The Newt Podcast (The Newt in Somerset)

Stefan Jennings is a sculptor, willow weaver and otter enthusiast. He’s been creating spectacular, awe-inspiring works of art in Somerset for decades. Along with fellow willow weaving artist Serena de la Hay, Stefan has made the giant willow structures for The Newt’s annual Fire Night celebrations for the past four years. He also leads a programme of seasonal workshops on willow weaving on the estate. 

In this episode, Stefan shares his inspirations in the Somerset landscape, alongside some of the surprising characters he has encountered throughout his career. 

The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online.

Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.

Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Join Julia Samuel MBE, therapist, podcaster, author, and Somerset local, for an early spring walk around the Marl Pit with Arthur, during snowdrop season. 

Set off on a stroll around our storytelling area surrounded by myth and Arthurian legend, to hear more about Julia’s 35-year career in psychotherapy. Suffering, grief and mental health issues will affect us all at some point in our lives and in this episode, we touch on coping mechanisms to see us through.

Julia extols the virtues of keeping active, the importance of simply being outdoors, breathing and improving limbic system function as essential factors in supporting and maintaining our psychological health. 

The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online.

Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.

Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

John Ridding, Chairman of The Financial Times Group comes back to The Newt for a walk and talk with Arthur around the frosted landscape. 

In this episode, John navigates a (slightly treacherous) pre-Roman bridge as he shares the story of his international journalism career. We explore the parallels between the natural and business worlds and hear about the important lessons that mother nature can teach us. With the rise of AI advancing at pace, John explains the real and present existential threat to journalism and democracy as we know it.

The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online.

Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.

Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Marian Boswall, award-winning landscape architect and horticulturist joins Arthur for a nature ‘love-in’, as they share their mutual appreciation for the great outdoors. Set against a backdrop of the dawn chorus, total lunar eclipse and rising sun, this a very special episode of The Newt Podcast. 

Tune in for a crisp spring wander across the Somerset estate to learn about the importance of talking and (crucially) listening to your plants, Roman gardening mythology and the benefits of tree hugging. Marian also gives us an insight into her new book, ‘The Kindest Garden: A Practical Guide to Regenerative Gardening’, released on 10 April 2025. 

The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online.

Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.

Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Meet David Rowley, The Newt’s Head of Productive Growing, for a tour of the Market Garden over at Avalon Farm. Found at the far reaches of the estate, David and his team painstakingly plan, grow, rotate and pick the seasonal spoils for The Newt’s restaurants, shops and your door via online delivery.

In this episode, David walks us through productive polytunnels, hydroponics house and the fertile fields at the heart of The Newt’s food story. Listen in to learn about the challenges faced when growing fresh food all year round in Somerset, the importance of compost, and how to turn sunshine into sustenance!

The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online.

Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.

Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Join Arthur Cole, Podcast Host and Head of Programmes at The Newt in Somerset, as he explains what you can expect from this series, and why you won’t want to miss an episode. 

Arthur joined the Newt in its infancy, when it was merely an ‘eft’ (juvenile newt)! Now his role sees him at the helm of crafting ideas and curating unique experiences for hotel guests and day visitors. Throughout the podcast, Arthur guides us through The Newt, introduces us to the team members who breathe life into the business, and talks to invited guests who feel inspired to share their stories on a walk around this extraordinary estate in Somerset. Be sure to tune in and subscribe. 

The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online.

Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.

Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Arthur joins The Land Gardeners, Henrietta Courtauld & Bridget Elworthy on location at their Somerset House exhibition for a new spin on The Newt Podcast. 'Soil: The World at Our Feet' provided an apt (and eponymous) backdrop for a fascinating conversation on the power and potential of soil. 
 
Did you know that there are more organisms in a teaspoon of soil than there are humans on the planet? In this episode we explore the mind-blowing role soil plays in the nutrient density of food to climate resilience and how the secret world beneath our feet might just be the key to our own, and the planet’s future. 
 
Soil enthusiasts can catch The Land Gardeners co-curated exhibition at Somerset House until Sunday 13 April. 

The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online.

Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.

Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset

Environmentalist Ben Goldsmith and conservationist, veteran and founder of Britain’s rainforest charity, The Thousand Year Trust, Merlin Hanbury-Tenison join Arthur for an eye-opening walk and talk in the woods and verges of our old apple orchard.

Conversation flows from woodland habitat to the natural history of moss and surprising stats around food production here in the UK. In this episode, we re-imagine land usage for the benefit of our ecosystem, biodiversity and our species; discuss the economy of rewilding; and ask what makes a native species.

We also hear about Merlin’s newly released book, ‘Our Oaken Bones’, published by Penguin, a story of healing mind, body and planet at his extraordinary temperate rainforest retreat in Cornwall. An enthralling must-read for any lovers of nature. 

The Newt Podcast is created by the team at The Newt in Somerset and produced by Harry Coade at Sound Matters. If you enjoyed this episode, follow The Newt Podcast to enjoy more walks and talks across the estate, or better still become a Newt Member to visit our estate yourself, stay the night, or shop The Newt online.

Your 12-month membership also gives you free entry to The Newt's 17 national and international Partner Gardens and inspirational Sister Estates.

Follow us on Instagram @thenewtinsomerset