Chattering Chough: Autumn festival at RHS Garden Wisley

This week it is A Taste of Autumn at RHS Garden Wisley. It is a very popular annual event that attracts crowds of people to sample all sorts of apple and autumn related produce from the great Wisley gardeners as well as the wonderful stall holders that have a presence there.

It all began from the apple tastings that were held every October on the terrace at the front of the Garden. Here lots of people would come and taste slices of apple from the many varieties that are grown in the Wisley orchards. Hopefully the tasters would then buy apple trees for their own gardens, based on the tastings. Over the years this has grown, firstly with a few apple related producers in a marquee on the Seven Acres lawn to the country market style event it is in 2011.

All along the path from the Conservatory Cafe, round the Grass Borders and along the Seven Acres path to the Glasshouse there are tents containing stalls. These are full of local producers from cider and beer makers to jams and spicy sauce makers. In between are the bread people, the sausage producers who have giggly pigs, the nut roaster, the herb and spice nursery, the cheese makers, olive oil and garlic sellers, not to mention the veg growing societies and seed producers.

You can even order a Christmas turkey from the family farmer who is fattening some of his Kelly Bronze turkeys up on the meadows of RHS Garden Hyde Hall. Apparently Delia and other star chefs recommend these.A Taste of Autumn has its own star chef in the person of Peter Osborne who held demonstrations of autumn style food throughout the day and the aromas wafting out of the cookery demonstration marquee were mouthwatering. They have put the recipes up on the Wisley website.

Beyond the producers stalls and the cookery tent is the RHS area where there is a fabulous wagon displaying autumn veg including a lot of colourful pumpkins. Here is where the apple tasting takes place and is always crowded with visitors. After tasting you can move to the tractor and trailer where they are selling bags of apples - hopefully being able to buy your favourite. This year people could vote for their favourite flavour. With the fabulous autumn sunshine, this festival of food is looking to break all sorts of records. We certainly had a wonderful time there.