Happy New Year from us all at The Walled Garden and EMA (is it too late to be saying that?…)! 2025 was a fantastic year but we’re hoping 2026 will be even better. It’s been a bit of a chilly (not to mention wet and windy) start to the year, so grab your cuppa, and take a look at what’s happening here in Moreton!

We re-opened the site to the public on Saturday 3^rd January, and the winter menu is available to keep you warm! Visitors can also take advantage of our amazing offers for buy one, get one half price breakfasts or buy one get one free on our delicious soup! We’ve been handing out vouchers for the offers in the café but don’t worry if you didn’t receive one of these vouchers on a recent visit, you can just show the café staff the photo of it right here on your phone!

What’s Happening in The Gardens?

It’s now a brand-new term with new tasks for the gardens team and EMA students to take care of over the next few weeks.

Head Gardener Martin Mellersh said: “We have a few big tasks to complete over the next few weeks.

First of all, we have begun the work on extending the Garden Centre and moving the entrance hut to a more suitable space. Once it’s complete, the larger area will allow us to sell more plants and shrubs to the public and some will have been grown by our own EMA students.”

It may look a little rugged in these photos as clearing is in the initial stages, but the team are working at an incredible pace, and everything will be looking fresh and improved before you know it! 😀

In a previous blog we mentioned the work on The Bog Garden. Martin added: “We need to dig down into the Bog Garden to make it much deeper than it currently is. At the moment, it isn’t really a bog, so this work will allow more water to sit within the border creating more suitable conditions for the plants and shrubs we currently have living there.”

The first week back saw the EMA students continue their work, weaving the Willows along Willow Walk. As the Willows are so tall now, we are waiting for the installation of a platform which will allow the students access to the top of the Willows to finish their work.

Small signs of life are starting to show up around the gardens which bring a wealth of positivity amongst the winter blues. We’ve spotted some Helebores and Camellias budding in our more shady areas, but we are expecting our Snowdrops to appear within the next couple of weeks. They’re always such a welcome sight when they arrive!

Animal Acre

We accepted some very kind donations of real Christmas trees at the start of the month. Animal Expert Chrissy said: “Real Christmas trees are a delicious snack for our family of Pygmy Goats and also provide great enrichment for them, so we’d like to thank the members of the public who donated their Christmas trees to us – we’re taking more on Saturday 10th January, so if you have some, please drop them off on this day between 9am-12pm here at The Walled Garden”

Coming Up….

Valentine’s Day will be here before you know it! If you’re looking for a special treat for yourself and a loved one or are looking to celebrate with your closest friends, may we suggest our Valentine’s Afternoon Tea?

You can indulge in signature sandwiches, cakes and pastries with some extra heart shaped surprises to make it even more special, alongside a warming pot of tea. All for £21.50 per person!

Booking for afternoon tea is essential, and we kindly ask for a minimum of 24 hours notice so we can get everything perfect for you! Afternoon tea is available every day, but the Valentine’s theme is only available Saturday 14^th and Sunday 15^th February, so don’t miss out!

Looking even further ahead to Mother’s Day weekend, we’re excited to announce that we will be offering our Mother’s Day Afternoon Teas on Saturday 14^th March and Roast Dinners on Sunday 15^th March! Again, booking in advance is essential for afternoon teas and highly advised for the Sunday roasts (we will always fill up!)

Recent Reviews

We received lots of amazing feedback and reviews over December, and as always, we like to highlight a few here.

– “I had a Croque Monsieur + asked for a ‘Crispy Egg’. Chef did exactly that! First chef who has ever done it perfectly and knew what I meant! Thank you.”

–  “Lovely clean table and helpful staff. Thank you.”

– “Delicious food, very friendly staff and students most welcoming. Gardens are beautiful. Love Willow walk, animals etc. Will be back in Spring and Summer.”

Thank you to everyone for visiting, and we hope you’ll stop by soon to celebrate the new year with us. <3