Green walnut harvest in Glastonbury
On 24 June, one of the hottest days of the year, guests gathered beneath the trees at Sharpham Park for our first “Pickle Me Walnuts” Day. It was a joyful celebration of British organic walnuts, the green walnut harvest and the remarkable possibilities of the walnut tree.
Dreamt up by Sharpham Park founder Roger Saul, the event brought together growers, chefs, makers, writers and food experts for a day rooted in seasonality, craftsmanship and the future of British food.
Reviving a British green walnut tradition
For just a few weeks around midsummer, walnuts can be harvested while they are still green and yielding, before their shells begin to harden. At this early stage, they are perfect for pickling or making nocino, the traditional Italian walnut liqueur.
It is a fleeting moment in the farming calendar. Once the shell forms, the opportunity is gone for another year.
Pickled walnuts have appeared in British recipes since at least the early 18th century, but the tradition has almost disappeared from our kitchens. “Pickle Me Walnuts” was created to help bring it back to life, not simply through talks and tastings, but by inviting everyone to take part.
Guests headed into the organic walnut orchard to shake, bash and gather the green walnuts. The harvest was collected using an ingenious rolling tool, described by one guest as reminiscent of an old-fashioned carpet sweeper.
The walnuts were then washed and carefully pricked before being placed in brine. Among those getting involved around the pickling table were The Telegraph food writer Xanthe Clay and the Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Stained fingers, stained hands and buckets of rapidly darkening walnuts were all part of the experience.
A blessing for the organic walnut orchard
The date held special significance. As well as traditionally being associated with the green walnut harvest, 24 June is St John the Baptist’s Day.
Bishop Michael, the Bishop of Bath and Wells, joined us to bless the walnut trees. The ceremony connected the gathering with Britain’s centuries-old tradition of blessing its orchards, crops and harvests.
For the occasion, he wore a hand-embroidered stole created by Karen Spurgin. It was made entirely from walnut-dyed fabric offcuts and leftover yarn from the Colours for Change exhibition at the Bishop’s Palace in Wells.
The fabric had been naturally dyed by Emma D’Arcy using waste walnut husks from Sharpham Park. It was a beautiful example of craftsmanship, recycling and the creative potential of materials that might otherwise be overlooked.
Emma D'arcy pictured below with her beautiful walnut died fabric
Ceremonial gunshots also marked the day, echoing the customs Roger has honoured at Sharpham Park since the orchard began producing its first crops.
From soil to gut
The day was about much more than pickling. A series of talks and conversations explored our relationship with plants, healthy soil, nutrition, traditional knowledge and the resilience of Britain’s food system.
Nutritionist Dr Lucy Williamson discussed the nutritional value of walnuts, which provide fibre, magnesium, plant-based omega-3 fats and antioxidants. She also introduced her new book, Soil to Gut, sharing its central message that healthy soils support healthy food and healthy people.
Ethnobotanist and writer Anna Lewington explored the long relationship between people and plants, revealing the many traditional uses of the walnut tree. Her talk included an introduction to walnut leaf tea and Sharpham Park’s new limited-edition collaboration with Tregothnan, created using fragrant leaves harvested from the orchard.
Natural-dye specialist Emma D’Arcy shared the rich colours that can be created from walnut hulls, leaves and bark. Her display included walnut-dyed British wool and peace silk, jacquard-woven fabric and a textile from Ellie Shipman’s Soft Monument 2.
Cat Lewis' work pictured above with her beautiful walnut died crafts
Fellow natural dyer Cat Lewis presented ink made from Sharpham Park walnuts and spoke about her work helping to revive linen production in Wales. Together, these demonstrations revealed a spectrum of earthy browns and antique golds. They also showed that the value of the walnut tree extends far beyond its edible crop.
Nature photographer Ben Pulletz of Feathers and Hills joined us too, helping to connect the day’s conversations with the wildlife and landscape supported by the farm.
A feast of British organic walnuts
Food was at the heart of the celebration.
Josh Eggleton MBE, Shona Graham and the FODA team created a glorious seasonal spread, including a refreshing walnut interpretation of ajo blanco. Guests also enjoyed Sharpham Park pickled walnuts with Wyke Farms cheese, served alongside Sharpham Park pear juice and Tricky Cider.
Val Stones produced a show-stopping coffee and walnut cake, while Pump Street Chocolate brought its Walnut Brownie 60% bar and deeply indulgent bakery brownies.
