of October, as they lead a hands-on cyder making workshop.

You will learn about the history of cyder making in Somerset, taste the different characteristics of some of our 70 different varieties of cyder apples, press your own juice by hand and start the cyder making process in a demi-john to then take home with you.

The day culminates with a lunch in the Garden Cafe and a tasting pack of our own cyders to take home - all included in the price.

Live Cyder Tasting: Signature Blend

COMING SOON

The Signature Blend is a culmination of over three years work in the Cyder Cellar, and decades of experience from our Cyder Team. We are very proud to dedicate this month's Live Cyder Tasting session to this exceptional cyder.

Order a tasting set and tune in live on Instagram or Facebook. Available for nationwide delivery.

Dawn Walk: Autumn Colours

Arthur Cole is joined by Castle Cary-based artist, Frances Watts, as they take in the autumn leaf colours and discuss how the changing seasons can influence our mood and how we express ourselves.

Order a fresh breakfast and we will deliver the day prior to the walk, so that you can tuck-in to the finest farm produce as you tune-in from home.

Apple Day 2021

Make sure you visit this weekend during apple harvest season, for one of our favourite events in the Estate calendar.

‘Apple Day’, which actually falls on 21 October - the Thursday before the weekend - was started in 1990 by Common Ground. Apple Day aims to raise “awareness not only of the importance of orchards to our landscape and culture, but also in the provenance and traceability of food” - these are philosophies that we at The Newt also hold dear. Plus, we really like an excuse to celebrate apples.

The weekend shall be a two-day celebration of all things apple; from juice pressing to apple games, displays, recipes, cyder tastings and tractor tours through the orchards. Expect live music and DJs, apple-themed menus as well as our ever popular hog roasting on a spit over fire for the carnivores!

Baking with Heritage Grains

Heritage grain is so much more than a baking buzzword. Healthier and easier to digest than mass-produced grains, these small yet mighty grains contain complex flavours and hold greater nutritional value than their modern monocrop offspring. Our Bakery team love working with them and we're lucky to have some of the country's best producers right here in the South West.

In this virtual workshop Head Baker Sam Bobbett, will discuss the benefits of heritage grains and lead you through how to make a soda bread and seeded crackers. He will also offer tips and hints on how to get the most out of your sourdough.

The workshop will be live streamed on our Instagram and Facebook.

Sign up then order your kit from Mobile Newt, available nationwide. We'll deliver it in time for you to bake alongside Sam, asking questions as you go.

Dawn Walk: Crops & Grains

Wake up to the sounds of the summer with Arthur Cole as he explores unseen areas of the farm, sharing more about our crops and special heritage grains.

Order a breakfast from the Mobile Newt and we’ll deliver the day prior, so you can tuck into our finest farm produce after or during the tour.

Blossom Pressing & Mounting

Join gardener and Heritage Manager, Maiko Ishida, on a blooming good floral-themed workshop that offers the chance to create a piece of the garden to take home. You'll choose your plants and flowers to press, then learn how to arrange and mount them in readiness for framing and hanging on your wall.

You will be led around the flower gardens by a member of the garden team, where you will select and forage your chosen blooms. You will then arrange, press and mount.

The workshop includes the flower press, pressings and ready-to-frame flowers, as well as a selection of papers to continue pressing flowers at home.

The day ends with a seasonal picnic lunch in the garden, also included in the price.

Limited spaces available.

Floral Cordials & Champagne (Virtual)

Tune in live for this virtual workshop with Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart.

May signals the first of the elderflower blooms. These ubiquitous hedgerow and woodland margin plants, with their dainty, lace-like flower heads, carry a delicate floral scent that we preserve in a corking sparkling elderflower wine.

Follow our foraging tips then tune in to join Alan as he leads a virtual workshop on how to create this early summer treat. As well as elderflower champagne, you will also learn how to create seasonal floral cordials and receive tips on mixing summer cocktails using your infusions.

It's free to join or you can order a kit (£45) and have it delivered in time for the workshop - click Book Now to be notified as soon as the kits are available.

