Pit stop

It was convenient to take a break at Denbies on the way home, just north of Dorking. Plenty of car parking, facilities and cafeteria. In fact, rather better than National Trust as it was only a very short walk from the car park, maybe less than fifty yards on this occasion.

Ornamental cows

To be greeted by a pair of ornamental cows which, after various vicissitudes have taken up residence at Denbies. We first saw them at the top of Box Hill, noticed at reference 1.

Into the cafeteria to take tea and coffee, but not cake on this occasion. Very reasonably priced and nicely presented. We wondered, once again, by the heat gain of the pyramidal roof over the courtyard, once open, now reclaimed for revenue earning cafeteria.

A lot of the other people there were runners and we learned on inquiry that they were taking post 5k run refreshments. It seems that one does not generally take refreshment before a run, perhaps a little water, certainly nothing bulky and solid. Our informants were a pair of cheerful ladies charged with sorting out the commemorative (and bar coded) clips.

White

Black

Out to inspect the raison d'être of the place, that is to say the grapes, which seemed to be coming on fine.

We also had a collection of middle aged people, ladies smart, gents smart casual. They were perhaps doing some kind of a tour of the place, accompanied by various refreshments, awnings, little train (rather as on the esplanade at Bognor Regis) and so forth.

To close the proceedings, we visited the farm shop, which seemed rather bigger than when we last visited. We took some milk (for our tea on arrival) a marrow and some rather nice looking apples.

Apples

The marrow was taken stuffed, that is to say sliced into two halves lengthwise and each half filled with a savoury beef mince confection, with the confection being part cooked before being used to stuff the marrow, and with the stuffed marrow (including its skin - important to keep the finished product firm) being cooked for a further hour, under foil. Served on this occasion with brown rice. Very good it was too.

As were the apples: a real treat to have fresh apples, maybe a day or so off the tree, unlike those sold in the supermarkets. An early apple, not Discovery, but I know not what.

Reference 1: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2016/08/cow-hunt.html.

Reference 2: https://www.denbies.co.uk/. I can find no trace of our last visit to the farm shop.