“In the last of our series on the kitchen garden at Thyme in Southrop, head gardener Victoria Bowsher harvests and stores winter squash and considers hardy brassicas and green manures”

Words by Vivienne Hambly, photographs by Sussie Bell

Pumpkins are the classic winter ingredient. Seen on menus across the country, the are fabulous in soups, simply roasted atop polenta, or pickled and served with cheeses, pates and rillettes. We have so many come out of the garden, from butternut and onion squash, to the big blue skinned crown princes. They store well through the winter and we put them to good use throughout the colder months.

As we move into wintery times, roasted pumpkin with soft and creamy burrata is always a popular little dish, using up the last of our soft herbs in the garden in a delicious nutty pesto to round everything off.

Menswear brand Kestin is a firm favourite in our boutique. Here we catch up with Kestin, whose vision is “to produce product that stands the test of time and tells a story, weaving in references from my Scottish heritage and making them relevant for today.”

“Summer is fading into autumn, but a golden, late-season sun is still bringing crops to fruition at Thyme in Southrop, with apples and root vegetables at their finest, and the final waves of courgettes, tomatoes, sweetcorn and beans ready to harvest”

Words by Vivienne Hambly, photographs by Sussie Bell

We are delighted to be welcoming Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall to Thyme in November, to host a panel discussion exploring the importance of soil health and its vital role in our ecosystem, while discussing what we need to do in order to secure its future. Hugh will be joined by The Land Gardeners, chef Lulu Cox and artist Nancy Cadogan to hear about their acclaimed new book, Soil to Table, exploring the link between the health of our soils and what we eat.

Here, we sit down with Hugh to hear about his new book, River Cottage Good Comforts, and learn a little more about his thoughts on current food issues and the importance of education in guiding people to healthier eating.

Aurelia London is thrilled to announce the launch of a selection of new facial massage techniques, designed by qualified facial massage expert and pilates guru Ksenija Selivanova. Ksenija has been a true fan of the Aurelia London facials and rituals since her first visit to the Meadow Spa, and has worked with both Thyme and Aurelia on numerous occasions, introducing the superbly relaxing treatments to her dedicated audience.

As one of the first brands to pioneer the use of probiotics in skincare, we are delighted to have an exclusive partnership with Aurelia London. Our carefully designed bespoke treatments are tailored to achieve a desired state of mindfulness using Aurelia London Skincare to protect, restore, and balance the skin from within. Read our Q&A with Antonia Knox to learn more about the brand and winter skincare tips!

It's such a joy to collaborate again with Thyme. This is my third collection and I always love using Caryn's beautiful illustrations as a starting point for my ceramics. Inspired by her autumnal drawings of oak leaves and horse chestnut I used leaves sourced from my garden and Holland park to press into a speckled stoneware clay body.

“Historic water meadows are sites of ecological diversity and essential parts of rural green corridors. Zena Alkayat meets Caryn Hibbert, the founder of Cotswolds hotel Thyme, who sees the value in conserving a third of her land purely for nature”

Words by Zena Alkayat, photographs by Kim Lightbody

Planted in late 2016 and early 2017 our orchards frame the arrival at Thyme. They sit behind estate fencing that separates the orchard form the fields with a thorny edible hedgerow also planted at the same time.

“July brings with it a sense of lazy abundance, with wave after effortless wave of crops and blooms. At Thyme in Southrop, flowers are cut for guest rooms, potatoes are ready to harvest and head gardener Victoria Bowsher makes some last-minute sowings”

Words by Vivienne Hambly, photographs by Sussie Bell

We are delighted to launch a capsule collaboration with Andión using our botanically inspired prints on their beautifully made, hand-smocked blouses.

Andión is a mother-daughter atelier working from the beautiful hills of Galicia in northeastern Spain. Each of their pieces are lovingly crafted in a small workshop surrounded by cornfields, eucalyptus, and oak trees. Always handmade and always inspired by their Galician roots.

For two decades, since the publication of her first book, ‘The Cutting Garden’, Sarah has led the way in introducing a new kind of productive gardening. Her aim, to create intense colour and beauty combined with a practical and easy to achieve approach. Her love of gardening extends to all areas, from growing cut flowers and delicious vegetables from seed, to designing gardens packed full of incredible colour and scent every season.

Few animals have such a strong link with the water meadows at Thyme as the Barn Owl. Present all year around but only fleetingly seen or heard at dawn and dusk when they’re travelling to and from their roosting spots inside tree trunk hollows or the artificial nest boxes provided for them. It has been an unalloyed privilege to spend time in the meadows over the last few years and to regularly see the owls hunting over the rough grassland, quartering up and down the lengths of the fields, hovering momentarily with their head turned towards the earth, before dropping silently onto their unsuspecting prey.