Floral Cordials & Champagne

May signals the first of the elderflower blooms. These ubiquitous hedgerow and woodland margin plants, with their dainty, lace-like flower heads, carry a delicate floral scent that we preserve in a corking sparkling elderflower wine.

As well as elderflower champagne, you will also learn how to create seasonal floral cordials and receive tips on mixing summer cocktails using your infusions.

Join us in the garden for the workshop to create your own floral cordials and elderflower champagne, using flowers foraged from the estate. You will be led through the full process and will also receive tips on how to mix delicious cocktails using your infusions.

The workshop ends with a seasonal picnic lunch, included in the price.

Live Cyder Tasting: Fine Cyder

Each month, our cyder team will be hosting tasting sessions from the cellar, live streamed on Instagram and Facebook, that you can join from home. With the darling buds of May, we shall be delighting in our Fine Cyder.

Cellar Master Greg Carnell and Cyder Maker Paul Ross will be exploring the complex yet subtle notes that set our Fine Cyder apart.

Order a tasting set that includes 2 x 750ml bottles of Fine Cyder and a recipe suggestion from our chefs, then tune in live on Instagram and Facebook.

Dawn Walk: Orchard Blossom

For this month's Dawn Walk, Arthur Cole visits the orchards to meet our Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell. As they stroll through the apple blossom they'll discuss the relationship between the bees, the orchards, the adjoining hedgerows and the apple juice, culminating in a seasonal picnic breakfast at the end of the South avenue.

Watch live on Instagram and Facebook, or join in from home by ordering a fresh breakfast to tuck into at home - we'll deliver it the day prior, so that you can feel like you're in the orchards with us.

*only available in our fresh delivery areas

Live Cyder Tasting: Single Varietals

Each month, our cyder team will be hosting tasting sessions from the cellar, live streamed on Instagram and Facebook, that you can join from home.

For April's tasting, Cellar Master Greg Carnell and Cyder Maker Paul Ross will be tasting through our single varietal cyders, made from traditional Somerset varieties - Kingston Black, Dabinett and Yarlington Mill - paired with three Somerset cheeses.

Order a tasting set that includes 6 x 330ml bottles of cyder and three of our favourite local cheeses, then tune in live on Instagram and Facebook.

Click 'Order Set' before 1pm Wednesday 21 April to get yours in time for the live tasting.

Over-Fire Cookery: Estate Vegetables

The warmth of sun on our faces, the abundance of produce spilling out from the vegetable beds, the unmistakable clink of ice in a glass, and the familiar smell of smoke from the cooking fires - outdoor dining is taken to the next level in the Gardens this June, and we want to share the good life experience with you.

Join us for a smoky summer workshop led by our Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, as you discover how to get the most out of cooking seasonal produce over fire.

You will select, harvest, prepare and cook a wide variety of vegetables fresh from the garden and learn how best to release their flavours over the flames; culminating in an al fresco banquet with the rest of the group.

All ingredients and materials are provided, with garden entry and lunch included in the price.

Over-Fire Cooking: Estate Lamb & Vegetables

The warmth of sun on our faces, the abundance of produce spilling out from the vegetable beds, the unmistakable clink of ice in a glass, and the familiar smell of smoke from the cooking fires - outdoor dining is taken to the next level in the Gardens this June, and we want to share the good life experience with you.

Join us for a smoky summer workshop led by our Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, as you discover how to get the most out of cooking spring lamb and seasonal vegetables over fire.

You will prepare the lamb and select, harvest and prepare a wide variety of vegetables fresh from the garden, learning how best to release their flavours by cooking over the flames; culminating in an al fresco banquet with the rest of the group.

All ingredients and materials are provided, with garden entry and lunch included in the price.

Woven Picnic Basket Workshop

Willow weaving has been a traditional Somerset craft before even the Romans arrived.

In this workshop, Somerset-based garden designer and willow weaver, Angela Morley, shares her knowledge about this time-honoured tradition of using versatile willow stems to weave beautiful and practical creations. You will be led through how to create a basket, to then fill with a delicious seasonal picnic lunch to be enjoyed in the garden.

Limited spaces available. All materials and equipment are supplied, with entry to the garden and lunch included in the price.

