It’s so important to us that we sustain our kitchens with as much homegrown produce as possible; but how to satisfy an appetite for variety in a climate that favours cauliflowers and cabbages? One solution is to bring the outdoors indoors, re-creating conditions where even the most exotic or delicate of crops can not only survive but thrive.

Thanks to our team of trusty vegetable growers, our new Mushroom House has been successfully producing between 1kg-5kg of delicious mushrooms each day, in a carefully controlled environment perfectly suited these earthly delights.

Light, temperature and humidity are all set to mimic the mushrooms’ natural habitat of the woodland floor, with an ambient temperature of 17 degrees and a compost temperature of 23 degrees. This allows us to consistently grow a range of varieties from the sturdy blocks of sterilised straw, which have been inoculated with different strains to feed the mushroom bunches as they grow

David and Pete from our team pick each day when the mushrooms are at their prime, just before they release their spores. Immediately after harvesting, they are taken just next door to the Farm Shop and packed into punnets for you to take home; or to our kitchens for our chefs to use in inventive ways across our menus.

We are currently growing two varieties, with more to come: velvety oyster mushrooms in elegant shades of grey, pink and yellow; and tender straw mushrooms. They need only pan-frying in a little butter to create a simple, tasty accompaniment.

Visitors will find the Mushroom House located in the gardens, next to the Farm Shop – just be sure to close the door behind you, our mushrooms are happier living in the dark!