About Brayfield Park

Visitors to our farm comment regularly on the beauty of the grounds which have been established from poor soils and sand drifts which were once covered in rabbit warrens. Every tree has been planted by us since the early 1990’s. The main lavender field was developed in the late 1990’s/early 2000 with a view to producing a crop for sale. The addition of the shop and creation of gardens ready to open to the public became a reality in 2004 with our official opening in January 2005.

We find our garden to be a labour of love, requiring constant attention and care to maximise the yield and colour of our flowers. The drought has affected the lawned areas, but most of trees and plants are hardy enough to survive the drought with minimal watering.

You will find a variety of herbs in our herb garden. Cleverly designed through the use of rainwater tank rounds that were specially created for us, each bed is raised off the ground and houses one or more herbs. The design allows easy access for the disabled to pick herbs straight from the beds.

Our herbs include the traditional parsley, mint, thyme, tarragon and oregano. We also have curry plants, dill, lavender, jasmine, chives, sage and capers to name a few.

We encourage our visitors to touch, taste and smell all of the herbs.

As you wander from the herb garden through an avenue of native trees you will find an acre of lavender rows all neatly set on a gentle slope. The best time to see the main lavender field is between November and January. The main lavender we grow for commercial use is ‘Grosso’. It is highly perfumed and well suited to our environment. We also grow ‘Seal’ and some angustifolias for commercial use. The angustifolias are harvested and used dried in cooking or the essential oil is used in making our face care products. Grosso and Seal are dried or distilled for use in many of our products.

Behind a high hedge there is a display garden which includes a mix of many varieties of lavenders and other plants where you will find a large range of lavenders in many different colours and sizes. Some flower all year round, whilst others flower in winter or summer only. There is always something to see, no matter what time of year.

The main variety we grow is called ‘Grosso’. It is highly perfumed and produces a good quality oil which can be used in many products. Unlike household lavenders the fragrance of the dried ‘Grosso’ is reported to last for many years.

All of the dried lavender that we use in our products is grown on site and harvested by hand using a sickle. It is bunched and then left to dry away from the sun before the flower is stripped from the stems. The dried flowers are then sieved to remove any unwanted stem material. Depending on the intended use the flowers may be triple sieved to remove as much of the fine black seed as is possible. The lavender in our muslin bags, pillows and rounds has been triple sieved.

The fragrance in lavender comes from within the flower head. Therefore all you need to do is squeeze our muslin bags, pillows or rounds to re-release the beautiful smell.

2005 saw the start of the produce side of the lavender farm with the skincare products all being hand made on site. New products are constantly being researched and added to our range which has grown since early 2005.

Our range includes lavender wheat bags, sleep pillows and many varieties of lavender bags to add fragrance to a room or drawer.

Skincare products include hand and body lotions, massage oils, face creams, lip balms to name a few. Our Heel and Elbow Cream and thick, rich Rose and Lavender Night Hand cream have become very popular for customers with dry or cracked skin.

For some people with allergies, in particularly almond or nut oil allergies, we can customise our products and produce them without the almond oil. Please do not hesitate to ask us to make something that suits you. We only produce our products in small batches by hand and can easily accommodate such requests. If there is sufficient demand we will run a full batch with such a variation.

We have also added a very popular beeswax based furniture polish. This polish works effectively on all natural timbers. Upon request we will also make a softer polish which is ideally suited for intricately carved timber as it can be applied easily and applied using a soft small paint or pastry brush.