Dawn Walk: Wildflowers

Wake up to the sounds of the summer birds and crickets with Arthur Cole, as he walks and talks you through the wildflowers and wild margins of the Estate.

Order a fresh breakfast from Mobile Newt and we’ll deliver the day prior, so you can tuck into our finest farm produce after or during this live virtual tour - streamed on our Instagram and Facebook.

Dawn Walk: Bee Safari

Wake up to the buzzing of our bees with Arthur Cole and Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell, as they walk the flight-lines of the bees in the peak of their summer foraging.

Order a fresh breakfast from Mobile Newt and we’ll deliver the day prior, so you can tuck into our finest farm produce with honey specials after or during this live virtual tour - streamed on our Instagram and Facebook.

Live Cyder Tasting: Rosé Cyder

The juice of the distinctive Red Love apple gives our Rosé Cyder its deep, sensual colour and unique flavour profiles - the perfect accompaniment to languorous summer evenings.

For this month's live virtual cyder tasting, join our Cellar Master, Greg Carnell, with wife and Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell, for a tasting with a difference - on a horse-drawn carriage ride through the cyder orchards. Live streamed on Instagram and Facebook.

Sign up now and we'll let you know when the tasting set is available to order.

Beeswax Lip Balm Workshop (Virtual)

Join our Head Beekeeper Paula Carnell and Head of Wellbeing Franziska Lang, as they lift the honeypot lid and delve into the health-promoting properties of this precious golden nectar.

You will learn how and why bees make honey and its health associations, as well as the relationship bees have with the world around us and the role they play in a balanced ecology. Paula’s engaging stories of bees and beekeepers will inspire you to look at the world with a ‘bee’s eye’ view.

You will make a nourishing lip-balm using the contents of your kit:

Beeswax block Babylonstoren olive oil Avalon Calendula flowers (fresh) Glass jar for infusing flowers Propolis for lip balm Tins for lip balm Honey (for tasting) Herbal tea

All materials and equipment are provided and under Paula’s guidance you will extract wax and propolis to make a soothing lip balm and learn about other immune-boosting remedies.

Order your kit to be delivered one week before the virtual workshop. Available anywhere in the UK.

Beeswax Lip Balm Workshop (with lunch)

Join our Head Beekeeper & honey sommelier, Paula Carnell, in this half-day workshop lifting the honeypot lid on the folklore and scientifically proven health benefits of different honey varieties for both bees and humans.

Using honey, beeswax, propolis and herb infused oils, Paula will demonstrate and guide you through making your very own beeswax lip balm.

As your wax is melting, savour the tasting journey of a selection of honeys from around the world, sipping The Newt's own blend herbal teas. Paula’s engaging stories of bees and beekeepers will inspire you to look at the world with a 'bee's eye' view.

The kit will contain all the ingredients to make your lip balm for yourself and as gifts for loved ones, plus a selection of honeys to taste during the workshop, with herbal teas blended to reflect the ingredients in your lip balm.

The day ends with a seasonal, vegetable-led lunch in the Garden Café, overlooking the gardens and happily foraging bees.

Limited spaces.

Gardener & Chef: Growing for the Plate

August is a month when the vegetable beds have been soaking up the summer warmth, the vegetables have been swelling and are ripe for the picking - so it's a great time to come and harvest with us.

This fresh produce deserves the finest send-off, so we have setup the picnic area above the wildflower meadow to have everything you need to cook your picked bounty over fire, creating inventive and delectable dishes with Head Chef, Alan Stewart.

The day begins meeting our Head of Edible Gardens, Rose Szarowicz, and Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, in the Gardens of The Newt, followed by a short journey to our Market Garden over on Avalon Farm. At the Market Garden we will meet the gardeners who have been cultivating and tending to the plants, picking alongside them to fill our trugs for lunch. Trugs filled to the brim, we head back to the main gardens to cook our harvested produce over open fire, culminating in an indulgent lunch picked and prepared by ourselves under the expert guidance of Rose and Alan.

All equipment and ingredients supplied. Garden entry and lunch are included in the price. There is the option to purchase cyder, wines and cocktails to wash it all down.

