Maker Spotlight: Pythouse Kitchen Garden

Sprigs Co at Pythouse Kitchen Garden create culinary delights and delicious drinks inspired by the produce they grow in their beautiful 18th Century walled garden.

We spoke to Piers Milburn, the owner of Pythouse Kitchen Garden, about his hidden gem and the Sprigs Co vision. 

So, tell us the difference between Sprigs Co and Pythouse Kitchen Garden – which is which? 

Sprigs Co is our team of chefs and gardeners, and Pythouse Kitchen Garden is the name of our principal location. At the moment, we’ve been focused on growing Pythouse but we want to take our concept to different locations, hence Sprigs Co – we’re all about celebrating a sustainable way of life, not just in the kitchen garden.

How did you start up at Pythouse then?

My wife and I discovered this three-acre walled garden that was largely untapped, but it was an incredibly bountiful place that had so much potential. It was originally a café, but when we took it over, we wanted to create something much more impressive – an entirely sustainable menu. 

We went out into the garden and had a look at what we could grow and that inspired our menu, and equally inspired Sprigster Drinks, which is our non-alcoholic drinks offering. After that, we thought about it as a real experience venue, so you can stay the night, get married, have a party. We wanted our guests to be able to experience the walled garden in every way – sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. 

What do you grow at Pythouse? 

We grow everything from your humble lettuce to your exotic kiwi – yes, you can grow kiwis in the UK! Everything from apricots, artichokes, mulberries, hops, rhubarb, ginger, fennel, kale, beans and gourds … it’s all there. 

Tell us more about how you developed the menu and how that led to Sprigster Drinks. 

Once we took the garden on, we started slowly changing and improving it, but from day one, the menu was always as homegrown as we could possibly make it. However, it wasn’t until we met our head chef Darren that we were able to really flex the concept – he really got what we were trying to do. 

But we always wanted to have a brand that could travel beyond the four walls of the garden and we had this recipe for a killer non-alcoholic drink. At the time, there was bit of a movement towards low and non-alcoholic drinks, so we decided to ride the wave and here we are.  

How has Wiltshire helped you to grow?

We’re all about community, so we wanted to support our local community as best as possible. That means using Wiltshire suppliers wherever possible and hiring staff that are local to us. We’ve been really lucky in that Visit Wiltshire have helped us by sending journalists to us, so we’ve had some great press from that. And also, we get a lot of visitors from the local area. 

That said, we’ve got quite a lot of people coming to us from further afield for destination weddings or because they’re on their way through the county and heading on holiday. We tend to be a really good foodie stop off, because we’re situated halfway between London and Cornwall. We get holiday commuters coming through, fall in love with the restaurant and then telling their kids they need to get married here, so that works out surprisingly well! 

If you had to recommend one dish on the menu, what would it be. 

Our venison – it’s locally sourced from within the county, and it’s about as wild and as sustainable as it gets. 

What would customers be hard pressed to find anywhere else? 

Well, definitely our Sprigster Drinks, and we specialise in garden glass drinks. We have this wonderful food menu that’s inspired by the garden, and you’re not washing it down with Coca-Cola or lemonade. Instead, you’ve got our own carefully curated drinks that pair perfectly with our menu. 

Otherwise, I’d also say if you try our parsnip ice cream, that’s pretty original, too. 

What’s next on the cards for Sprigs Co? 

We’re hoping to develop the retail side of things, so by Christmastime, we’re looking to have redesigned our retail space so you’ll be able to pick up lots of lovely locally made craft pieces, food, drinks and gifts. 

Where can you pick up a bottle of Sprigster infusion or spritz? 

You can buy online through our website, and we’re in some great pubs and restaurants locally as well. As well as that, we’re in some select locations such as Daylesford Organic and the Newt in Somerset. 

What does the Wiltshire Marque mean to you? 

We’re thrilled to join the Marque right from the off. I think it’s really important that we all, as businesses, look to be as responsible as we can in the way we run ourselves. So having a marque of trusted businesses in the area we know we can go to if we’re looking for something that’s a cut above in terms of sustainability and provenance is fantastic. 

You can find out more about dining at Pythouse Kitchen Garden at 
https://www.pythousekitchengarden.co.uk/ and pick up a bottle of Sprigster at https://www.sprigsterdrinks.com/

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