Monday 16 December 2013

GO FOR A DROOL, TO PETERSHAM NURSERIES - TRY TO RESIST TEMPTATION!

PETERSHAM NEAR RICHMOND, A LITTLE PIECE OF PARADISE

I went on the special Foraging event at Petersham Nurseries, Petersham, near Ham on 1 December, a Sunday.  The Petersham Nurseries are delightful and full of interesting and desirable things to buy.... as well as being the home of the famous cafe and tea house.  Petersham are members of the Slow Food Supporters Scheme.

I notice from their website that you can buy a Foraging walking stick! Now why didn't I ask for one for Christmas.....
Petersham Nurseries Shop and Garden

Previous post link here, about the actual walk
Foraging walk with Claudio Bincoletto

The Petersham Nurseries are on the banks of the Thames, and abut onto the flat green Petersham Meadows, which you can see from the beautiful viewpoint of Richmond Hill.

Not having been to Petersham before, I found the locality fascinating, with beautiful old houses, some cottages and the lovely small church of St Peter, where Captain George Vancouver is buried, who discovered Vancouver Island.

Sorry to say,  I did not take any photos of the Church or the meadows. Will have to go back and take a closer look soon.  There are box pews in the church, which is rare this near to London.

ST PETER'S CHURCH, PETERSHAM

The link below give details of the church and other people associated with it, such as Theodora Jane Cowper, cousin of poet William Cowper, and is where the marriage took place of the parents of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. (Earl of Strathmore and Nina Cavendish-Bentinck, in 1881). The information is from the Local History Notes of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames website.

St Peter's, Petersham

THE NURSERIES

I particularly liked the display in the first section of the nursery which I entered, after walking through the yard full of small plants and an array of lovely earthenware flowerpots, various sizes.  They are, I think, made in India and might be hand-made.  Not often you see these flowerpots, new, for sale. 

These photos I took with my little old Nikon camera.


Tree ferns, and other tender indoor displays

Wooden plant labels, seed packets

Seeds with the Petersham label, plus some Italian ones

Garlics all ready to plant now, or spring

Hairy pots! Like I saw at Walmer Castle in the summer

Petersham Nursery seeds for kids, fun designs

Claudio introduces the Foraging

Fungi on display at the start of our Forage

Cheese from Italy, this one is very special, we enjoyed it later, with polenta

This may be Chicken of The Wood fungi

Cutting the Italian cheese for our brunch

Petersham Nursery does a good table setting, pretty crab apples


Italian wine from a very special vineyard in the North - it was very good!
The admirable fungi
YES, I WILL DEFINITELY RETURN TO PETERSHAM NURSERIES

It is difficult to park there, by the way.  There are parking spots in the road leading down to the river, a few minutes walk along the main road, towards Ham Common.  "This road is liable to flooding", say the signs.  You can of course get a bus from Richmond Station.

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