Summerdown, peppermint chocolate from the English mint farm
Summerdown is a family farm in Hampshire that grows the old English Black Mitcham peppermint variety and distills its essential oil directly on the estate. This oil is used to create dark peppermint thins, after-dinner creams, peppermint chocolate with crispy bits, tea, and home fragrances.
Summerdown is the peppermint farm in northern Hampshire that calls itself "The Peppermint People." Growing on the fields around Basingstoke is Black Mitcham, an old English peppermint variety that is cultivated, harvested, and distilled into oil right there on the estate. This oil gives Summerdown's chocolate its cool, rounded freshness, and it is present in every product from the farm, from boxes of peppermint thins to scented candles.
A lost English mint returns home
Black Mitcham was considered lost in England until Sir Michael Colman rediscovered the variety in America in the early 1990s. The old English peppermint had survived there in small stocks, while it had long since disappeared from fields back home.
Colman tasted something in the oil that he did not recognize from any modern mint aroma and brought cuttings back to Hampshire. He began cultivation on a small plot, with Ian by his side—whom the farm still calls its "mint master" to this day.
The variety is named after Mitcham, south of London, the old center of English peppermint cultivation in the 19th century. The lineages that survived in America originated there, while cultivation in England itself ceased.
The variety is considered stubborn; it grows more slowly than modern hybrids and requires patience, research, and a good deal of trust. The first few years brought more questions than harvests, but the two stuck with their mint and learned more with every field.
Today, almost three decades later, the plants grow on about 28 hectares, and every single one descends from those first cuttings. An individual's venture has become an estate whose name is synonymous with peppermint in England. The nickname "The Peppermint People" is meant literally, as the farm produces nothing other than mint and what is made from it.
From thin medallions to filled creams
The heart of the range is dark chocolate that derives its freshness solely from the farm's distilled peppermint oil. The Peppermint Thins are wafer-thin medallions that break with a bright snap and melt quickly; each box contains 150 grams. That is about twenty pieces, each hardly thicker than a coin.
The Peppermint Creams have a soft fondant center under a dark coating, very much in the tradition of English after-dinner mints. At 200 grams, their box is the largest in the house. Those who prefer it crunchy should reach for the Peppermint Crisps, in which fine sugar crystals provide an audible crunch.
The Ultimate Mint Collection gathers fondants, crisp medallions, and dark and milk chocolate squares in a gift box. It is the most compact box in the house and at the same time the most versatile. This is joined by the Heritage line with extra-dark fondants and crisp medallions, dark and milk chocolate bars, delicate cream dominoes, and mint truffles.
Beyond chocolate, the farm showcases what its plant is capable of: peppermint tea in pyramid bags, pure essential oil, care products for bath and body, candles, and room fragrances. A whole range from a single variety, grown on a single estate.
Grown, harvested, and distilled in one place
At Summerdown, the entire chain remains on the estate, from the seedling through the harvest to the distillation. The herb is cut in summer and distilled shortly thereafter using steam, as fresh as it comes from the field.
The steam releases the essential oils from the leaves, and what settles afterwards is a clear, concentrated oil. Rounded, refined, and unmistakably unique—that is how the farm itself describes what the climate and soils of Hampshire do to their mint.
After distillation, the oil rests before it moves on to the farm's kitchen and workshop. There, it is dosed like a spice, because a few drops flavor an entire batch of chocolate, a kettle of tea, or a candle.
Peppermint oil from a single estate is a rarity in the world of chocolate; most manufacturers purchase their mint flavorings anonymously on the global market. At Summerdown, every drop can be traced back to the field where the plants stood. The English call this principle "single estate," a term usually reserved for tea and whiskey.
As a business, the farm also remains committed to its landscape, with wildflower meadows between the fields, tours of the estate, and two shepherd's huts where guests can stay overnight in the middle of the greenery. Those driving past in midsummer can smell the harvest before they even see the road.
Two Great Taste awards for the mint chocolate
In July 2026, the Great Taste Awards recognized two of Summerdown's chocolates: the dark Peppermint Creams and the dark Crisp bar. The jury for this British competition tastes blindly, without packaging or brand names; the focus is solely on taste. The competition is hosted by the London Guild of Fine Food and is considered the largest of its kind.
In addition, there is a place on shelves that are considered a gold standard in England: Selfridges in London, Whole Foods, the organic delivery service Abel & Cole, and the kitchenware store Lakeland carry the farm's products. For a family farm with a single mint variety, this is remarkable reach. Bravo.
For us, this exact combination was the reason to add the farm to our selection: a single plant, a single estate, and a taste that cannot be confused with any purchased aroma.
A piece of England for the coffee table
Getting started with this range is easy: the thin medallions belong with espresso, the filled creams at the end of a meal, and the gift box solves the question of what to bring as a guest. Those looking for texture start with the crisps and their fine crunch. A single box is enough for a first introduction, as each tells the same story in its own way. For the Advent season, mint is a staple anyway; hardly any flavor suits cold air and warm living rooms better.
As a gift, the farm also follows a simple logic: the box for the undecided, the creams for friends of soft fillings, and the thins for purists. If you like, add a pack of tea to the gift and share the entire principle of the estate.
In England, mint chocolate is the natural conclusion to a dinner, served with coffee once the plates have been cleared. This culture fits into every German kitchen that enjoys having guests. A box on the table, coffee next to it—a successful finish needs nothing more. In our chocolate selection, Summerdown is the English voice among Belgian and Italian houses. You can see what is currently in stock from the farm in the product grid below.
