(from a message received…)
I went to visit on Saturday morning and was impressed with what had been done and how the gardens were looking.
Now open all year seven days a week is good news for those of us who live locally. The fresh food for sale will be an asset and the restaurant was busy and seemed to be as good as ever.
I hope it will be a success and I shall certainly give it my full support.
Bright sunshine and blue skies – ideal for any garden open day, and even more so for Yalding’s re-opening on Saturday.
On driving into the car park about 1pm, it was immediately obvious that things were going well. More cars there than we have ever seen there before, and even a marshall to help with finding a place to park. (We wonder how many were there through our publicity efforts, rather than Maro’s?)
Into the main building, and yes, the first impression you get is ‘farm shop’ meat and dairy refrigerated counters and cabinets, and a general impression of stock being spread-out a bit, to fill available space – but it is early days. Paying for admission was a bit of a mission – we went for the annual option (with Garden Organic concessionary discount) which involved a form to fill-in (no flat area to use) and for some reason a need to collect all debit card details (including the CVC) for processing later, rather than through the PDQ terminal?? Anyway; we were told that our cards/passes would be available for collection next time, and given a brief note, explaining that it was only 6 weeks since Maro had been appointed as the new operators, and that as the kitchen had only been completed the previous day – the chef had not been able to bake all the pastries he wanted to (!) and that there was only a basic menu available.
Thus forewarned, we headed for the cafe – virtually the same as before inside, and slightly extended outside – even the same tables and chairs. Very busy – or at least – the vast majority of the tables were in use – though we eventually found one outside. Table service or go to the counter to order? Not clear from anywhere; but eventually worked out that it was table service, so sit and wait and wait and wait…
At least; plenty of time to consider the menu, and yes, we agree, it was certainly ‘basic’ – very basic – and was it organic, or even ‘local’ – not really sure? OK maybe we had been spoiled by Tania and Werner’s excellent and varied menus previously – but this was a major disappointment – even the ‘Specials’ blackboard was empty! Maybe 20 minutes later we had our order taken and the food arrived possibly 20 minutes after that (Is a child’s ‘salad’ really just lettuce?) – and all quite edible – just ‘ordinary’ – certainly nothing special and certainly not worth a journey to experience. Yes; we know it is all new – Yes; the staff are inexperienced (we overheard a conversation that many were friends and family, ‘helping-out’) – and we hear what they say about the future plans. There is however a very long way to go from where they presently are – and it is a massive shame that they have not ‘hit the ground running’
Enough of the food – on to the gardens! Well; there is not a vast amount to say. If you visited Yalding last year, you will be pretty hard-pressed to see any differences. All the gardens remain virtually as-was – although a noticeable and sorely-missed loss (if you are 10 years old or younger) is the activity ‘shed’ in the childrens’ garden – now perhaps lacking some of the ‘children interest’ – although ‘Alys the Rolypig’ has thankfully survived the changes and remains in-situ. There are also a few areas that seem to have perhaps suffered a bit maybe due to uncertainties of whether to plant or sow earlier in the year – totally understandable. But the general level of garden presentation remains very high – we have no idea how many of the original gardening staff were re-employed (we have heard different stories) but that side of things is clearly working – at least, on a ‘care and maintenance’ level. There will no-doubt be changes in the future; but it is early-days yet.
Previously; after the gardens, we would often have gone back to the cafe for a cup of tea (and maybe a cake or two!) before going home. Unfortunately though; the earlier experience in the cafe totally put us off going back there. Would it take half an hour to get a cup of tea? Were there any cakes anyway? Is the table service ‘format’ really the way to go? How do you get a drink for a four-year-old, who has already used-up all his patience waiting for his lunch. (Luckily, one of the ‘trade’ exhibitors sold ‘water’ – complete with Aspartame and goodness knows what else. Organic?) At least, with the old cafe set-up, you could just go and order anything from a meal for six, down to a drink for one.
Will we be going-back? Yes of course we will (notwithstanding having paid the annual fees!) we love the gardens, and assuming there are not major (negative) changes, we will keep returning. But will we use the cafe as ad-hoc informal eating-place, as previously? Probably not as much as before, if it doesn’t change pretty significantly.
In summary then, the Gardens are back in business, virtually the same as before – at the moment. The other bits and pieces – well the (our) jury is out. We wish the new operators well; there are criticisms above regarding the cafe; but they are all made in good-faith and in a positive way. If we can update this in a few weeks’ time, to reflect improvements – we will be very pleased to do so.
(In response to a query we received about admission charges)
The admission charge may well be one of the most difficult things to decide upon.
Garden Organic’s view was that, under their management, they were subsidising each visitor, to the tune of £10 (hard to believe – but that’s what they say!) – so it would have to be a very brave operator to go over to a ‘free admission’ policy, without there being many more opportunities for raising revenue from visitors within the site itself.
