Last weekend saw the launch of the Wine Garden of England Festival, held at Rochester Cathedral and celebrating the very best of Kent’s vineyards.
The event began with Evensong in the Cathedral on Friday night, with a blessing of the harvest and wine theme running throughout. Representatives from each of the seven vineyards along with specially invited guests were then treated to a six course meal, paired with wines from each vineyard. This was created by Hush Heath’s in-house chef and was as follows:
Chard-smoked scallop & Swiss chard with Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2013
Black pudding Scotch egg served with micro leaf cress with Squerryes Reserve Brut 2011
Hake poached in Chardonnay with Kentish new potatoes, mussel sauce & micro watercress with Simpsons Wine Estate Roman Road Chardonnay 2017
Pan Roasted guinea fowl with roasted salsify, slow cooked red cabbage purée and red wine jus with Biddenden Dornfelder 2016
White chocolate cheesecake served with Granny Smith apple gel, kalamansi sauce, crispy white chocolate and meringue shards with Balfour Brut Rosé 2014
Winterdale Shaw and Kentish Blue cheeses with hedgerow chutney and Captain’s Crackers (Zingiberri Bakery)
The following day, on Saturday 17th November, the Wine Garden of England Festival was hosted in the Crypt, with three sessions run throughout the day where visitors could meet the winemakers, taste wines from each vineyard and order wines for home delivery.
The event proved extremely popular and we are looking forward to planning for 2019.
More information on the Wine Garden of England may be found here.
