It was a pleasure to be invited down to Harewood House this week on a gloriously sunny September morning.
An annual event was a-brewing down in the walled garden, and we were excited to discover more about this exclusive collaboration between the historic estate and Leeds based Northern Monk Brewery.
As we approached the garden, there were several teams already hard at work. The gardeners were busy cropping the vines back; a group of volunteers had assembled at numerous stations, handpicking the hops gently from the vines – a traditional method that dates back centuries.
Gardener Jack gave us the back story to the creation of the walled garden. The garden itself can be traced back to the 1750’s, but it changed dramatically in the 1930’s when avid gardener Princess Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood, moved into the estate and played a major part in shaping the garden as it is today. After lying dormant for decades, the Harewood House Trust revived the original kitchen garden back into full production in the 1990’s. This included the planting of hop vines that still produce yields today.
I’ve consumed enough beer in my time without actually ever handling a hop, so along with my sister, I got my hands dirty and helped out, whilst chatting away with the other volunteers. Some of the volunteers were Northern Monk staff members, plus other beer enthusiasts from the Chartered Institute of Brewers and Distillers (CIBD).
Charlie from Northern Monk told us about the process of production of the ale. The brewing process had already begun back at their largest production facility on Sydenham Road in Holbeck. The hops we picked in the morning would be over at the brewery by the afternoon and processed straight away to ensure the freshness of the product. Hops from Harewood house estate have been exclusive to Northern Monk Brewery annually for over 10 years, with last year’s yield achieving a record a 68kg pick.
Head gardener Trevor admitted that it’s been a difficult year managing vegetation in the walled garden owing firstly to the very wet spring, which was then followed by an extremely dry and hot summer. The hop yield was nevertheless impressive, flourishing up against the walls.
Harewood House prides itself on being a traditional estate whilst looking at ways to improve and preserve its heritage into the future – one foot in the past, two feet in the future. An example of this is the Reimagining Harewood initiative that has commenced and will continue over the next 10 years, with its aims to preserve heritage, transform accessibility and welcome and engage visitors.
Look out for the limited edition Patron Project pale ale around mid-October at Northen Monk brewery, as well as bars across the City and of course at Harewood house. I’m certainly looking forward to trying a cold pint of it.
Photography by Cath Kane.
