Eat Local at These Farm-to-Table Hotels

At Verdura Resort, delicious Sicilian specialties come to life. Mornings begin with fresh juices and smoothies made from the harvest of the resort’s organic vegetable garden and orchards. Home to 3,000 orange and 2,000 olive trees, the coastal getaway (and our pick for best Family-Friendly Hotel at the 2019 Kiwi Collection Hotel Awards) allows its visitors to be inspired by the tastes of the Mediterranean. If lucky, you’ll get to taste a small, golden fruit grown with care and freshly picked right on property–a delicious medlar.

On 4,200-acres in the Great Smoky Mountains, Blackberry Farm captures the Foothill region’s history in its dishes. Home to a fully operational farm, visitors are welcomed to participate in the daily habits of rural life with cooking demonstrations lead by artisans and farming activities alongside the master gardener. Local foragers and members of the agricultural community provide milk for the farm’s cheese marker, meat for the butcher, and wild mushrooms and blackberries for the preservationist. Here, guests experience the transformation of local bounty into culinary happiness firsthand.

Founded on the site of a former farm, Le Germain Charlevoix Hotel & Spa is rich in nature’s bounty. The art of cuisine is perfected here, with the culinary team creating fresh, seasonal plates right before diner’s eyes. If lucky enough to visit the property within the renowned Charlevoix region from June to October, guests can explore the organic garden together with its gardeners who are responsible for growing all the fruit, vegetables and herbs that will be found on their plate later that evening. Guests will also see 15 hives that produce up to 1,300 pounds of honey. Expect to find the sweet nectar in the pastry chef’s signature creations.

Ashford Castle’s sprawling Irish estate is a chef’s (and forager’s) dream. The delightful lakes, woods and pristine pathways surrounding the 800-year-old castle is full of mushrooms, wild garlic, raspberries, strawberries and plants such as elderflower. Chefs will go out and pick these little wonders and incorporate them in a range of dishes at George V Dining Room. When it comes to coastal foraging, there are few better places than the west of Ireland. The property has its own resident expert when it comes to gathering wild vegetables and seaweed.

A two hour-drive from London, Lime Wood is the 13^th-century hunting lodge where foodies and foragers are welcomed with open arms. Led by two of London’s most celebrated chefs, Angela Hartnett and Luke Holder, the Harnett Holder and Co restaurant heavily relies on local ingredients, many foraged from the surrounding woods. Although located deep in the heart of the New Forest, Mediterranean fruit, vegetables and herbs flourish here in thanks to the hotel’s secret garden, The Greenhouse. Cured and aged meats are sure to be on the menu, too; The Smoke House is where smoked salmon, pancetta, chorizo, salami and lavender cured loin of pork are produced.

Named one of the top 50 restaurants in the world, The Herbfarm on the grounds of Willows Lodge is supplied by the property’s own gardens and neighboring growers, foragers and butchers. Take in the joys of this Pacific Northwest gastro-region, including Willow Lodge’s very own Fireside Lounge, and be sure to introduce yourself to The Herbfarm Restaurant’s two 60-pound potbelly pigs who happily wander around. For something a bit more adventurous, volunteer at a local Woodinville winery where you might be asked to help fish out grape stems and leaves left behind after the crusher does its job.

One of the oldest and best-preserved estates in Tuscany, Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco’s culinary program is a celebration of Italian heritage. Italy may shine bright in the summer, but fall is perhaps its most magical time with truffle season in full swing. Alongside a local expert and his trusty dogs, forage for truffles in the surrounding woodlands of Castiglion del Bosco. Later that evening, wind down with a glass of vino as you treasure your special truffle menu.

Once called “a most excellent establishment” by Winston Churchill, Belmond Mount Nelson Hotel is one of Cape Town’s prized jewels. Welcoming guests for nearly 120 years, the iconic resort is no stranger to wining and dining. Its superb South African cuisine is reflected in its specialty dishes, designed daily around the freshest handpicked ingredients available. Guests can book the Township Farm Tour where they pluck vegetables straight from the soil and bring them back to the hotel for the chefs to transform into a gorgeous farm-to-fork salad.

Boasting the most northerly rice field in Europe, Castello del Sol is one of Europe’s top farm-to-table sensations. With 11 hectares of dreamy parkland and a secluded shoreline on Switzerland’s Lake Maggoire, the estate is sure to please visitors’ palates. Here, they cultivate 35 varieties of fruits and vegetables. Local dairy products and meats are provided by suppliers in the surrounding valley and fish are sourced from boats operating on the lake. Make sure to enjoy the hotel’s risotto dish which has reached cult status locally.