Meet the incredible producers whose artisan produce stars on our tasting room menu. These local food heroes — all working within 20 miles of the estate — prove the best ingredients are found right here in the Garden of England. Illustration by Kendall Wright.
Here in the heart of Kent, we’re surrounded by a landscape that yields a year-round bounty. From the Romney marshlands on our doorstep to the broad expanse of the Kentish coast, Head Chef Anthony Coppard sources sensational seasonal ingredients from producers just a stone’s throw from the vineyard. We’re proud to work with suppliers who share our commitment to sustainability, craftsmanship, and — perhaps most importantly of all — time. Whether farming, cheesemaking or baking, these are artisans who take the time they need to do things properly, bringing the very best of Kent to the table.
CHEESEMAKERS OF CANTERBURY, DARGATE 20 MILES FROM THE NEST
Twenty miles northeast of our estate, in the rolling chalk hills of the North Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, lies Lamberhurst Farm in Dargate — home to one of the British cheese industry’s hidden gems, Cheesemakers of Canterbury. Founded in 2007 by cheesemaker Jane Bowyer, the dairy is dedicated to traditional methods and handmade recipes. Step inside, and you’ll find a space steeped in heritage, with cast-iron presses and wooden racks stacked with wheels of ageing cheese.
Among them is Ashmore, a nearly lost English cheese that, thanks to Jane’s expertise, has been revived and reclaimed its place on the table. Originating in Sevenoaks, the Ashmore recipe was passed from cheesemaker to cheesemaker, eventually reaching a couple in Wiltshire, who gave it the name ‘Ashmore’. Then, ready to hang up their aprons, they passed the recipe and their years of knowledge to Jane, who brought it back to its home county of Kent. Now, using unpasteurised milk from a local herd of British Friesian cows in Petham, seven miles from the dairy, Jane has put her own stamp on this award-winning cheese.
Jane explains, “It’s interesting to see that just on the other side of Canterbury, the area grows rich pastures from a wetter microclimate. Here at the dairy, we’re in a much drier part of Kent, and just seven miles make a huge difference. This reflects in the milk, giving a richer style of cheese due to the higher fat content. Using high-quality milk from a single farm allows greater control over the finished product, and you can even see subtle changes in the milk with seasonal shifts on the farm.” Head Chef Anthony Coppard says, “Jane’s care and attention to her craft, along with her focus on celebrating the raw ingredients, is a joy to work with in the kitchen. When you’re using produce of this quality, the best approach is a hands-off one, allowing the natural flavours to shine. “We love using their Ashmore Farmhouse cheese; aged for a minimum of six months, it has a rich, complex flavour that’s perfect when gratinated with buttered leeks as part of a warming Welsh rarebit.”
Laura Rhys, Master Sommelier, adds: “This is a lovely match with our Chardonnay Guinevere. I love to pair rich, creamy cheddar with an elegant, lightly oaked Chardonnay. The wine is fermented in barrel, giving it a little more weight and a creamy texture in the palate, but with a lovely freshness to cut through the richness of the cheese.”
PH FISH, HASTINGS 16.2 MILES FROM THE NEST
Operating from the heart of Hasting’s renowned fish market, Paul Hodges sources fish daily from a small fleet of boats which land their catch from the waters off the coasts of Folkestone, Rye, Hastings and Eastbourne.
Hastings is home to one of the oldest beach-launched fishing fleets in Britain, with a rich fishing industry dating back to the 16th century. Today, the iconic “Hastings luggers” are still launched directly from the beach, just as they have been for centuries. “You can’t get fresher than the daily catch, landed on the beach that morning. Our menus are dictated by what the boats bring in, and as a chef, it’s always exciting to work with such fresh ingredients, caught off the coast only miles from our estate,” says Chef Coppard.
“Whether it’s seabass, cod or flat fish, local seafood is an unbeatable pairing with our sparkling wines.”
