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.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Start your day on the right foot with Arthur Cole, as you are led through the formal and floral gardens in their first flush of colour, to the soundtrack of birds and crickets waking for the day. Get unrivalled early morning access to the gardens and time with our experts, before enjoying breakfast in the Garden Café.

Wake up with Arthur Cole on a stroll through the gardens before the rest of the estate awakes, journeying through the history of English garden design. The walk culminates in breakfast in the Garden Café.

Drystone walls are an important part of the Somerset rural identity and have been so for millenia. Building drystone walls is not only hugely satisfying physically, but it also promotes mindfulness and time for healthy reflection.

The day begins with a brief introduction on the history, theory and design of drystone walls with celebrated drystone waller Tom Trouton. You are led through the basics and topics covered will include how to start a drystone wall, how to repair a damaged wall and how to apply the principles learned to creating other structures (such as firepits and artworks).

All materials and equipment are provided.

Please wear steel-toe cap boots and sturdy clothes.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Good compost is worth its weight in gold. At least we think so here at the Newt. Luscious blooms and delicious fruits and vegetables are all for nothing if they fall victim to pests and diseases. We address both of these important factors in good gardening on this course.

The day begins with learning the theory behind good compost, its constituent parts and how to succeed with minimal effort. You visit the compost heap and discover the forces at work in its different stages and how to replicate this in your own garden. The second part of the day covers how to tackle pests and diseases, you see firsthand an IPM (integrated pest management) in action and gain hands-on experience tackling different pests and diseases. You will leave with a collection of effective companion plants to continue growing at home and the knowledge gained to continue the good work through the season.

All materials and equipment are provided.

Please wear sturdy footwear and practical clothing.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Wake up with Arthur Cole & Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell, on a stroll through the gardens from a bee’s perspective before the rest of the estate awakes. The walk culminates in breakfast in the Garden Cafe.

Good garden design needn’t be complicated. This course shines a light on the principles of design, the practical planning and how to create a masterplan and succeed with planting - ‘right plant, right place’.

The day begins with a walk through the Formal Garden, discussing the different styles exhibited, the creative inspiration and the technical considerations in realising concept through to delivery. Next you practice how to apply perspective using pencil and paper in the first step to designing your own garden. Then you begin to bring the design together in real-time using potted plants to realise the depth, height, texture and colours.

All materials and equipment are provided.

Please wear sturdy footwear and practical clothing.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Close the day by allowing your mind to quieten to the gentle sounds of the estate in the evening with Arthur Cole and Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell, as they lead you through the gardens from a bee’s perspective. The evening culminates with sundowners and charcuterie boards in the Garden Café.

Skep beehives have been used for centuries, their design hasn’t changed in all that time. The materials used haven’t changed either. On this two day course Head Beekeeper, Paula Carnell, leads you through the process of starting off your own skep.

The day begins with acquainting yourselves with the materials and tools. Under Paula’s expert tutelage you then begin at the top of the skep - the good news is that this is the hardest part! Once you have achieved this you add more straw and the skep begins to take form. The first day ends with a seasonal lunch in the Garden Cafe and a honey tasting. On the second day you continue to build the skep.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Wake up with Arthur Cole as he leads you on a stroll back in time to the Roman Villa before the rest of the estate awakes. The walk culminates in breakfast in the Garden Cafe.

Close the day by allowing your mind to quieten to the gentle sounds of the estate in the evening with Arthur Cole as he leads you up to the Roman Villa. The evening culminates with sundowners and charcuterie boards in the Garden Café.

Life carries with it a maelstrom of emotions, and more often than not it is too easy to get caught up in the machine of day-to-day existence without remembering the connection we have to the earth that supports us. This day aims to remind you of that connection through the simple processes of mindfulness.

The day begins with a wander into the woods and a simple breathing exercise. You then are guided on how to sink into your surroundings through the process of forest bathing. Once you have re-connected with earth and the energy of the woodland floor, you return to the Spa Garden to pick healing herbs to make your own blend of tea.

The day ends with a swim in the Hotel pool before going for lunch.

Wake up with Arthur Cole as he leads you on a stroll along the hedgerows of the South Avenue before the rest of the estate awakes. The walk culminates in breakfast in the Garden Café.

The relationship between the garden and the kitchen is akin to a symbiotic one. The gardeners and chefs work closely together to plan the year’s seasonal harvests. This fresh produce deserves the finest send-off, so we send you off to harvest ingredients for your lunch with the gardener, while we set-up 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 the chef.

The day begins with meeting our Head of Edible Gardens, Rose Szarowicz and Estate Head Chef, Alan Stewart, in the Wildflower Meadow, 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.

