Kitchen Garden Notes – Elvaston Castle Country Park

Tucked away in the corner of Elvaston Castle Country Park is the Old English Walled Garden. It's easy to miss and could easily be mistaken for a staff area. It used to be the kitchen garden for Elvaston Castle but as its name now suggests it has now been turned into a traditional English garden.

The Country Park itself is huge and one of the first country parks ever created back in 1970. It is now in the ownership of Derbyshire County Council after being sold by the 11^th Earl of Harrington in 1968. The Castle has not been in use since the mid 1940s when it housed a teacher training college after the original premises were bombed. It is now in such a state of disrepair that is has been closed to the public since 1990 and with the repair bill currently estimated at over £6 million its future, along with the Country Park, is uncertain.

We found Elvaston after a flick through the National Gardens Scheme's 'Yellow Book'. While the Castle is slowly crumbling the Old English Walled Garden is looking glorious. There is the traditional herbaceous border complete with Physalis franchetii in their full August glory with their bright orange Chinese Lanterns. Around the manicured lawn are unusual plants and trees including a late flowering Magnolia.

There are still a few hints that this was once a kitchen garden. As you walk in there is a large sage plant and hanging down the wall is a grapevine. 

On the other side of the garden is an espalier pear tree laden with ripening fruit.

We stopped for tea and cake in the new Sensory Garden. As the name suggests it has different areas for each of the senses. Allium flower heads are in the touch section, brightly coloured dahlias in the sight area. For hearing there are grasses and bamboo gently rustling in the breeze. With a nod to the garden's past herbs have been planted for taste and scent.

I was tempted by some of the plants and in particular the herbs that were on sale. Instead we came home with potatoes and some enormous red onions grown in the next door Heritage Allotment and Orchard (sadly not open to the public). I didn't want to simply chop up the red onion and throw it into a tomato sauce or a casserole; I wanted to do it justice. So it became the star ingredient in a cheese and onion quiche served with the potatoes which had been washed and boiled with their skins on. I based it on my recipe for asparagus and bacon quiche. I sliced one of the onions and simply fried it in olive oil and then drained off the excess oil on kitchen paper. When the pastry base was ready I put one layer of onions on the bottom, poured the egg mixture over to cover, added a second layer of onions and then the rest of the egg mixture. A covering of grated cheese and it was ready for the oven.