From Our Soil To Your Plate
“In early June the world of leaf and blade and flowers explodes, and every sunset is different.” – John Steinbeck, The Winter Of Our Discontent
The story of our garden, and why freshness really does matter
At The Cartford Inn, our ethos has always been simple: start with the best, serve it at its best. That begins with supporting exceptional local producers. We’ve worked with Midland Fish in Fleetwood for years, bringing in the best of the catch from nearby shores. Our meats come from Honeywells Farm Shop, who understand quality better than most. Wyreside Mushrooms supply us with some of the finest fungi we’ve ever tasted. Books Gelato keeps our dessert game dangerously strong. And the Crafty Cheeseman? Well, the clue’s in the name.
We’ve also teamed up with local drinks producers — Farm Yard Ales and Black Powder Gin — to create our very own TOTI Gin and house pale ale, Giddy Kipper. Both are poured proudly at the bar, and brewed just down the road.
This commitment to quality and proximity is about more than convenience. It’s about flavour, sustainability, and supporting the kind of producers who put care and craft before everything else. We always have.
But supporting local goes beyond who we buy from — it’s also about what we grow ourselves.
A Garden by the River
Set alongside the River Wyre, our garden stretches across the back of the inn, a mix of raised beds, wildflower borders, and open patches of rich Lancashire soil. It’s not just for show (though it’s not bad to look at). This is working land — dedicated to flavour.
We grow a kaleidoscope of fruits and vegetables here, all chosen for their taste and their willingness to thrive in the conditions we’ve got. Think courgettes, cabbage, potatoes, radishes, cucumber, a variety of beans, fennel, carrots, rocket, baby gem lettuce, watermelon (yes, really), rhubarb, apples, gooseberries, pears, and strawberries.
You’ll also find herbs and edible flowers throughout, many of which find their way into drinks at the bar or onto the plate as finishing touches.
The garden’s always been part of the vision. Patrick, our owner (and proud Frenchman), tends to it like it’s his firstborn. He’ll talk to the tomatoes if he thinks no one’s watching. Head Chef Chris Bury, meanwhile, has a long-standing love of foraging and seasonality, and he’s helped shape a kitchen culture that celebrates the changing garden — from specials to full dishes inspired by whatever’s coming up that week.
Freshness, Without the Fuss
We don’t shout about sustainability — we just practise it, daily. Whether it’s grown a few feet from the kitchen or caught that morning off the coast at Fleetwood, you can know that whatever’s on your fork is fresh, thoughtfully sourced, and raised or grown in very close proximity to your dining table.