OWLEY FARM MUSHROOMS, STONE IN OXNEY 2.7 MILES FROM THE NEST
Follow the winding lanes a few miles southwest from The Nest Kitchen, across picturesque farmland and towards the edge of the Isle of Oxney, and you’ll discover Owley Farm, home to third-generation farmer and mushroom enthusiast, Harvey Piper. Harvey’s passion for fungi led him to branch out from the family business and begin growing speciality mushrooms.
Stepping into his world feels like entering a winery lab rather than a farm. And much like our own winemaking practices, you quickly learn that there is a great deal of science and meticulous detail behind growing the perfect crop of mushrooms. “The beauty of mushrooms is that they are nature’s decomposers. Their job in the environment is to break down complex molecular structures, like trees, and return them to their constituent parts. They play an important role in nature.” Harvey adds, “The process for us begins with sawdust briquettes, a byproduct of the timber milling industry, primarily from hardwoods like oak and beech. We add wheat bran and hemp straw, which help aerate the substrate, adding nitrogen, carbohydrates and balancing the pH. We are also arable farmers, so the beans we grow that don’t make the grade for feed or seed are also milled down to help add protein and fats.
This cycle of waste and reuse allows us to repurpose by-products from the industry, creating the perfect medium for mycelium and fungi to work their magic. From this substrate, we grow several varieties of mushrooms, including the popular Lion’s Mane, Grey Oyster, Nameko, Golden Enoki, Velvet Shank (a wild UK mushroom), and most recently, the Coral mushroom. We’re always experimenting with new and elusive varieties, some of which are nearly exclusively grown in the UK by us.” Chef Coppard says, “I always enjoy visiting Harvey at Owley Farm. You never know what new and exciting mushrooms he’s trialling, and when he opens the door to the fruiting rooms, the ethereal sight of rows of gourmet mushrooms engulfed in a cloud of mist never gets old. “This year, we’re excited to be working with his coral mushrooms. The increased surface area of their sponge-like flesh makes them perfect for housing a Gusbourne wine tempura batter,” Anthony adds. “The firm texture holds its shape beautifully while carrying a mild, sweet flavour with subtle undertones of salinity. To accompany this, we use our own locally foraged wild garlic pesto and pair it perfectly with our sparkling Brut Reserve.” Laura adds: “This is an exciting new pairing. The subtle sweetness and earthiness of the mushroom, as well as the texture from the tempura element, makes this dish a perfect match for Brut Reserve — with its richer stone and citrus fruit notes, rounder texture in the palate and bright acidity on the finish.
CHERRY TREE FARM, APPLEDORE 1.2 MILES FROM THE NEST
Take a short stroll through our ancient woodland, and you’ll emerge at Cherry Tree Farm. Originally a dairy farm, James Perkins repurposed his family’s land in 2000 to grow high-quality salad leaves and edible flowers, now supplying some of the finest restaurants in London and across the country.
Specialising in unique baby leaf salads such a Tatsoi, Mizuna, Wasabina, the edible flowers of violas, and his prized ‘candle flame’ courgette flowers, James and his small team take a meticulous, “by hand” approach to farming. This mirrors our dedication to quality: just as we do in the vineyard, the team at Cherry Tree hand-harvest, selecting only the finest produce for market.
“We sell our courgettes as what we call a ‘candle flame flower,’ which means you get a decent-sized courgette with a flower that’s just closed,” James explains. “Unlike the Dutch ones you typically buy, which have flowers that are fully open, we pick ours in the evening to ensure the flower stays closed, maintaining its structure and freshness. If you wait until the morning, the flower opens, causing the delicate petals to collapse, like blotting paper.”
