Petersham Nursery – Richmond, UK

I have to interrupt the scheduled Germany/Denmark photos as I forgot to bring them to work. Instead I’ll share past vacation fun. On my way home from Iraq my mom met me in London. I love London – love the city – love the accents – may love the boys….Since my mom is always such a trooper and endures hours of shopping with me I wanted to do something fun for her. I found an article in the UK version of InStyle about Petersham Nursery (http://www.petershamnurseries.com ) and called almost two months in advance to make us lunch reservations.


The place was booked all but one day of our two week trip. I was so excited and kept it a secret for a long time. Richmond was a train ride (maybe 45 minutes) from London and worth every minute and penny! It was hard to find at first. You walked through fields of cows and other farm animals.

But once there it was this gem in the middle of nowhere. A gorgeous nursery with loads of pretty plants, flowers, vegetables, etc… and also a very cool open gift shop. We wanted to take everything home! Too bad most items wouldn’t be allowed for import into the US (and we were traveling during the big liquid scare so weren’t even allowed a carry on).



The lunch itself was amazing. I had a Rose Bellini and it was very yummy (sad I remember what I drank but not what I ate). All the food is made with fresh ingredients from the nursery or local markets. The menu changes everyday based on what is available. Their chef is Sky Gyngell.



I wish we lived closer so we could visit again. They have classes on gardening, they throw seasonal parties, they even have nights for bicyclists! My mom and I loved it! We keep dreaming about opening a place like this in Iowa. I wonder if it would be a success. To me it’s the perfect setting for a leisurely lunch with friends, a weekend brunch, a celebration, or an evening party. Who wouldn’t want to dine in a place that looks this gorgeous?


After lunch we explored Richmond a bit. It’s right on the water and a very cool sleepy UK town. People were out walking, biking, and just relaxing. We scored an awesome patio spot overlooking the Thames River and drank Pims.

Heaven. Makes me want another vacation right now. Or at a minimum makes me want to be sitting outside amongst a beautiful garden enjoying a glass of Pims!

* Unfortunately I don’t have photos of my own to share; these are all actually from the Petersham site.