We made a trip to our local farm shop this lunch time, we are lucky to have several great farm shops near us…..but this one is special in so much as it is part of The Chatsworth House Estate.
Now you would be excused if you thought our trip was to buy the meat and veg for the weekend…..well we did but that was just the excuse to enjoy ‘meat and two veg’ in the excellent restaurant that is attached to the shop.
Now for the tale.
Like just about all old Stately Homes and big Estates, Chatsworth had there own brewery, in fact they also paid estate workers with a beer ration. The Brewery was at one time located in the stable block some distance from the House. Rather than fill barrels in the brewery then transport them to the house they laid a pipe to connect the brewery with barrels in the cellars of the House. But time goes by and changes are made so the beer pipe was dug up and removed….however for part of its journey to the house the pipe ran through the Dukes Greenhouses. It was here that they found that the gardeners had ‘tapped into’ the pipe and able to sample supplies before it reached the barrels. Proving Gardeners have more than green fingers but crafty ones too!
Well that is what it says on the label of the bottle of Beer that helped my Roast Beef, Yorkshire pudding and vegetables go down.
True or not ….who cares as it was a nice drop of beer!
and it is still brewed on the Estate….but I bet the gardeners are kept well away from the barrels
11th May
DAVID OAKES - IMAGES. 