Limited availability.

Dried Flowers & Grasses Displays with Lunaria

Dried flowers and grasses can provide striking, long-lived displays for the home.

In this half-day workshop, Deborah Bain - a Bruton-based artist and founder of floral design studio, Lunaria - will lead you through how to select and arrange different materials to create late summer urns and an early autumn decoration to adorn your mantlepiece.

The day will culminate in a seasonal lunch in the Garden Cafe, overlooking the gardens.

All materials and equipment are provided. Entry to the Garden and lunch are included in the price. Limited spaces available.

Cornbread & Tamales Workshop (Virtual)

This month we are celebrating the mightiest yet sweetest of the cereal grains: sweetcorn.

Tune in live on our Instagram and Facebook to join Head Baker, Sam Bobbett, and Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, as they guide you through creating cornbread and tamales in your kitchen - with a Somerset accent from the addition of cheddar and apples!

Order your kit and we will deliver it to your door prior to the start of the workshop.

Available nationwide.

Cornbread & Tamales Workshop

This month we are celebrating the mightiest yet sweetest of the cereal grains: sweetcorn.

Join us on the Estate to embark on a safari through the cornfields. Pick the cobs, learn about the different cultivars then join Head Baker, Sam Bobbett, and Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, as they teach you how to make and bake cornbreads and tamales - with a Somerset twist (of course!) involving cheddar cheese, apples and cyder.

The half-day workshop culminating in a delicious seasonal lunch. Entry to the Gardens and lunch are included in the price. Limited spaces available.

Dawn Walk: Kitchen Gardens

Started during lockdown, our popular Dawn Walks with Arthur Cole have been live streamed every month, to audiences all over the world.

Now, for the first time, you can join Arthur in person for an exclusive early morning walk through the gardens. Starting your day on the right foot to the sounds of the songbirds, before harvesting produce while Estate Head Chef Alan Stewart stokes up a fire, brews the coffee and prepares your harvest for an al fresco breakfast in the Kitchen Garden.

Entry to the Gardens, breakfast and coffee are included in the price. Limited spaces available.

Home Ground Cyder Making

Cyder is the lifeblood that runs through The Newt’s veins; carrying within it the very essence of what our Estate is about: Somerset, apples, heritage, horticulture, creativity, experimentation and responsible stewardship of the land.

Join our expert cyder team throughout apple harvest season in the month of October, as they lead a hands-on cyder making workshop.

You will learn about the history of cyder making in Somerset, taste the different characteristics of some of our 70 different varieties of cyder apples, press your own juice by hand and start the cyder making process in a demi-john to then take home with you.

The day culminates with a lunch in the Garden Cafe and a tasting pack of our own cyders to take home - all included in the price.

Dawn Walk: Autumn Colours

Arthur Cole is joined by Castle Cary-based artist, Frances Watts, as they take in the autumn leaf colours and discuss how the changing seasons can influence our mood and how we express ourselves.

Order a fresh breakfast and we will deliver the day prior to the walk, so that you can tuck-in to the finest farm produce as you tune-in from home.

Apple Day 2021

Make sure you visit this weekend during apple harvest season, for one of our favourite events in the Estate calendar.

‘Apple Day’, which actually falls on 21 October - the Thursday before the weekend - was started in 1990 by Common Ground. Apple Day aims to raise “awareness not only of the importance of orchards to our landscape and culture, but also in the provenance and traceability of food” - these are philosophies that we at The Newt also hold dear. Plus, we really like an excuse to celebrate apples.

The weekend shall be a two-day celebration of all things apple; from juice pressing to apple games, displays, recipes, cyder tastings and tractor tours through the orchards. Expect live music and DJs, apple-themed menus as well as our ever popular hog roasting on a spit over fire for the carnivores!

Live Cyder Tasting: Signature Blend

COMING SOON

The Signature Blend is a culmination of over three years work in the Cyder Cellar, and decades of experience from our Cyder Team. We are very proud to dedicate this month's Live Cyder Tasting session to this exceptional cyder.

Order a tasting set and tune in live on Instagram or Facebook. Available for nationwide delivery.