The Argyll Organic Garden lies in full view of the Abbey and adjacent to the nunnery. Its rich basalt soils have been cultivated for centuries, and have been fertilized year on year in the traditional manner with heaps of seaweed haled up from the beach. Within these few acres we grow a considerable amount of our own produce; thousands of lettuces and salad greens vie for space with the fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits. All of which flourish in the long summer days of the Hebrides; protected from the vagaries of the Northern latitude by the microclimate of the Gulf Stream.
One could easily say that these gardens have been organically maintained for millennia - since the island tradition has always utilised what nature provides, rather than relying on forced and rather expensive chemical contrivance. That said, the modern parlance requires official sanction of such terms and we are a certified Soil Association Organic Producer and work a strict regime of crop rotations, inspections, and control of inputs in to the soil. We also grow the vast majority of our stock from seed, and try to use traditional varieties as much as possible, especially when they are particular to the West Coast.
The majority of our production is centred on salads, herbs and the most perishable of green vegetables that would never really survive the long journey from the mainland markets. We are particularly proud of our rocket, mizuna and the rarer edible flowers that we use to garnish our plates. The rich basalt soils also produce superb crops of rhubarb which end up in our home made pies and breakfast compots. Broad beans also seem to be particularly suited to the island climate, and we always manage a bumper crop which the children love to pick and shell. All these various crops are carefully planned, seeded and grown according to a timescale of kitchen use - however, the season and summer are never precisely predictable, and so the chefs are always on stand bye to utilise whatever is at hand and in best condition.
This connection between plate and place is fundamental to the Argyll and cannot be more overtly stated than in our use of produce from the garden. Since it is directly behind the hotel, the garden is one of the first things people see as they make their way along the Road of the Dead, and up to the Abbey; many is the person who stops en route to watch the gardeners at work and quiz them about matters horticultural. This proximity to the hotel means that produce can be harvested, and within minutes be in the kitchen and served on to the plate for the dinning room; it cannot get any fresher or healthier.
The use of our own produce from the garden naturally underscores the seasonality of food, and the wisdom of utilising what is brightest and best, and what is local and fresh. This is notably the case in terms of seafood as well, where the marine harvest is not only governed by tides, but by the seasonal progression of sustainable catches. Creel fishing is a quintessential part of Hebridean life, and the region is famed for its lobster, crab, langoustine, mussels, scallop and oyster; all of which have there own season for the catch, and ensure a year-round calendar of delights to be had.
We abide by the Marine Conservation Listing for sustainable catches, and as such we do not tangle with the unethical and disastrous products of over fishing. Just as using the products of your own garden naturally steers you towards the organic, the proximity of living on the shore, fundamentally raises your awareness of what is sustainably caught.
Links
www.soilassociation.org
www.terramadre.info
A project that realises that "eating is an agricultural act and producing is a gastronomic act"
www.breadmatters.com
The ultimate guide to the plight and remedy of modern bread making
www.greencity.co.uk
Our main supplier for quality flours and baking goods
www.hehlis-holistics.co.uk
A useful site for small scale grain mills
www.twitter.com/Realbread
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