Buittle Tea Garden, Dumfries & Galloway

Elma and Charlie Ball

Buittle Tea Garden is on a small farm called Boghall, overlooking Buittle Church in Dumfries & Galloway.  The nearby ruin of Buittle Castle was the home of Lady Devorgilla (daughter of the last King of Galloway “Alan of Galloway”) who married John de Balliol, an Anglo-Norman in 1223.

It is set in a particularly lovely, quiet and peaceful hillside which abounds with local wildlife including red squirrels, deer, badgers and hares and a multitude of visiting native birds, especially woodpeckers and many songbirds.

Talk of tea gardens usually conjures up images of Indian hillsides and Sri Lankan glens, but tea plantations thrive even in the relatively cooler conditions of Scotland. Tea plants typically fare best in acidic soil in regions with high rainfall, and they can be grown anywhere from sea level to high altitudes.

Tea is similar to wine, in that the local climate and soil type in which it is grown determines much of its distinctive flavour and quality. It is, because of all these climatic factors that I was enthused to choose Tea as a new crop to be grown on our small farm. Having been involved in the catering and hospitality world for many years I am appreciative of fine food & wine, especially locally grown produce.

Buittle Tea Garden was planted in May 2016 with Camellia Sinensis tea plants which originated from China. The tea plants are grown alongside old fashioned scented Roses, the petals of which are freshly picked and blended with the fine tips, to create a white tea called ”Rose Peony Tea”. Other leaves may be turned into green tea or black tea.

Growing tea in the UK is not a new idea — Winston Churchill wanted homegrown tea plantations as part of “The Dig For Victory” campaign in the Second World War, but he was advised it would take too long to grow the plants.