The Petersham Nurseries & Cafe

Today I uncovered a little bit of magic out in Richmond, a suburb of London. I met my friend Cristina who lives in nearby Chiswick, and we drove out to the Petersham Nurseries & Cafe, which I had read about in a recent issue of British Vogue. Vogue food writer and chef Skye Gyngell is the executive chef of the cafe, which is nestled in a nursery bursting with flowers, trees and herbs. The conservatory is filled with garden tables and chairs, mixed among exotic palm trees and plants on a natural red dirt floor. There is a long, wooden building alongside the greenhouses which houses the kitchen and a tea shoppe where you can pick up tea and cakes or shop from a variety of honeys, jams, oils and other assorted goodies.

The menu is developed daily based on what's growing in the nursery, garden or available at the market. Cristina and I started with a plate of lentils, heirloom tomatoes, red and white beets, fresh goat's cheese, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. For our main, we both had BBQ quail with salsa verde and white polenta. For dessert, I had a press pot of rich creamy coffee and we shared a heavenly fresh fig ice cream and raspberry icecream (all homemade). It was raining lightly (the staff need to wear wellies to work as you can imagine), but it certainly didn't spoil what was an enchanted lunch. The staff was welcoming and friendly. It's definitley not cheap, but well worth every bite...I can't wait to go back.

On the way out, I caught a glimpse of a little kitty asleep on top of a printer inside the office of the nursery. I went in and asked a gentleman working on the computer if I could pet her (she looks a lot like my Maggie back home in the U.S.). He said sure and told me her name is Mrs. Williamson -- so cute!!!

This all seems like the perfect business in my eyes. So, I have decided what I want to do with my life! One day, I will return home to St. Mary's County and build a nursery and cafe on my family's farm, modeled directly after the Petersham Nurseries here in England. I think it would go over incredibly well!