“ The running of Petersham is a real family affair, as Lara is also the business’ managing director, their middle daughter Anna holds health retreats with Petersham, and the youngest, Ruby, works on recipes with the chefs.”
Petersham Nurseries is a veritable labour of love. What began as a humble garden centre that backed onto the 17th-century Richmond home of Gael and Francesco Boglione has become a thriving family business of restaurants, homeware shops, a deli and an artisanal nursery. ‘It was a simple idea: our vision was to reflect how we live at home,’ explains Gael, ‘the way we socialise, enjoy food and surround ourselves with nature.’The couple initially set their sights on opening a teahouse for the nursery in 2004 and approached their friend Skye Gyngell to develop a menu. But with such rich potential for a flourishing kitchen-garden, Gyngell floated the idea of starting a restaurant specialising in organic produce instead.
