When the founder of Long Barn, Richard Norris, an amateur horticulturalist and lavender fanatic, planted out a quantity of lavender cuttings under plastic lemonade bottles in a field near Winchester, little did he know that this planting experiment would burgeon into what it is today. Ten years on Long Barn now includes a magnificent green oak barn in Alresford near Winchester surrounded (naturally) by lavender, home to a seasonal plant nursery, our unique range of Long Barn toiletries, a lavender collection and a variety of complementary wares for the home and garden, sourced principally from English producers with a strong bias towards locally sourced goods. Our range of Long Barn toiletries is available by mail order and we supply a small but growing base of independent hotels who just love the unique "English-ness" that our toiletries bring to their offer. The accent is on a fresh, contemporary style, which has certainly won over those associating lavender solely with their grannies. The fields today are still maintained without the use of chemicals, in tune with the ethos of Long Barn: respect for the countryside and its wildlife, responsible sourcing and no artificial additives.