Thyme in Bloom

Rain clouds may scud across the sky in April, but when the sun comes out and shadows dapple the lane leading down to the kitchen garden at Thyme in Southrop, all is well. This is the month for unfolding beech leaves, bobbly oak catkins and lambs capering in green pastures. Returning chiffchaffs join wrens, robins and tits in song from blackthorn and hawthorn hedgerows covered in creamy blossom.

“In creating Thyme, I wanted to tell the story of the land and the seasons in everything we do,” explains owner Caryn Hibbert, “and the kitchen garden has always been central to this.” Caryn approached designer Bunny