A week of reflection
Now that we have the distinct chill of the autumn upon us with the leaves changing colour and dewed mornings, it is nice to look back at the lovely, prolonged summer we have had and reflect on what a wonderful season it has been.
Over the summer, we saw and learnt about so many rare and wonderful creatures including red kites, reed buntings, otters, bats, little owls and eels. On top of this, the walks, including the Wesley Walk, have been well trodden and enjoyed in the nice weather. These were a part of the Lincolnshire Walking Festival, and we have been happy to be involved in it.
If you have enjoyed the Wesley Walk, you may have caught a glimpse of some of our Lincoln Reds grazing in the fields. The Lincoln Reds are something we are really proud of. This native pure blood herd is well looked after by John Crutchley. He is extremely knowledgeable about the breed and is determined to increase their number whilst maintaining the same level of care and provision. This included him providing the herd with silage during the drought, as the grass was too poor and in short supply to feed them with. We have begun to offer out our own beef at tasting opportunities though, and we hope to be able to market it next year in the Spring. We recommend you try it; it is seriously good!
On the topic of food, our greenhouse helped us produce more tomatoes than we could use. Our Hall Steward, Craig, has also been successful in growing his grapes, although I don’t think we’ll be establishing the vineyard just yet! Fruit and vegetables are still growing and have been well used and we have tried out new recipes. Some examples of this were the beetroot crisps and burdock tea which proved to be very interesting, and Jan and Jacqui made some lovely cakes and soups using the organic produce which has been grown here on the Estate and we look forward to seeing what other tasty treats the two can make in the future. We have also had delicious honey from the bees on the Estate. The honey they produce is quite distinctive and the taste varies as difference pollens are available through the year.
The bees have been able to get the pollen to make their honey from the gardens at the Hall. They have not only survived but flourished during dry and wet times both in the symmetrically arranged regimental garden designed by Miss Anne, and the wildflower area outside the walled garden. Lincolnshire Naturalists, who visited in July, helped identify many of the species on the Estate and gave us a better understanding of our flora and fauna. This information has been very important to us, and it has been great to understand more about our natural surroundings which fill our Estate with such vibrant and exciting colours.
The changes of the season are reminders of how much of a lovely place the Estate, and the Lincolnshire Wolds in general, are to work, live and play, and we are ever so excited to watch it develop and grow further.
