An Autumnal Getaway at The Newt
Our food editor, Blanche Vaughan, tries her hand at cyder making in one of the UK's most beautiful hotels.
The sweet, earthy aroma of crushed apples fills the autumn air as centuries of cyder making traditions come alive in Somerset at this time of year.
I’ve made a trip to Hadspen House, outside Bruton, a grand Georgian manor built of local burnt-orange limestone, the seat of the Hobhouse family since 1785 and occupied by generations of Hobhouse gentry, politicians and finally renowned garden designer Penelope Hobhouse.
Bought by Koos Bekker and Karen Roos in 2013, Hadspen was transformed into The Newt: a boutique hotel, a luxury country estate with cyder orchards, a working farm and multiple restaurants for day and overnight guests to experience.
The sweet, earthy aroma of crushed apples fills the autumn air as centuries of cyder making traditions come alive in Somerset at this time of year.
Author's summary: Celebrating Somerset cyder at The Newt hotel.