Petersham Nurseries 15 Years and going strong …

Celebrations this week for the 15th Anniversary of Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, marked with an evening banquet all around the theme of the honey-bee – floral installations, menu, even the wine, with Cire Trudon and their new honey-scented candle delighting the senses throughout the entire glasshouse. A memorable evening and so pleased to have been part of it. Congratulations to the entire team for putting it all together.

The Menu …

Petersham Salad with Heritage Beetroot and Carrots, Goat’s Curd & Honey

Monkfish Carpaccio with Chilli, Pickled Apple, Dill and Borage Flowers

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Herb Roasted Sirloin of Beef with Heritage Carrots, Honey and Almonds

Fillet of Hake with Asparagus, Peas, Morels & Wild Garlic

Spiced Chickpeas, Artichokes & Courgette, Salmoriglio

Yoghurt & Nigella Flat Bread

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Chargrilled Nespole with Ricotta di Bufala, Thyme and Exmoor Wild Honey

Almond Panna Cotta with Guarigette Strawberries and Basil

Lincolnshire Poacher, Sea Salt Crackers & Honeycomb

 

So there!

The Cire Trudon Candle, and I have mine at home, is delicious – sun-warmed sandalwood, creamy vanilla and crushed tonic beans. Hooked … I have an appointment at their store in Chiltern Street to claim a complimentary Eau de Perfume too. Truly spoilt.

Our signature floating flowers …

And in Glasshouse 1 …

Take a look at the Petersham Nurseries website for details of a honey-themed day-long workshop on 28th May, with a honey tasting, a session on planting for honey bees, honey fermenting and table styling, a three course lunch with refreshments, a complimentary Cire Trudon candle, with me, Sarah Wyndham-Lewis from Bermondsey Street Bees and author/chef/fermenter & forager Rachel de Thample. Follow the link below

Petersham Nurseries

This May marks our 15th anniversary. To celebrate we have created a one off, masterclass centred around the honey bee. The day will encompass Petersham’s core philosophies and will be a wholly sensory experience touching on food, horticulture, style and conservation. This workshop has been created in partnership with Cire Trudon, long term suppliers of beautiful candles to our shops and makers of our very own Petersham Giardino candle. In May Cire Trudon are launching ‘Cire’ a limited edition, candle with a scent of amber-coloured honey nectar.

We have gathered a group of specialists – all with outstanding knowledge and skills. Spend an immersive day learning about how a healthy bee population is essential to our human survival. Worldwide, research continues into the pressures on bees. Scientists sight complex causes, including disease, climate change and agri-chemicals as key contributors.

Whilst we totally rely on bees to pollinate our crops and keep the cycle of life going, we will also revere the work of this humble insect and the pleasure and joy they bring to our environment.

During the day we will discuss the importance of bees and honey weaving through a number of topics.

GARDEN
Martin Ogden, Head of Horticulture, will share his knowledge – offering tips about colour, scent and successional planting to ensure continuous bee attracting specimens in your garden.

Learn how to create an oasis for bees and other pollinators by adding to the shrinking inventory of flower-rich habitat in your area. In return, they will pollinate your flowers, providing a bountiful harvest of fruits, seeds and vegetables.

TASTE
Tutored raw honey tasting session with Sarah Wyndham Lewis, co-founder of the sustainable beekeeping practice ‘Bermondsey Street Bees’. Sarah Wyndham Lewis is a writer, speaker and Bologna-trained Honey Sommelier.

Honey straight from a hive is full of unique flavor notes based on its location and season. With a little background information all of these delicate variations can be appreciated with the same respect and admiration as the tasting of wine.

This session will be fun, lively and interactive, seriously informative and both thought and palate-provoking. As well as demonstrating professional honey tasting techniques (which turns honey from something sweet into something really mind-blowing), Sarah uses honeys as a route into a wide range of other topics – including the nature of raw honey, how it has been ‘commoditised’, the cultural role of bees and honey in world civilisations, medicinal honeys and many issues surrounding honeybees’ survival in the modern world. Taste some very unusual and rare world honeys, each with a unique story to tell. Some of the honeys are sweet, others are bitter or medicinal tasting or have other fascinating characteristics of their ‘terroir’. See, smell and feel honey comb, wax and propolis adding to the rich sensory experience.

LIFESTYLE
Table styling ‘The Petersham Way’ with Ronny de Koning, Global Buyer and Brand Ambassador.

Learn the art of styling a table using flowers from the garden and potted, bee attracting varieties of plants. A memorable meal is as much about the little details: the linen napkins, lighting and floral decoration, as it is about the food you eat. Ronny will provide tips and suggestions of how to use fruit, vegetables, glasses and crockery to create a table that is elegantly simple and understated, informal and welcoming.

COOK
Rachel de Thample – Preserving with honey.

Rachel de Thample has worked in the kitchens of Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal and Peter Gordon. She currently teaches fermentation and preserve courses at River Cottage HQ in Devon and is currently writing the River Cottage Fermentation Handbook and the River Cottage Bees & Honey Handbook. She’s has a number of other books under her belt, including Tonics & Teas. She also teaches Wild Food Cookery at Made in Hackney. Her passion lies in local, sustainable food. Before working for River Cottage she was the Head of Food for the pioneering organic box scheme Abel & Cole. She lives in Crystal Palace, London and has helped set up numerous local food initiatives, including the award-winning Crystal Palace Food Market.

In this hour-long hands-on session, Rachel will explain how to use honey instead of sugar to make wonderful preserves. She will offer up a palate of tasters before taking you through the process to make your own jar of honey-fermented rhubarb with rose petals to take home with you. As well as making and tasting, Rachel will talk you through the benefits of using honey in preserves and other cooking.

PETERSHAM NURSERIES BEES
Linda Howell – Petersham Nurseries Bee Keeper, will explain how working alongside the Petersham team, she has established a thriving population of happy bees in Richmond

Participants will enjoy refreshments on arrival and a 2 course honey inspired lunch, created by Head Chef Ambra Papa, which will be served in Petersham Nurseries Café. Participants will dine with speakers from the day providing an opportunity for further questions and conversation to continue.

CIRE TRUDON x CIRE
Back in 1643, founder Claude Trudon was a respected candle maker and merchant trading spices, fruits and flowers brought back from triumphant ocean voyages to newly discovered lands. Today, inspired by the exotic locations that these new ingredients originated from, the Cire Trudon candle collection celebrates Monsieur Trudon’s favourite discoveries using ingredients in their purest form from some of the world’s most beautiful regions.

New for May is the launch of CIRE – the first limited edition Beeswax absolute. Like a drop of sweet honey on your tongue, this mouth-watering combination of bitter orange, sun-warmed Sandalwood, creamy vanilla and crushed Tonka Beans literally melts into the air surrounding you with the warm and comforting scent of amber-coloured honey nectar.

To celebrate Petersham Nurseries 15th Anniversary, guests will receive a complimentary CIRE candle to scent your home for spring. A guilt-free sweet treat to enjoy every day.

NB. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Please note parking is restricted in the surrounding area and we encourage our visitors to travel via alternative means of transport whenever possible.