Monmouth Rotary Club once again for their 55th Charity Raft Race. The rafts launched from Monmouth at midday on September 5th, and we were on hand to provide everyone with breakfasts to keep them going! The route passes through 6.5 miles of beautiful Wye Valley scenery to the finish line in Whitebrook. Everyone was exhausted and delighted, and celebrated together with our hog roast, lots of live music and a well earned cider! Big thank you for supporting this great cause.
We thought we’d share some scrumptious Summer platter pics to whet your appetite from our latest outside catering birthday event! The celebration dishes included locally sourced smoked salmon cutlets with rocket, charcuterie cooked meats and cheese selection, with creamy Coronation chicken and mini Cornish pasties. In addition there were also desserts to die for, for folk who had space to fit them in!
real hospitality
At Abbey Mill we pride ourselves on real hospitality. For us that means helpful, friendly service so that everyone feels relaxed and welcome. Moreover we are local and so is our produce! Our wine, beers, cheese, honey, meats and fish are sourced from businesses locally, whose food and drinks we know and trust. In other words good service, good food and good value are our favourite ingredients to give you a great event.
events just the way you want
BBQ’s and hog roasts are real Mill favourites with our guests. In addition we can cater for you at home, at your chosen venue or back at the Mill, or wherever makes your event absolutely right for you. Whether you are celebrating an anniversary or birthday, a christening or a wedding, we can provide everything from a formal sit down dinner to hot and cold finger buffets. Moreover as part of our service we have a dedicated wedding planner to help you arrange every detail and ensure that your wedding event is just the way you wanted.
traditional catering to one-off dining
Our team at Abbey Mill is also able to offer a flexible and discreet catering service for wakes and funerals. At these times afternoon teas are always much appreciated and we can arrange them for any occasion. We can also provide bespoke menus for guests with special requirements, with everything from traditional catering to innovative one-off dining. Likewise custom menus are also popular with our private diners and for clubs, societies and groups. Of which, we are immensely proud to host catered events for St. David’s charity and Cancer Research Wales as part of our commitment to the local community.
bar facilities and BYO
No celebration is complete without a toast and Abbey Mill is fully licensed to provide all bar facilities. We can offer beer and wine from our local brewers and vineyard and can also serve your own BYO drinks if you choose. In addition our prices include tea and coffee and the waiting staff to look after you and your guests.
your event ideas
Why not call in and chat to our experienced and friendly team about your event ideas? They’ll have loads of ideas and suggestions and would be really happy to help you plan your perfect celebration.
We look forward to welcoming back acoustic folk duo, Jan Vaisey and Ian Harvey. Jan and Ian are best known for their dynamic soft rock and vibrant acoustic sound. They’ve played many venues locally and their music has been showcased by Dean Radio’s Clive Southerton on his Soft Rock and Acoustic Show.
The band are also regulars at folk festivals across the region. Most recently these include Coleford Music Festival, Mitcheldean Folk Festival and The Open Mic at The Forge Hammer in Cinderford. Across the Bridge Jan and Ian have played Stroud Brewery, Cheltenham Folk Club, Folk at Fishponds, Eldon House and Redcatch Club in Bristol.
You can find out more about Jan Vaisey and Ian Harvey’s music on Facebook. Come and enjoy their exciting acoustic sound and get into the swing of Summer down at Abbey Mill!
Everyone at Abbey Mill was so pleased to welcome back Folk on the Lawn. This is our very first festival since the start of lockdown restrictions. You can’t imagine how good it was to see familiar faces together with new artists and to enjoy real music performed live. As always the mood across the four day festival was laid back and convivial. A wide range of artists showcased their work and there was definitely something for every taste. Absolutely everyone had fun, with kids dancing on hay bales and Mum and Dad relaxing with drinks in the beer tent. Even the ‘Miller’s Dad’ was busy making friends on his mobility scooter! Here’s a quick glimpse of some of the acts that we really enjoyed.
Kahlo After Frida
Kahlo After Frida
Kahlo After Frida were the exciting final act who played the Cottage Stage on Friday. The musicians were Simon Cottle on flamenco/ folk guitar and Louise Armstrong on arresting vocals. The duo’s music reimagines the independent spirit of the artist Frida Kahlo. You can find out more about their music on Facebook.
Dark Valley Revival
Dark Valley Revival
Dark Valley Revival were the foot-tapping act rounding up Friday night’s music. This band fondly describes themselves as ‘emerging from the darkest depths of the south Wales valleys’ in 2016! Above all their music revisits bluegrass, gospel and the country songs of the past. Introducing their own vibrant, self written material gives them their unique and energetic sound. In addition the Dark Valley Revival sound is inspired by artists like Doc Watson, The Carter Family, Gillian Welsh and Gene Clark to create an exciting blend of psychedelic folk, bluegrass and punk. Similarly many of the band members have previously played with the Soft-Hearted Scientists, Gwair and Helen Love which altogether makes for a refreshingly eclectic line up of musicians.
We are Muffy are best known for their byline of ‘all manner of things will be well’. As anticipated they gave a mesmerising performance on Saturday night’s River Stage. The viewers backstage agreed the music was completely intriguing. Meanwhile those at the front responded with ‘we were indeed mesmerised, thanks muchly! Another audience member said simply, ‘I loved these 2 years ago’.
Musicians Angeline Morrison and Nick Duffy are the talent behind the We are Muffy’s magic. They mostly use a distinctive array of instruments to produce a charmingly ramshackle take on Indi pop. On the other hand they are also known for their haunting English folk music. The We Are Muffy songs have also been described as ‘The good bits of Belle and Sebastian with all the drama and electrically powered stuff removed and replaced by thumb pianos’ by music writers PopMatters. On stage at the festival they were captivating and much appreciated by a very enthusiastic audience.
