For Monty Don, the kitchen is the "beating heart" of his home. After purchasing his Tudor property, Longmeadow, in October 1991, the presenter and his wife Sarah, spent the next ten years transforming their Herefordshire house into the perfect family home.
Joining The English Home for an interview in 2020, Monty, 68, revealed that nowadays, the room he naturally gravitates towards is the kitchen. "The kitchen, I suppose, but that is for practical reasons," said the TV star.
"It is a large farmhouse kitchen with a big open fireplace, long oak table where we mostly eat and, of course, a large Aga, which we bought in pieces from the corner of a builders' merchant in 1991 for £1,000. The kitchen is warm in winter, cool in summer and certainly the beating heart of the house."
While extremely rare, Monty has given fans an occasional glimpse inside Longmeadow, and back in January 2020, the Gardeners' World presenter posted the sweetest snap from his country kitchen.
Melting hearts with an adorable photo of his grandson, George, who had visited for lunch, fans spied a glimpse of Monty's open shelving, which housed an array of colourful ceramic jugs and teapots. On a separate occasion, when his granddaughter Daisy stopped by, the exposed brick walls are also apparent in the background, lending a rustic feel to the space.
In another snap, this time of one of Monty's beloved golden retrievers, the large Aga which he mentioned, is visible in the background too. Fans were also treated to a closer look at the 500-year-old oak beams that filter throughout the house.
Steeped in history, Monty describes his house as "A Tudor hall house characterised by a lot of 500-year-old oak beams."
"Scruffy, quirky and spacious, it is designed around creative life rather than entertaining or impressing," he explained to The English Home.
"There are 10 work rooms and studios but only one sitting room and four bedrooms. It delights in natural materials of all kinds – there is no cement in the entire building, just lime mortar and plaster, wood and stone – and is filled with a jumble of far too many things. It is all that we love."
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While Monty gravitates towards the kitchen more than anywhere else, during a typical working day, the father-of-three splits his time between the 'Jewel', 'Cottage', 'Paradise' and 'Vegetable' gardens, as well as his home office – which features an epic library.
Back in January, Monty revealed what a typical work day looks like at Longmeadow by sharing a snap of his adorable golden retrievers as they joined him in his library. "I take it for granted but I am incredibly lucky to have my dogs with me every moment of my working day, inside and out. Where I go, they go," he penned in the caption.
Unveiling the treasure trove that he's created at Longmeadow, fans were given a sneak peak of the endless bookshelves that rose from floor to ceiling. At closer inspection, each shelf was lined with various books on garden design and horticulture. Currently, the space functions as both a reading room and an at-home office for Monty, who has been filming Gardeners' World at Longmeadow since 2011.