Tucked away in the rolling hills of Wiltshire, South West England, sheltered by ancient walls and a magnificent yew hedge, there is a magical place called Pythouse Kitchen Garden. On this three-acre plot in the early 18th Century, gardeners for the Bennett family sunk their forks and established a botanical bloodline which would blossom for years to come. For more than two centuries, curious fruits, vegetables and aromatic sprigs of green from this historic garden have been coveted locally for their enriching flavours.

The Victorians loved the challenge of growing the exotic in our far from obliging climate. Their walled gardens were cleverly designed to help them yield the plumpest of peaches and pears. Marrows were meticulously mulched and mountains of fresh horse manure used to heat their pineapple pits. These bonkers botanists would stop at nothing to impress their epicurean peers.

Today, we are lucky enough to call the Bennett’s paradise of a potager our own. In the spirit of Victorian endeavour, our kitchen garden is still a place of experimentation and industry. Throughout the year, a myriad of botanicals are brought to the table. In the spring of 2016 we began bashing and brewing sprigs of scented greenery to make a drink we could serve our guests. We soon had a combination of ingredients that perfectly represented the best of an English country garden. We nicknamed it ‘Sprigster’ and the name stuck.