Equally, a hefty rise in admission prices could put-off some visitors – especially frequent visitors, who previously would have used their GO membership as an ‘annual pass’. (…and probably from whom, GO will now only receive an individual subscription (if at all), rather than a family one!)
Hence the ‘annual subscription’, which one would hope would also include some kind of ‘family’ option. If it is to be around £20, then yes, that is close to GO’s individual membership of £28 – though that of course included all the other ‘benefits’ of membership – and the feeling that you were ‘part’ of the Gardens. You might even – foolishly – have believed that you had some part or say in their future!
However, the GO era is over and the Gardens will probably have to be run in a more commercial way than previously – with all that entails. They are effectively in competition with other ‘attractions’ in the area as a ‘day out’ destination and for return visits (although it has to be said that annual admission for Cobtree is £7.50; Chatham Dockyard £13.50 and Leeds Castle £15.00) and there clearly has to be something done to keep visitor numbers up, and indeed increase them.
In addition to catering for the regular day-visitor; Maro say that there will be a full range of courses available for those who wish to learn more about organic gardening and produce – and I assume there will continue to be organised group visits from garden societies and similar. I would also hope that there are plans to work with schools and young people.
The whole thing is probably going to be a pretty delicate balancing act; and the interesting thing will be to see how it pans-out. Maro foods have not only taken-on the shop and the café; but (as I assume they must operate under the Congelow Trust’s own terms of reference) they have also taken-on the responsibility to “…advance the education of the general public in the principles of organic farming growing and gardening…” and “…in particular by carrying out and assisting in research into agricultural and land estate management in relation to organic farming and publishing the useful results of such research…”
… and somewhere within that; they have to make a profit…
No mean task!
PS:
A free pass with a sign-up to the box scheme sounds good – but they would of course have to deliver in your area…
Extracted from the Maro Foods website:
We shall be opening to the public from Saturday 24th May, 10am-6pm
The gardening team have been working hard to maintain the gardens, despite a shortage in the team following on from the closure by Garden Organics.
The new Yalding Organic Centre will have the following attractions and features:
There are 15 seperate gardens over 5 acres, tracking gardening through history and providing the visitor with information about how to garden organically. The not only covers more formal gardens, such as the Edwardian Herbaceous Border, but also fruit and veg production as demonstrated in various areas such as the 1940′s Dig For Victory.
Customers to The Old Dairy, our local produce shop in Langley, will not be surprised to find a replica shop at Yalding. Offering all that is best with local produce, the shop covers all the main food types that you would expect to need when doing your weekly shop:
All of the above are sourced from local suppliers, a unique promise in the area.
On Opening Day you will be able to meet some of the producers, and sample and buy their products. Already confirmed attendees are:
Park Farm Hog Roast, Fruberry Jams, Nelson Brewery, Clearly Juice, Winterdale Cheese.
JJ, our chef, will be providing a menu full of local produce goodness. If you after a good old high tea, with his home made pastries, or something more substantial, it will be available for you.
With veg and salads available from the garden, as well as our local suppliers to back it up, you will not find a fresher, more local menu anywhere in Kent we are quite sure!
All the meat will not only be local, but free range as well. Where possible the veg will be organic, but guaranteed to be local and therefore seasonal.
So from sausage & mash to strawberries & cream you can get true local food from JJ!
On the day you will be able to sign up for courses run at the centre in all aspects of organic gardening and food production. We will also have specialist tutors running courses on other related items such as Hazel Days etc etc.
More information will follow shortly……
Well, the big day is nearly upon us – Yalding re-opens this Saturday 24th May, 10am-6pm
We had been promised some words from Steve Oram of Maro Foods, on the new gardens and his plans for the future – but these haven’t arrived, and time is moving-on. So the best we can do is direct you to the two new pages Maro have on their website, (slightly buried!) at (broken link removed) and (broken link removed) where there are full details of opening times, admission charges, etc.
We are planning to be there on Saturday and we would encourage all of you to visit as well and show support for the new venture. Garden Organic members will be able to enter at concessionary rates this year – and under-16′s get free admission. The gardens will also be open seven days a week, all year. The only down-side we can see at the moment, is a Sunday closing-time of only 4PM – a bit early for tea and cakes on a Sunday!
Time will tell how things will develop – but we would be very interested to hear your own views and comments on the gardens in their new format. There may still be very many questions to be answered on the way this whole matter was handled by Garden Organic, and we will be continuing our attempts to get to the bottom of that. However, the gardens themselves are now entering an exciting new period in their history and we wish Steve and his team every success with their new venture and the future.
Thank you again, for your continuing support.
