Lovely place to go if you want to have a lazy afternoon and spend hours having a leisurely lunch. When I went, the place was packed, and full of grey-haired ‘ladies who lunch’. There was a nice informal buzz about the place, and the waitresses were obviously busy yet still very polite and efficient.

The menu provides variety without being stupidly long. I think there was a choice of five starters and five mains which, to me, is A Good Thing: it means that the kitchen can concentrate on getting a few dishes spot on.

Prices here are high (I chose the most expensive dishes: £14.50 starter, £27 main), and the food very nearly justifies it. There’s absolutely no doubting the quality of the ingredients and the skill in constructing the recipes, but my scallops were overcooked by, ooh, maybe 30 seconds, and the rare steak I ordered arrived medium-to-well-done, albeit beautifully seared and still wonderfully tasty. Not major crimes, but at these prices you expect perfection.

I think Petersham Nurseries is really special and such a beautiful setting. It seems to get a lot of flack from people about the high prices but anyone who reads Skye’s columns in the Independent knows how much care and love goes into the cooking here.
I’ve never had a bad meal here and I rather like the fact that they have a small menu and that the emphasis is on simple cooking and quality ingredients rather than complicated foams and emulsions.
If you are a stingy person who doesn’t like to put trust in a restaurant then this place isn’t for you. If like me, you value considered cooking and fresh, beautiful ingredients and aren’t afraid to pay for them then you won’t find anywhere nicer to enjoy lunch in London.

It’s a real one off, difficult to describe and explain it’s almost cult status. It’s in some old greenhouses with old furniture, but has great charm. Foods very good but pricey. Starters £10, Mains £20.
Dificult to park, near the river so you can add a walk to your trip.
You can go for coffee or tea to check it out, a good place to take someone for a surprise, they’ll wonder where you are taking them, and then telleverybody abou it for weeks.
Their PR is excellent often in the glossy mags, and Skye Gingell gets her share too.

Lunch at the cafe within Petersham Nurseries is one of my all time favourite dining experiences. This is a well hidden place set in the greenhouse of a garden centre. I'm not going going to comment on the garden centre itself, suffice to say it looks nice! However the food here is something else entirely.

I believe the head chef Skye Gyngell is a bit famous - she gets favourable press at least, and no wonder. This was the best meal I've eaten in the UK - and it's up there with the rest of the world too. Granted I haven't been to the Fat Duck or similar, but the steak at Petersham Nurseries was so delicious and perfectly cooked, it's almost indescribable.

The setting too, is lovely. Relaxed surroundings, sat on not overly comfortable (garden, wobbly) furniture, but with lovely drapes on the walls and plants climbing everywhere, you could be on a terrace in Kerela, almost.

It's not particularly cheap - something like 20 quid for main, but you're not coming anywhere this good everyday. Worth every penny.