We select some hotels across the continents for honeymoons, luxury escapes and city breaks, featuring the organic vegetable gardens. Farm-to-table brings the culinary scene that comes freshly from the garden. Each hotel offers an opportunity for guests to savor, to feel the extraordinary culinary experiences.
PullmanParis Tour Eiffel is growing fruits and vegetables 100% organic tow steps from Eiffel Tower.
In the fifteenth arrondissement of Paris, Frame, Pullman’s restaurant, has designed a vegetable garden grown without pesticides. This green space provides the restaurant with some of its fruits and vegetables.
For a year, Lucie Monthioux took care of the young shoots. Formerly from HEC Montréal, she ensures the maintenance of the garden a few days a week on behalf of Topager, a company specializing in urban gardens: “We consult with the chef to know what we want to plant and in which quantity,” she says. The kitchen wants squash? They will have it at the next harvest.
In the heart of Paris, the bees forage between strawberries and tomato plants: chefs seduced by the fashion of “local consumption” are embarking on the installation of vegetable gardens on the roofs. “No transport, the day’s salad changes daily depending on the harvest, everything comes ultra-fresh and fragrant on the customer’s plate,” says the 30-year-old chef.
Italy Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort, Toscana
Not far from the entrance to the resort is a flourishing organic kitchen garden.
Terme di Saturnia Spa & Golf Resort offers an approach to a new lifestyle, the beginning of a renaissance whose natural starting point is what we eat. The secret behind their light but tasty dishes is the organic kitchen garden produce that uses the philosophy of well-being to give a twist to the best of Tuscan gastronomic tradition. So pleasure becomes the key to rediscovering the joy of healthy eating. The garden yields zucchini, cauliflowers, tomatoes, eggplants, different varieties of lettuce, fennel, cucumbers, artichokes, peppers, herbs such as basil and parsley, as well as raspberries, strawberries and blackberries for delicious desserts. The hotel also produces olive oil from its own trees. Among the resulting dishes are Broccoli Soup with Anchovies, Cauliflower and Tomatoes; Zucchini Noodles with Clams and Tomato Sauce; and Cheesecake with Raspberry Dressing.
United States Chatham Bars Inn, Massachusetts
The Chatham Bars Inn has an eight-acre vegetable farm. The guests are welcome in Chatham to walk the grounds and even select items that the chefs will then prepare specially for them. Currently the farm produces a wide variety of lettuce, kale, summer corn, squashes, carrots, eggplants, and just about any other herb or vegetable that you can think of, including more than thirty varieties of tomatoes, zucchini, yellow crookneck, patty pan, and hybrid summer; several types of bush beans, kale, salad greens, herbs, pea shoots and sunflower shoots, radishes, turnips, beets, and even edible flowers. There are many specialty items that the chefs prepare with the produce from the farm, including the baby carrots with white truffle honey and heirloom tomato basil mozzarella Salad.
Portugal Six Senses Douro Valley, Douro Valley
There are two organic gardens – the ornamental Six Senses Douro Valley organic garden and the Quinta do Mourao organic garden. They use aromatic plants such as calendula and lemongrass to scare away the pests. Integrated pest management such as mulching and wood chippings, are used to retain moisture in the soil and to prevent weeds from growing. The organic garden is seasonal, so that the menus will also change to offer seasonal vegetables and to reflect what we are able to grow. The crops include: Artichoke, aubergine/eggplant. broccoli, capers, carrots, chard, courgettes/zucchini, cucumbers, fennel, oranges, pumpkins and tomatoes, and herbs such as basil, bay leaves, calendula or field marigold, chili peppers, lavender, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lemongrass, mint, parsley, passionflower, rosemary, sage, and thyme. The herbs are also taken to the spa and used in several of the cocktails and teas. We have gathered and dried the herbs for spa and for use in the winter. Apart from healthy food from the organic fruit and vegetable garden, the peaceful, muted décor by Clodagh Design, which draws the outside in, the aerobic yoga or yogic sleep all combine to induce a feeling of stillness and contentment.
South Africa Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa, Johannesburg
Saxon Hotel, Villas and Spa in Johannesburg, South Africa, is harvested from the hotel’s organic rooftop garden; save for the meat and cheese items. The garden produces all varieties of herbs, including lemon thyme, lemon verbena and five types of basil; rhubarb; beans; lemons, pears and apples; tomatillos; gooseberries; purple broccoli; globe artichokes; 25 varieties of tomato; asparagus; yellow marrow; beetroot; fennel and fennel flowers; parsnips; gem and butternut squash. On the restaurant’s six-course menu, there is a first course of Green Tomato Soup, Garden Beans, Tarragon, and Bean Flowers, while the four-course offering features a vegetarian option of seasonal squash with steamed yellow marrow with pine nut chutney, gem squash yoghurt, and butte.
Bhutan UMA by COMO, Punakha Valley
Uma by COMO, Punakha, luxury lodge located at the far western end of the lush Punakha Valley. From our picturesque base overlooking a snake-like bend in the Mo Chu river, Uma Punakha is ideally located for those who wish to explore this remote Himalayan Kingdom. Their seasonal menus offer authentic Bhutan cuisine using local produce and ingredients, many of them sourced from the neighbouring organic farms and gardens, with a selection of international dishes offered alongside.
Saint Kitts and Nevis Belle Mont Farm, Kittitian Hill
Belle Mont Farm is nestled among 400 acres of fertile, organic farm and lush tropical forest on the island of St. Kitts in the West Indies. It’s an edible landscape, cultivated with organically-grown fruit and vegetables delivered and transformed into authentic culinary experiences in their restaurants. Guests could even find ‘Pick Me’ signs hanging where the ripest fruit is ready to be plucked from the source and enjoyed under the shade of your favorite tree. Kittitian Hill is committed to sourcing as much as possible from the land, forest and sea that surrounds the hotel. They work closely with sustainable farms and nearby suppliers of responsible fishing, farming and animal husbandry. The 84 wooden guesthouses designed by star architect Bill Bensley come in a grand, Caribbean-colonial style with a majestic four-poster bed, private plunge pool and outdoor bath.
