Fossil Coast welcomed in Spring at this years Toby’s Garden Festival held at Powderham Castle the 14th century family home of the Earl and Countess of Devon located between Exeter and Dawlish along the Exe Estuary.
Visitors Tasting Fossil Coast at Toby's Garden Festival 2022
Since 2014 Toby’s Garden Festival has become a much-loved and popular garden festival held across the South West of England at a number of beautiful locations. This festival is named after the events Festival Director Toby Buckland a lifelong gardener and a familiar television contributor to numerous gardening shows including BBC Gardeners’ World, RHS Chelsea Flower show and Sunday mornings BBC Radio Devon weekly garden show.
We were very lucky to have a warm sunny spring weekend giving the event a strong sense of promise and celebration among the varied colours and aromas of the wonderful flowers and plants. Visitors enjoyed the Garden Village exhibiting the best plant nurseries in the South West and where the experts sold and provided advice on a range of rare and unusual plants at great prices. Throughout the two days a number of very interesting and insightful talks were given at the tepee.
Our location along "Feast Street" quickly became known as “gin alley” as Fossil Coast was flanked by fellow Devon Gin Guide colleagues Papillion Gin, Thunderflower Gin as well as Devon Cove Vodka.
Our drinks provided the entrée before visitors enjoyed curated range of street food all of whom were hand-picked for their locally-reared meat, vegan, veggie and options for intolerances, plus light snacks and tea, coffee and of course lots of cake!
A garden festival is not a typical food & drink event but the gardeners who attend have a depth of knowledge and appreciation for the flowers, vegetables and fruit grown. This knowledge extends to their informed interest into how each distiller uses a range of botanicals to create each story in a bottle.
Each of our gardening visitors had an ample opportunity to compare and contrast each story as well as enjoy a taster.
We shall be back in 2023!