This seasonal flurry is highly anticipated by Chef Coppard and a welcome addition to our summer menus. “We love working with James’ courgettes; they have a great texture, and the flowers make the perfect vessel for holding local goat’s curd, ground black pepper, and freshly squeezed lemon. This delicate filling sits beautifully alongside the flowers’ equally delicate sweet flavours, and pairs wonderfully with fennel, kohlrabi, and orange salsa verde — creating a vibrant and fresh dish, perfect for those warm summer days on the estate.” Laura notes, “Blanc de Blancs is a beautiful match for this dish. The bright citrus fruit and saline mineral notes pair nicely with the delicate flavour of the courgette flower and the vibrant, creamy notes of the goat’s curd. It’s a firm favourite with guests when these two hit the menu side by side!”
THE LONDON HONEY COMPANY, GUSBOURNE ESTATE 0.4 MILES FROM THE NEST
You get a real sense of the beauty of our estate on a clear spring morning — gentle birdsong in the air and blossom in the hedgerows. During the spring and summer months, the estate comes alive with the hum of honeybees, carefully tended by the family-run business, The London Honey Company.
Sharing a passion and vision for bringing unique landscapes to life through pure single-origin honeys, Steve Benbow and his nephew George tend to their 20 hives. These are nestled in our sheltered vineyards, where the bees enjoy an abundance of nectar from hawthorn blossom, bramble and ancient chestnut trees. Steve explains, “We have an ethos we like to call ‘full hive — zero waste,’ which we’ve been evolving over the last ten years. We use as much of the seasonal harvest as possible throughout the year. Normally a by-product of the honey extraction process, we’re specialist producers of honeycomb, straight from the hive. It’s raw honey in its full entirety, never pasteurised or overheated.”
Chef Coppard says, “The estate honey showcases a gentle sweetness from wildflower blossoms, with underlying notes of bramble and chestnut, giving it a mild, bittersweet finish that creates balance and a well-rounded flavour. It’s such a versatile ingredient, and we’re fortunate to have hives so close to our kitchen. The freshly extracted honey pairs beautifully with cream-based desserts, delivering a subtle sweetness that we look for as we aim to bring a soft, more natural sweetness to these dishes. We love to use the estate honey in our buttermilk pannacotta with raspberries, honey tuille, sesame and basil.” To pair, Laura’s suggests our Brut Rosé.
She says “It’s a perfect match to lighter, summer-fruit based desserts, with its delicate red fruit and fresh orange citrus zest, alongside ginger spice notes and a soft, elegant texture, pairing beautifully with the creamy pannacotta, fresh raspberries and the gentle sweetness of the honey. Certainly, a luxurious finish to any meal.”
MORGHEW, TENTERDEN 5.2 MILES FROM THE NEST
Morghew Park is an ancient agricultural estate with a history dating back to 968 AD, located on the outskirts of the market town of Tenterden, also known as ‘The Jewel of the Weald’. It specialises in growing a staggering variety of incredible potatoes in the fertile soils of its 35-acre estate.
The focus here is on heritage varieties lost to time, such as Arran Victory, British Queen, Golden Wonder and Red Duke of York, which range from ink-black and beet red through to rich, butter yellow. In addition to its potato production, Morghew Park also produces award-winning cold-pressed rapeseed oil, made from the golden fields of rapeseed that bloom during the summer. “Morghew potatoes offer a huge variety of unique flavours and textures, giving us great flexibility in the kitchen when creating menus that require richness and weight,” says Chef Coppard.
GARY’S ARTISAN BAKERY 8.5 MILES FROM THE NEST
There are few pleasures more satisfying than a perfectly baked sourdough, its golden crust giving way to the delight of chewy, airy, textured bread. And when it comes to crafting the best, Gary’s Artisan Bakery is in a league of its own. From his bakery in Ashford, Gary has built a reputation for exceptional bread, rooted in traditional techniques and the finest ingredients. His ever-changing selection — pillowy focaccia, slow-fermented sourdough, rich and buttery brioche — has made him a favourite at local farmers’ markets and a trusted supplier to Kent’s top-tier delis and restaurants. At the Nest, we love his traditional sourdough loaves, slathered in Anthony’s home-whipped butter. Mouthwateringly good.
Plan your perfect visit to the estate for one of our incredible food and wine paired menus at gusbourne.com