Sweden Grand Hôtel, Stockholm
Despite the Grand Hôtel is located in the heart of the city, it is dedicated to bring fresh, organic ingredients to its Michelin-starred restaurants Matsalen and Matbaren. The hotel grows much of its own produce in the Rosendal’s Trädgård, a 17th century urban garden, a ten minute walk from the hotel. Every Monday Chef Mathias Dahlgren can be found working in the garden, harvesting any produce that is ripe enough for the kitchen.
Hawaii The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Honolulu
The Kahala Hotel &Resort is at the forefront of Hawaii’s ‘garden, farm and ocean to table’ ethos where only the freshest and most local ingredients are used. Set under a Banyan Tree the hotel’s kitchen garden grows a variety of fruits and vegetables including the rare Spanish black radish and breakfast radish. Executive Chef Wayne Hirabayashi picks these daily using them in salads or roasting to bring out a sweeter flavour. Produce from the kitchen garden is at the centre of the hotel’s 50th anniversary celebratory menu which features a salt crusted rack of lamb, cooked using a layer of fresh herbs such as sage and parsley from the garden.
Planted to ensure freshness of herbs and vegetables for use in its restaurants and room service offerings, the garden at The Kahala Hotel and Resort in Honolulu, Hawaii, is located under a banyan tree between the main entrance road to the hotel and the back-of-the house area. The items grown are part of the hotel’s “garden, farm and ocean to table” program, and the garden is part of its ‘islands fresh’ concept of buying fresh local products as first choice. Among the primary items are several types of peppers, radishes, zucchini, and arugula, as well as sage, basil and parsley. Spanish black radish and breakfast radish are incorporated in salads, featured in a vegetable platter, and roasted to serve as an accent to the chef’s catch of the day special. In the Salt Crusted Rack of Lamb, a layer of fresh herbs is applied before the rack is wrapped in the salt, to prevent the meat from becoming too salty, and to impart additional delicate flavors during cooking. As part of the hotel’s 50th anniversary commemorations in April, garden items will be featured in a menu celebrating the hotel’s culinary past and present, with Executive Chef Wayne Hirabayashi hosting guest chefs Martin Wyss – who presided over the kitchens during the resort’s opening years – and Chef Yamamoto of the Hotel Okura Tokyo’s La Belle Époque signature restaurant.
Italy Villa La Massa, Florence
Best for a Tuscan Marmellata…Villa La Massa, Florence Oregano, wild fennel, garlic and courgette are just some of the herbs and vegetables grown in the chef’s organic garden at Villa La Massa, set just outside Florence. Ripened in the Tuscan sun, the picturesque garden grows an abundance of fruit such as peaches, plums, pears, apricots, cherries and strawberries which are used to make fresh preserves and jams. Served at breakfast, the jams are the perfect complement to crusty Italian bread and a great way for guests to start their morning.
England The Grove, Hertfordshire
The Grove just outside of London cultivates one on site that primarily produces ingredients that are used in Colette’s, the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, and during peak production seasons, other outlets – The Glasshouse, The Stables and the Mansion Lounges – also benefit. The Walled Garden has traditionally been used to grow fruit and vegetables for the Earls of Clarendon dating back to the 18th century, and in more recent times, with the restoration of The Grove, it has also been returned to its former glory. Root vegetables – carrots, beets, radishes, turnips, leeks and onions – are abundant, complementing a full range of lettuces, cress, tomatoes, asparagus, artichokes, pumpkins, squash, peppers and beans. There are also herbs aplenty – sage, dill, rosemary, chervil, thyme and several varieties of basil. In summer, fruits come into their own, with a host of berries, rhubarb, lemons, figs, grapes, apples, plums and gooseberries creating a cornucopia of flavors. Out of the kitchens come dishes such as English Wood Pigeon, with Walled Garden Beetroots, Rainbow Chard, and Blueberries; and Alpine Strawberry Panna Cotta, with Jersey Cream Ice Cream, and Macerated Strawberries.
Italy Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, Sorrento
Nearly 15 years ago the Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento, Italy, began cultivating its on-site vegetable and herb gardens. Among the items grown for use in the hotel’s kitchens are tomatoes, fennel, eggplant, zucchini, lettuce, pumpkin, peas, beans, and red and yellow peppers, as well as herbs such as mint, dill, rosemary, thyme, chervil, basil, and parsley. The chef then creates dishes like Gragnano Spaghettoni Pasta with Anchovies, Fennel, and Tuna Fish Tartare; and a variation of Cherry Tomatoes, Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese and Basil.
Mauritius Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa
Some travelers may already think of Mauritius as the Garden of Eden, and Shanti Maurice Resort & Spa embodies the metaphor. The resort cultivates an herb garden that produces aromatic herbs such as rosemary, marjoram, lemongrass, mint, parsley, basil, and coriander, as well as vegetables including lettuce, white and red radish, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, tomatoes, sweet corn and chili, and fruits such as banana, papaya and mango. Several of these tempting ingredients are incorporated to create menu offerings like Obrime in Banana Leaf – Cape Malay marinated obrime grilled in a banana leaf with Thai basil and tomato salad; and Yellow fin Tuna with Garden Herbs – spice-crusted yellow fin tuna with rosemary and honey scented herbs. Last year, the resort introduced a private dining experience in the heart of the garden: the Herb Garden BBQ which includes a special tasting menu, tailored wine flight and service by a personal butler and chefs.
Let's travel green! 