Petersham Nurseries Richmond celebrates 15 years, Scented by longstanding supplier Cire Trudon for the launch of their honey candle
This May, The Boglione family are delighted to be celebrating 15 years of Petersham Nurseries, the Richmond institution and much-loved family business they founded in 2004. The milestone will be marked in partnership with Cire Trudon, merchants of scent since 1643 and longstanding supplier of Petersham Nurseries’ own branded candle, who are celebrating the launch of their limited-edition beeswax candle, CIRE.
Originally a local garden centre, Petersham Nurseries Richmond was carved out of the Petersham House grounds in the 1970s. Shortly before the turn of the century, the business was bought by Gael and Francesco Boglione who have, with their family, lived in the adjoining Petersham House in Richmond since 1997. After extensive restoration works, the nurseries reopened in 2004, completely transformed. Today customers come from near and far to visit this unique lifestyle destination which has become well known and respected for its unrivalled style, unique dining experience, and strong ethical values.
Visitors to the nurseries are invited to dine in the glasshouse restaurant (Petersham Nurseries Café), browse plants in the nursery, find antiques and gifts in the Shop, and enjoy seasonal food and homemade cakes in the Teahouse. A school of gardening and floral inspiration, Petersham Nurseries Richmond is also renowned for its collection of innovative and immersive workshops.
In true Petersham style, the anniversary will be marked by a one off, all day workshop taking place on 28th May in partnership with Cire Trudon, centred around the honeybee. The workshop will encompass Petersham’s core philosophies – a wholly sensory experience touching on food, horticulture, style and conservation. Led by a select group of specialists, guests will be guided through an immersive day learning about how a healthy bee population is essential to our survival, and how to alleviate the environmental pressures the humble insects face.
Activities will include: a tutored raw honey tasting session with Sarah Wyndham Lewis, co-founder of the sustainable beekeeping practice ‘Bermondsey Street Bees’; a hands-on introduction to honey preserves and fermenting by chef and author Rachel de Thample; a lesson in how to plant a bee garden with Martin Odgen, Head of Horticulture at Petersham Nurseries; an insight into table styling ‘The Petersham Way’ with Global Buyer and Brand Ambassador Ronny de Koning, using flowers and bee attracting plants from the garden. A honey inspired lunch and refreshments by Head Chef Ambra Papa will also be provided, and all guests will depart with their handmade preserves and a limited-edition CIRE honey-inspired candle. Running from 10am until 4pm, the workshop is priced at £225 per person.
Celebrations will be continued at the nurseries throughout May and for all to enjoy, with a ‘Fifteen Favourites’ series showcasing the likes of best dishes, wines, flowers, plants and signature interior items.
Speaking on the anniversary, founders Gael and Francesco Boglione say: “reaching 15 years of Petersham Nurseries is undeniably a milestone we’re very proud of – it’s been magical to watch the business organically grow around our passions. This growth couldn’t have been achieved without the family and close team we’ve had by our sides – including our brilliant suppliers such as Cire Trudon. The honeybee is the perfect emblem for us to celebrate with, allowing us to thrive through its hard work in pollinating our crops, whilst bringing pleasure and joy to our environment.”
Tickets for the 15th Anniversary Workshop are available for purchase here: https://petershamnurseries.com/events/petersham-nurseries-15th-anniversary-bee-mindful-workshop-scented-by-cire-trudon
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Notes to editors:
Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane, Off, Petersham Rd, Richmond TW10 7AB
About Petersham Nurseries
Petersham Nurseries, a local garden centre, was carved out of the Petersham House grounds in the 1970s. Shortly before the turn of the century, the business was bought by Gael and Francesco Boglione who have, with their family, lived in the adjoining Petersham House in Richmond since 1997. After extensive restoration works, the nurseries reopened in 2004, completely transformed.
Today visitors are invited to dine in the glasshouse restaurant (Petersham Nurseries Café), browse plants in the Nursery, find antiques and gifts in the Shop, or sit, wander and enjoy seasonal food and homemade cakes in the Teahouse.
In the summer of 2017, led by Managing Director and eldest daughter Lara Boglione, Petersham Nurseries opened the first phase of its lifestyle destination in Covent Garden, including a homewares shop, florist, delicatessen and wine cellar. The second phase – the launch of two new restaurants, bar and courtyard – complements the retail offering to complete this unparalleled destination.
About Cire Trudon
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.
In association with the launch of the CIRE candle, Cire Trudon will be contributing to financing and establishing the Orne Bee Conservancy in Perche.
www.petershamnurseries.com/ciretrudon
About Rachel de Thample
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 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.
Instagram: @dethample
About 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. Her book ‘Planting for Honeybees’ was published worldwide last year by Quadrille in four languages and she contributes to a wide variety of publications as well as speaking widely on the subject.
Bermondsey Street Bees works with many top chefs (e.g. Michel Roux Jr, Tom Aikens, Jose Pizarro, Tom Kerridge) and supplies raw honeys to leading restaurants including Petersham Nurseries, when their own supply from hives in the garden does not suffice.
Instagram: @sarahwyndham.lewis
About Ronny de Koning, Petersham Global Buyer and Brand Ambassador
Ronny originally trained as a florist in Belgium, working on prestigious society events across Europe. After moving to the UK in 1995, he opened his own florist on Richmond Hill and later he spent a year travelling the world. Upon his return to west London he came to Petersham Nurseries. The business was in its infancy, but he distinctly remembers being struck by its uniqueness, beauty and simplicity.
Becoming the retail manager of homeware, horticulture and floristry, Ronny initially travelled with Gael and Francesco to Italy and France, where together they sourced one-off pieces and met artisan craftsmen. Ronny has made a substantial contribution to the development of Petersham Nurseries, remaining inspired by its ever-evolving natural elegance. Most recently he has stepped into the role of Global Buyer, sourcing all antique, heritage and unique products for sale across both Richmond and Covent Garden. He is also Brand Ambassador, working closely with Gael and Francesco, the custodians of the business to ensure that their vision is maintained.
About Martin Ogden, Head of Horticulture, Petersham Nurseries Richmond
Before arriving at Petersham Nurseries 9 years ago, Martin worked at the flagship garden centre at Syon Park in charge of the David Austin Rose Centre: the first dedicated nursery of its kind in the country. With commendations in both RHS Level 2 and 3, Martin has an unparalleled wealth of horticultural knowledge, which he continues to grow by dedicating his time to all things green related. As Head of Horticulture, Martin hosts classes that cover a broad range of horticultural techniques, gardening know-how and advice, from plant nutrition and many aspects of organic gardening to workshops around his true passion: Roses. Through his time at Petersham Nurseries, Martin delivers the best horticultural advice, supporting the learning of others through sharing and communicating his own love of plants and gardening.