Meanwhile Hey St Mathew started off the Saturday evening music under the trees on the Cottage Stage. They are an Anglo-Welsh band including Sheena Bailey on guitar, singer song writer MG Boulter and Mike Bailey on bass. Together the trio use classic song craft and story telling to explore both pastoral and suburban themes. Music critics have said their work recalls late 60’s gentle psychedelia and by contrast also chamber folk. Certainly the band draws on many diverse influences. Our audience’s response was ‘these were great’ and ‘really enjoyed this set this evening’. Look out for the Hey St Mathew’s debut album which will be released in 2022.
Peter Gowen
Peter Gowan
Sunday took off with Peter Gowan ‘encouraging participation/ or intimidating the audience’ on the Cottage Stage! Peter is a poet, presenter and raconteur and was styled a ‘comedy genius’ by the North Wales Pigeon Fanciers’ Gazette. Initially he started out writing serious verse but soon decided that ‘he wanted people to laugh with him, not at him’. As a result he now writes ‘terrible verse intended to make you giggle and exercise your chuckle muscle’. Judging by our active audience’s athletic response he really is a genius!
The Folk on the Lawn festival was an amazing 4 days full of music, sun and laughter! Thank you to our gifted artists who gave their time and talents so generously. A big thank you also to our energetic and resourceful stall holders, crafters, caters and refreshementeers. We hope you enjoyed our first festival since lockdown as much as we did. We look forward to all your stories and feedback and to celebrating music and local beer together again at next year’s festival.
So how do talented musicians and performance duos weather lockdown? How about performing online and local, or fundraising for great causes? Then of course what about writing and recording new material? That’s exactly how gifted musicians and performance duo, Skylark, have used their talents and time. They’ve managed to create more great music and help others along the way. Together they have given over 80 online performances, through the Forest of Dean Virtual Open Mic initiative alone.
Local charity Ready Steady Go has also benefited from their fundraising efforts at Live Music from South Wales. Ready Steady Go organises events and activities for children with autism. It’s a great initiative that allows the children to have fun and flourish in a structured environment.
Going virtual in lockdown has also seen Skylark online at Weymouth Open Mic and for The Gatehouse, Monmouth. They’ve performed in virtual gigs for Brockweir, Hewelsfield & St Briavels and for Lysaght Live too.
Lockdown has given the duo plenty of time to record more songs and ‘spruce up’ their set list. Now that things are easing they’ve even been able to play live at The Jukebox and Lime Tree Cafe Bar, (Facebook) in Chepstow.
Skylark are lucky enough to live locally in the beautiful Welsh countryside. The landscape has inspired much of their music and has seen them safely though lockdown. We look forward to welcoming them to Abbey Mill on 1st and 29th August 2021 and sharing their music with visitors and friends.
Folk on the Lawn is an innovative, rootsy and ‘chance-taking’ music festival, playing live at Abbey Mill from 15 to 18 July 2021. We hope you’ll enjoy our vibrant ‘homespun genre’, which is our acoustic antidote to X Factor fatigue! Our performers include a number of international artists and signed bands, in addition to Welsh, English and very local talent. The stunning natural setting, together with the artists’ good will, makes for a very relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
The festival is not-for-profit and is run completely by volunteers. Our friends and supporters lend us the space, equipment, time and, not least, artistic prowess. A big thank you to all our performers, to Abbey Mill Centre and their staff and the good folk of Tintern, for helping us stage the Folk on the Lawn festival for an 11th year.
We welcome ‘wristband donations’ in support of our artists. These are available on site and also in advance through our funding page.
See our website for a full line up of artists and also our Facebook page for more details. You can also follow us across the weekend on Twitter.
From 1992 to ’96 guitarist Ian Luther played alongside Dave ‘Celtic’ Cox as the Twist Devils duo, performing at over 200 UK venues each year. Since then he has travelled across Europe as a live solo artist, entertaining audiences with his exhilarating and distinctive music style. He also works alongside other special guest musicians. Ian writes a lot of his own songs and is always and exploring new material and ideas.
You can listen to Ian Luther’s signature hillbilly version of ‘Hey Joe!’ at Soundtrack reverbnation
Following on from our successes with both Facebook and Instagram, we’re delighted to announce that you can now order directly from our website! Both Abbey Mill Shop and the Cider Press have begun digitising their stock, with Boat House, Wye Valley Craft Association and Woodland Studio soon to follow. You can now freely browse our collections from the comfort of your own home via our shop tab. Our stock is also frequently updated so be sure to regularly check out what we have to offer! Our on-line shop is a great option for those who want to shop locally and support independent businesses, but who may be a bit strapped for time! Happy shopping!
Having successfully launched our Abbey Mill Tintern Facebook account, we’re further expanded our online/ digital presence to Instagram! Thanks to Instagram’s ‘Story’ feature, we’ve been able to easily keep all of our followers up-to-date with the latest developments at Abbey Mill over the busy Christmas period! We’re using the network to help keep our customers informed about the festive goodies available at the Mill and (more importantly) our remaining availability for our legendary Christmas lunches!
These are trying times, a period in which we’re required to rethink how we go about living our lives. It’s not only businesses which have been affected but also the community, with many in Monmouthshire suffering from total isolation due to the county’s rugged landscape. Luckily, our team have been playing an active hand in combatting this isolation by introducing Abbey Mill Deliveries: pie and pasty boxes, individual and whole cake boxes and celebration and afternoon High Tea boxes! Using the world’s biggest social media platform, Facebook, as well as telephone ordering, Abbey Mill is connecting with both long standing and new customers, ensuring that they have everything they need to get through this bumpy period.
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