Roger pictured above with Jo & Millie, Pump Street Chocolate founders
The new chocolate bar is the second creation in Pump Street’s Double Origin Series and an addition to its Bakery Series. Haiti 60% dark milk chocolate is combined with roasted and caramelised British organic walnuts from Sharpham Park, followed by rich brownie pieces from the Pump Street Bakery in Suffolk.
A year in the making, the bar celebrates two distinctive origins, Haiti and Somerset. The packaging was designed by Allies Design Studio and features botanical artwork by Suffolk artist Annabel Pearl, inspired by Georgian illustrations of walnut branches, leaves and fruit.
Olives Et Al also showcased its new walnut creations, including walnut tapenade, dukkah, walnut salad dressing and green walnut-infused apple balsamic.
Roger pictured below with Giles, Annie and Lewis of Olives Et Al.
Each dish and product offered a different answer to the same question: how can we celebrate this exceptional British-grown ingredient and use it to its fullest potential?
Harvesting walnut leaves for tea
It was not only the walnuts being harvested.
Jonathan from Tregothnan joined us as fragrant walnut leaves were gathered at their late-June peak.
The leaves are being transformed into a special limited-edition walnut leaf tea, the third of Sharpham Park’s exciting new walnut creations. Introduced by Anna Lewington as part of her ethnobotany talk, the tea demonstrated another of the many ways in which the walnut tree can provide throughout the seasons.
The new walnut leaf tea will be available exclusively to Nut Mail subscribers.
Making nocino from green walnuts
The following day, with the kitchen reaching 35°C, Roger began making this year’s nocino.
The green walnuts had been picked and pricked during the event. They were combined with vodka, sugar, citrus and spices before being sealed away to steep.
Over the coming months, the mixture will slowly become dark, treacly and richly spiced, ready to pour as the first cold evenings arrive.
As Roger put it in this Instagram post:
Hubble, bubble, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and walnut bubble.
Picked at midsummer, dark and green,
The finest nocino you’ve ever seen.
Patience is an essential ingredient, both when making nocino and when growing an organic walnut orchard.
More than 20 years of growing British organic walnuts
Roger planted the walnut orchard at Sharpham Park in 2003, inspired by the discovery of a “monk’s lunch” hidden within a 16th-century wall during the restoration of the estate. Among the chicken bones and scallop shells was a walnut, preserved in the masonry for centuries.
Walnut trees demand long-term thinking. It can take around 20 years for them to produce a commercially meaningful crop, and Sharpham Park’s first substantial harvests were the result of more than two decades of care.
Today, the orchard forms part of an organic mixed-farming system centred on soil health, biodiversity and sustainability. Sharpham Park is now the UK’s main producer of certified organic walnuts.
That long view shaped one of the day’s most important discussions: can we feed Britain?
The UK remains heavily reliant on imported fruit, vegetables and nuts. As climate change places increasing pressure on producers overseas, Roger believes we must invest now in growing more food on British soil.
Sharpham Park offers a practical example of what can be achieved when farming is given the time, vision and support it needs. The organic walnut orchard did not appear overnight. It was planted for a future that has now arrived.
Roger photographed below at the event by Aaron John-Parker
The future of British organic walnuts
“Pickle Me Walnuts” celebrated the revival of an old British tradition, but it also carried a deeper message.
It was a day about reconnecting with the land, understanding the seasons and recognising the extraordinary potential of the plants growing around us. From pickled walnuts, chocolate and nocino to tea, textiles and natural ink, guests followed the circular story of the walnut tree and discovered just how much it can provide.
Thank you to everyone who joined us, shared their knowledge and helped make our first green walnut harvest such a joyful and thought-provoking occasion.
This is only the beginning for British organic walnuts.
Discover our new walnut creations
Explore the new Sharpham Park product collaborations and secure yours while they are available.
Pump Street Chocolate’s Walnut Brownie 60% bar is available online and in-store now. Our limited-edition pickled walnuts with Olives Et Al and walnut leaf tea with Tregothnan will be offered exclusively to Nut Mail subscribers.
The collaboration has already attracted an enthusiastic response, with the Walnut Brownie 60% bar featured by The Observer Food and chocolate expert Jennifer Earle, as well as shared by food writers and creators including Sophie Wyburd, Emma Winder and Milly Kenny-Ryder.
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Roger Saul will also be speaking at FODA, a Festival of Food Ideas, at Arnolfini in Bristol on 26 and 27 September 2026. The event will continue the conversation about British farming, food security and the future of what we eat.
