Narborough Hall Gardens, Norfolk

We now have the beautiful Narborough Hall Gardens in north Norfolk as part of our Slow Food Anglia Approved scheme, they joined only last month, when they became the thirtieth member of the scheme which was only launched three months ago in East Anglia. The Slow food Anglia Approved scheme follows on the from very successful scheme launched by Slow Food London last year and in London they now have over 200 members in their Approved Scheme which covers the whole of the Greater London area and parts of the Home Counties.
Joanne the owner of Narborough Hall Gardens initially contacted Slow Food Norwich and we then went along to meet her at the Hall in June where we learnt about the history of  Narborough Hall Gardens, its current activities and how the 80 acres of land that the Hall sits in are now looked after by her team of gardeners, and how they grow and harvest their vegetables, fruit and herbs.




Narbourgh Hall Gardens has been a well known and popular wedding venue for some years, with weddings being held there in most weeks over the spring and summer period, with the stunning grounds and beautiful house making it a perfect setting for weddings and other functions and parties.
The Hall is set in the valley of the River Nar and is surrounded by ancient parkland, lakes and woodland, the planting in the borders, paths and walks is wild and exuberant, with many self seeding native plants, herbs, fruit and edible flowers.
The gardens are a natural and unspoilt environment for wildlife, bees and insects and they also supply all the vegetables,fruit and herbs that are needed by the main house, also their cafe, the new restaurant and all the other functions that are held there over the year.




Narbough Hall is a wonderful example of what the Slow Food ethos encapsulates, they grow all the food which they use and only in in an environmentally friendly way without the use of chemicals,and the use of inorganic fertilisers or chemical sprays to control disease or pests. Though not officially certified as being organic, all their produce is organic in all but name,with great care given to the way in which the land is cared for and the plants are grown and harvested.
Narborough Hall not only has a working kitchen garden but every border, the woodland, stream banks, meadow and wild flower garden are a source of food.They plant red currants and wild strawberries, black peppermint and lots of thyme, rosemary and lavender in the flower borders. Around the park, by the river and stream you will find edible plants everywhere, these are all used by the kitchen for meals, they also use natural produce, wild garlic, watercress, beech leaves, hawthorn and many other varieties of wild plants, there is also a large and beautifully set out walled garden which can also be visited by the public and guests, as well as a wide variety of vegetables grown there it also has a large amount of fruit trees and bushes. 





In early July the Hall opened a new restaurant called Moss with chef Shane Wagg and it celebrates ingredient focused cooking and always aims to produce food that is seasonal, beautiful and full of goodness, There is also a small cafe area and there are plans for another space where guests may eat to be opened in the autumn in the historic old kitchen and next spring one of the large working greenhouses on the estate.
We are extremely pleased to have Narborough Hall Gardens as one of our Slow Food Anglia members and very happy to recommend this wonderful venue and restaurant to anyone who cares about how their food is grown, harvested and cooked and also wish to visit the extensive and beautiful grounds, woodland and lakes.





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