Secret Japanese Wine Bar

 I went to Belmont House for their Secret Garden weekend around lunchtime on Saturday, and it was already busy.  Tables had been laid out around the garden, and the serving tables were at the top, the food table under the kitchen window so that food could just be passed down, and the wine table just round the corner.

I had the vegetarian gyoza (little dumplings).  They also had pork gyoza, a burger, chicken bits and a couple of other things - all of which looked quite interesting.  The wine was from Black Mountain Winery, and I had Shouting at Weather, a sparkling white wine.

I found a bench to one side of the garden.  I remember this garden when it was an allotment, but now it's been transformed with curved flower beds, and many of the plants have literary associations.  Gareth, who does the bookshop for Hay Festival, helped them with the planting.  I was sitting on the camomile lawn (from the book by Mary Wesley), and that's how I found out that I have camomile growing in my garden - some of the wildflower seeds that I sowed earlier in the year came up after all!  

There were several roses ("Roses are easy to find," I was told) - for instance Jane Austen and Lady of Shalott, and other plants included Bertrand Russell, Tom Thumb, Gabriel Oak from Tess of the D'Urbervilles - there were about forty plants in all, with little slate labels.

So, good food and wine, beautiful garden, and a view across the Wye Valley - I hope they do it again some time.