Garden Organic is set to celebrate the great British tradition of beer drinking in September for its Hop Festival.

The festival will be held in the environs of Yalding organic gardens in Kent on September 16.

Hops were first used as a medicinal herb in ancient Egypt, and were first grown in England around 1520, when the fertile countryside in Kent meant that growers and brewers were turned into affluent businessmen with a reputation for producing the finest British beer.

Festival-goers will be able to enjoy live music, morris dancing, a tour of the orchard and apple tastings, as well as organic beers, wine and cider and various kids’ activities.

Robin Walton, a hops expert, will present talks on the history of hops in Kent. Graham Clarke, a local artist, will also be exhibiting paintings showing traditional scenes of hop picking in the Kent countryside, and there will be a shop where visitors can pick up locally made products and plants grown in the gardens.

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