Please wear sturdy footwear and practical clothing.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun

Join Nursery Manager, Dominic McCartney, as he leads you through how to prune trees & shrubs. Pruning trees and shrubs correctly is essential to their healthy growth.

The day begins in the main gardens where you are led through how to prune and shape a selection of ornamental trees and shrubs.

All materials and equipment are provided.

Please wear sturdy footwear and practical clothing.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Close the day by allowing your mind to quieten to the gentle sounds of the estate. Join Arthur Cole as he leads you along the South Avenue’s hedgerow. The evening culminates with sundowners and charcuterie boards in the Garden Café.

September is a wonderful month for grasses and dried seed heads in the garden. These beautiful forms can be brought into the home to create long-lasting displays. Deborah Bain, Bruton based artist aka Lunaria will lead you through how to select and arrange different material to create late summer urns and early autumn mantlepiece decoration.

The day begins with learning about the principles of working with dried plants and examples of arrangements. Next you select your materials and begin to create your displays. Throughout Deborah will be on-hand to offer assistance and advice to help you create the displays unique to you.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

‘Planting and growing increasing numbers of trees is the scientific solution to Earth’s environmental dilemma.’ - Richard St. Barbe Baker.

Planting trees isn’t just essential to the health of the environment, it is remarkably rewarding for the soul. In this final Hort Course for the year, Head Gardener Stephen Herrington leads you through the correct way to plant trees.

The day begins with a trip to the nursery at Avalon where you are led through the fundamentals of planting and staking trees of different species and sizes. The second part of the day covers pruning a selection of different climbers and covers when, how and where to prune them.

All materials and equipment are provided.

Please wear sturdy footwear and practical clothing.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Cyder is the blood that runs through the Newt’s veins, it carries within it the very essence of what the estate is about: Somerset, apples, responsible stewardship of the land, heritage, horticulture, experimentation, creativity and sensory experience.

Join the Cyder Team as they lead a workshop on cyder making. You will learn about the history of cyder making in Somerset, harvest the apples in the orchards, 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 as well as a tasting pack of our own cyders.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Wake up with Arthur Cole as he leads you on a stroll through the orchards before the rest of the estate awakes. The walk culminates in a warming breakfast in the Garden Cafe.

Fungi is a fascinating kingdom. There are over 15,000 species of fungi in the UK alone. Some are edible, some are inedible and others can be deadly. However, the properties of fungi do not stop at the plate - this extraordinary group holds some of the answers to the beginning and evolution of life on this planet. They have medicinal uses, religious and ritualistic significance, economic weight, and folklore spanning back to times before the written word.

Join our fungi expert on a forage across the Estate, identifying fungi species and foraging different mushrooms. In the second part of the workshop, you learn how to sow your own oyster mushroom spores in straw to continue growing indoors at home and how to set your own shiitake dowels in logs to continue growing outdoors at home. We shall also offer our chefs top tips on how to cook and preserve your mushrooms at home.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Join Arthur Cole on an early morning walk through the trees. Learn more about these ancient parts of the estate - including how we manage our woodland, make charcoal, put up nesting boxes and strive to maintain and enchance a balanced woodland ecosystem.

The walk culminates with a seasonal breakfast in the Garden Café, as the rest of the estate wakes up for the day.

Join our Woodland Team for ‘A Day in the Woods’ we shall make charcoal and biochar using a traditional ring kiln and also explore the woodland living-networks and how to protect and conserve the wildlife that depend upon them. (We shall learn how to erect birdboxes at different heights for different species and how to make hibernacula for overwintering woodland creatures.) We will cover woodland craft and coppice hazel to make wattle fencing.

We advise wearing appropriate footwear and sturdy clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! A time to wrap ourselves up and wrap presents for family and friends. Christmas cards aren’t only a way to reaffirm the bonds with our loved ones; making them from scratch offers you the time to pause during the busy festive season, creating something that will adorn their homes.

Enter Maiko’s Christmas craft grotto and learn how to make christmas cards. The second part of the workshop will teach you elementary calligraphy to then beautifully write your festive wishes.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.

Christmas decorations bring cheer into the home and often remind us of Christmasses past, as we unwrap those as old familiar favourites from the box. Creating your own decorations is mindful, rewarding and means they are particular and unique to you - which makes them priceless.

Join our Floriculturist and Heritage Gardener, Maiko Ishida, for a workshop that starts with a forage through the woodlands and gardens to gather natural materials, before using them to create a host of decorations.

Includes: Tea & coffee on arrival with the Bakery’s signature cinnamon bun, ending with lunch at the Garden Café.