The Gladwin Family Journal
Snapshots, Reels and Observations from September, by Peter Gladwin
A Harvest to Remember
We guide visitors around the vineyard each summer, explaining that in spite of climate change there are still many challenges to ripening a good grape crop in England and that our harvest is likely to take place in early October. Not so the summer of 2025 - after heat-waves, drought conditions and full sunshine nearly everyday, we began the grape harvest at Nutbourne on 2nd September and completed the picking well before the end of the month.
Gregory has led the charge with his wine making - his enthusiasm, knowledge and commitment to excellence grows every year. About this year's harvest, he says:
"The fruit has been wonderful - very “clean” with high natural sugar levels, near perfect retained acidity and ample flavour. We started our latest Sussex Reserve Ferment on the first day of harvest and since then have been feeding it with more juice and carefully monitoring its progress - a true field blend and expression of the Nutbourne terroir.
Like everything in winemaking, the proof of the pudding will only be revealed when we release this year’s wines in years to come but we are confident of an outstanding Nutty Vintage Brut sparkling from 2025; we have a new batch of Barrel Chardonnay fermenting in oak casks; and for the first time since 2022, I have a red Pinot Noir underway. We will be pumping the red over every 8 hours for the next 10 days and then transferring it to barrel for 12 months of maturation."
Truly a year to celebrate and remember.
OUT TO CATCH A MUSHROOM
Oliver's ode to the treasure of the woods:
"Deep into the woods, past the acidic ground of the pine trees, up through the unbeaten animal pathways, through the brambles, over the whale shaped fallen oak tree. The rain slows and the sun pushes through the tall branches of the beech trees, the smell of bracken and chestnuts fill the air, now high up on the hill, and there she is - a 2.2 kg cauliflower mushroom. This is something only a dedicated forager could only spot - dark brown and hidden. My senses go electric with excitement, and the smell of this mushroom is as deep as chocolate but as savoury as bubbling brown butter!
On the way round, down the hill, I peel my eyes and find pearly ghost white, oyster mushrooms, then a beefsteak mushroom, bleeding from the bark of a dead tree stump. Even at the bottom of the hill, a chicken of the woods blooms with yellow florescent colour. I get back to my car laden with wild foods, and feeling part of nature - lucky to explore, to forage, to prepare and to then cook and serve... What a privilege."
Oliver shows us puffball mushrooms by the lake at Nutbourne →
LOCAL & WILD MENUS
Seasonality & Creativity
No, I often say, we are not a chain! Each Local & Wild restaurant has its own individual style, its own atmosphere and its own take on the best dishes of the season.
The Pigs Ear is a genuine pub - plenty of beer and probably the best pie in Chelsea, but also delicately cooked game, seafood and innovative vegetable dishes. The Shed in Notting Hill leads on sharing dishes, be it oysters, Sussex beef tartare, grouse, apple and walnut tart or London burrata with Kentish apricots - it is the informality that brings celebrities and regulars back year after year. And Sussex in Soho, Rabbit on the Kings Road or The Black Lamb in Wimbledon Village each provide timeless candlelit fine dining, with beef wellington, rotisserie grills, Bosham peppers or wild Cornish seabass.
The Gladwin brothers source great seasonal, local and sustainable ingredients, set parameters to inspire the individual restaurant brigades but then let their chefs apply their own creativity. This keeps each restaurant fresh and inspired on a daily basis.
The Nutbourne Farm Feast
Guests came from far and wide to dine in the Windmill, Barrel Room and Wine Lodge to celebrate all that is so special about Autumn - a time of plenty, when hunter gatherers must crop, forage, store, bottle, and preserve natural produce, in preparation for the leaner months ahead.
Oliver, Richard and Gregory were all hosting in the vineyard to present the very best the season had to offer - 48
Hour Foraged Herb Focaccia; Lani’s home grown melons, tomatoes, herbs and seeds, together with King Oyster Mushroom Carpaccio, Squash Tempura and London Burrata. This was followed by the richest bisque of South Coast Seafood, topped with a Smoky Haddock Soufflé. Next came tender vinewood roasted Southdown Venison with Hispi Cabbage, Celeriac and Game Jus; then finally the ultimate “Apple Pie” comprising a whole Cox's apple from our own orchard, stuffed with Sage Frangipane, encased in a crispy pastry crust and presented with Damson Compote and Burnt Butter Custard. All this paired with a special selection of vintage Nutbourne wines from our cellars.
This Month's Food Champion: Wild Sage
Sage has such a glorious fragrance, you
only need a large bunch of it somewhere in your kitchen to convince all comers that you are an excellent cook. It is also an herb that can be used in many different ways, both savoury and sweet. We have shared a recipe for pork, apple and sage - a classic trio, but also try using sage in our Treacle & Quince Tart, or simply fry some leaves until crispy and sprinkle them on mashed potato.
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FROM THE COAST
• English Channel Octopus
• Sea Kale, Sea Lettuce, Dulse
• South West Monkfish and Scallops -
IN THE WILD
• Crab Apples, Sloes, Damsons
• Ceps, Chicken of the Woods, Beefsteak
Mushrooms• Wild Sage, Wild Chervil
• Partridge, Grouse, Woodpigeon
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FROM THE LAND
• Spinach, Jerusalem Artichokes, Butternut, Pumpkins, Celeriac
• Late Tomatoes, Radishes, Rocket, Watercress
• Apples, Quinces, Pears and Walnuts (it has been a great year for the English crop)
SEASONAL RECIPES
We are delighted to share a few more of our favourite seasonal recipes to enjoy at this time of year.
Chargrilled Pork Tenderloin
This classic dish with Coxes Apple, Red Onions & Sage is exactly what you want to eat at the start of Autumn when the abundance of apples are literally falling off the trees.
Seashore Soup
One evening when Bridget was first introduced to my parents, she volunteered to make a soup from ingredients she had gathered from the seashore. My Dad in particular, adored it. He repeatedly told anyone who would listen what a talented and special girl his son was marrying and how lucky I was to have met her.
Treacle & Quince Tart
A great Autumnal pudding to serve with a cup of tea after you've come in from a long walk. A sweet pastry tart case with a layer of enriched Quince Purée and then a layer of Treacle.
A Launch to the UK Wine Trade ... and Beyond
Olivia and Richard represented Nutbourne at the Bancroft Wines trade tasting in Whitehall. Bancroft is a long
established merchant specialising in the on-trade across the British Isles.
Sommeliers, buyers and journalists gathered to sample Nutbourne Sussex Reserve, Blush and Barrel Fermented Chardonnay - the first English still wines to be featured in the Bancroft portfolio of over 1000 wines from all around the world.
Next month our wines are to be launched in Copenhagen where again, Olivia will on hand to explain their pedigree. Richard firmly believes that wines need to be “hand sold” like fine art, the customer must be engaged and join us on the journey.
Photography by: Ed Dallimore, Catherine Frawley and Olivia Thomas.