Yorkshire & North East Kitchen Garden Event

The Kitchen Garden includes 52 raised beds made from English Oak trees which were grown in the grounds of Rudding Park. Over 500 different herbs, salads, edible flowers and fruits are grown by their Head Gardener, Sarah Owen-Hughes and her team who encourage all their guests to visit the Kitchen Garden whilst at Rudding Park.

With Sarah’s wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry this will be an unforgettable opportunity to tour the gardens with her whilst she shares her knowledge of the garden and passion for the industry. She plans to cover the history of the building, including what we know about Repton’s influence on the landscape & developments since the Mackaness family have got involved, including their ongoing relationship with Matthew Wilson.

After the tour, afternoon tea will be served in the Clocktower Brasserie giving you the opportunity to enjoy the surroundings and network together.

Schedule on the day

12.15pm Arrival

12:30pm Garden Tour with Head Gardener, Sarah Owen-Hughes

2:30pm Afternoon Tea, Clocktower Brasserie

4:30pm Finish

Sarah Owen-Hughes

Sarah has been the Head Gardener at Rudding Park for two years, prior to which she lectured in Horticulture for 15 years across Yorkshire, and spent three years in Horticultural Research gathering data for her PhD (pending!).

An Ambassador for the National Allotment Society, Sarah is an award-winning member of the Chartered Institute of Horticulture, and the PGG (Professional Gardener’s Guild).

Sarah co-curates the Human Gardener stage at both Harrogate Flower Shows, spotlighting the incredible stories of people behind the plants. These interviews champion young horticulturists and show the rich diversity of the industry and are free to watch on Instagram as a way of making Flower Shows accessible to everyone.

Rudding Park

The 300-acre Rudding Park walled estate was once part of the Forest of Knaresborough, and one ancient oak remains in the grounds. The formal landscape was set out from 18th century designs by Humphry Repton, and large swathes of this are conserved thanks to the development of a golf course in the early 1980s. A particular feature around the house are the Russell hybrid rhododendrons, introduced by Jim Russell in the 1950s – many of which are still unidentified.

Over 500 different herbs, salads, edible flowers and fruits are grown by Kitchen Gardener, Emma Pugh, to offer guests something different when they dine at Rudding Park.

Renowned garden designer, Matthew Wilson (former Head of Site and Curator at RHS Harlow Carr, panellist on Radio 4’s Gardeners Question Time and presenter of Channel 4 series ‘Landscape Man’) worked with the team at Rudding Park to design the Kitchen Garden which is 1320 square metres and includes 52 raised beds made from English Oak trees grown in the grounds at Rudding Park.

The garden is operated on a no dig basis, following organic principles, and all produce goes directly to Fifty Two, their new immersive fine dining experience; the main restaurants, Spa & bars.