Richmond is one of my favourite parts of London and a visit to Petersham Nurseries (located just a 10 minute walk along the river away from Richmond High Street), with its famous restaurant for a lunch date has long been overdue. So I booked us in for lunch as a Mother's Day gift and we spent a lovely afternoon browsing, looking at beautiful plants and antique homewares plus we had one of the best meals of the year!
The restaurant Café is within the glasshouse and the setting feels quite magical with fragrant Bougainvillea and Jasmine draped overhead and the antique furniture, mirrors and paintings which decorate the glasshouse make you feel like you're in the middle of a charming garden party. The day we went, the weather was a little grey and chilly in typical British fashion, but you couldn't help but forget all that and get completely caught up in the surroundings as we sat down to lunch.
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| *Photo courtesy of Petersham Nurseries |
The menus at the restaurant Cafe and Teahouse at Petersham Nurseries observe the slow food philosophy. The Café serves seasonal, Italian inspired food for lunch between 12-3pm, with a handful of candlelit supper clubs throughout the year. The Teahouse serves wholesome seasonal food, fresh statement salads as well as delicious, hearty homemade cakes and of course whole leaf teas and freshly ground coffee are on offer too. All the dishes served are inspired by the kitchen garden as well as its British and Italian heritage.
The Gnocchi Verde with Wild Garlic and Pecorino starter was amazing! The Gnocchi just melted in the mouth and had the perfect flavour!! Mum and I shared this as a starter but we were soon wishing we had a big bowl each!
My main course was the fillet of Pollock with Capers, Focaccia, Kale, Lemon and Chilli, while Mum had the roast Poussin with Artichoke, Wild Garlic, Taggiasca Olives and Salmoriglio dressing. We both agreed the main courses were perfectly cooked, the flavours worked so well together and everything was delicious.
Neither of us are able to eat a lot in one go, so after the mains we were beginning to feel full, but we wanted something light but sweet to round off the meal and the Blood Orange sorbet seemed ideal. Oh my, what a sorbet! I'd been a bit doubtful that it'd capture the delicate Blood Orange flavour, but I had no reason to worry, the dessert was everything I'd hoped it would be.
After lunch we had a lovely stroll around the nursery and it took a lot of will power for both of us not to come away with a van full of beautiful Orchids or antiques
If you'd like to have lunch at the Café, it's best to book in advance here. Reservations are available up to three months in advance (it can get busy). There's no need to book for the Teahouse as it's first come, first serve.
Jx
This is not a sponsored post. All opinions are based on my own experiences.
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