Sisters Steph and Ali Mills channelled their love of flowers into a business venture when they launched Ginger House Garden in 2016, and five years on this creative duo have an extensive cutting garden that provides all the flowers and foliage they need to create their bespoke floral designs. The sisters established their smallholding close to Berwick-upon-Tweed, and this location gives Steph and Ali plenty of opportunities to draw inspiration from the landscapes of the Scottish Borders and Northumberland, while also enjoying the beautiful nature spots that these areas are known for. We caught up with Steph and Ali to discuss their passion for flowers and they shared with us some other businesses they love in the area, and places they like to escape to when they aren’t working.
Any local businesses you would like to highlight in your area?
We love taking a break and going out for some food when we can. Two of our favourite spots are The Cross Inn at Paxton and Carnaby’s just off the A1 near Alnwick. We try and buy as much of our food locally as we can: Foreman’s butchers in Norham is excellent and we are currently obsessed with Cristina’s bread from Naked Sourdough at Kelso/Jedburgh. At the risk of sounding like all we do is eat, you can’t beat a milkshake from Doddington Dairy Milk Bar in Wooler.
Where do you most enjoy escaping to when you are not working?
We are very lucky to have both the countryside and the coast right on our doorstep. An evening walking on Cheswick Beach is usually a great spot to unwind and it’s a little bit off the tourist trail, and we love visiting the walled garden at Floors Castle and seeing how the seasons change there.
Discover more about Ginger House Gardens here and follow Steph and Ali on Instagram and Facebook.