On Monday 6th December, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew opens a brand-new Family Kitchen & Shop. Situated next to the interactive Children’s Garden, this multi-sensory new eatery not only offers families a place to eat and drink, but also to engage with the natural world and learn more about where food comes from, discovering the important role which plants and fungi play in all our lives. With a capacity to host up to 250 diners, the restaurant is a space where the wonder of nature combines with an interactive food laboratory.
The restaurant has been shaped around a series of colour-coded zones, with seasonal food stories coming to life in each of the different sections. Mirroring the design of Kew’s Children’s Garden, interactive areas include the Spring Garden, the Water Garden, the Autumn Garden and the oversized Enset (otherwise known as the ‘false banana’- a hugely versatile staple crop which has been cultivated for tens of thousands of years in Ethiopia.)
As well as this, a dedicated seating quiet zone in the shape of a giant apple provides the perfect space for neurodiverse visitors to enjoy the Family Kitchen in a calm and relaxed way. Larger-than-life sculptures of plants and fungi populate the space, creating a fun and engaging learning experience for visitors of all ages.
A variety of menu options will be available across the new restaurant for diners to enjoy. At the heart of the space is a stone-baked pizza oven, allowing visitors to create their own custom dishes and see chefs at work.
As well as cook-to-order hot food options, there will also be a salad bar, artisan sandwich station and ice cream servery, alongside infinity soft drink refills and espresso bar. Created with sustainability in mind, the menu for the Family Kitchen will also feature an array of plant-based offerings, allowing visitors the opportunity to enjoy a selection of eco-friendly food.
The Family Kitchen & Shop is the latest addition to Kew’s broad range of family offerings. As well as the ever-popular Children’s Garden, Kew offers a range of family-focused activities throughout the year, including themed trails, events and experiences.
Recent highlights have included the interactive Gruffalo’s Child trail and Dennis and Gnasher’s Big Bonanza, celebrating the mischievous characters from the Beano with a 3D comic strip highlighting some of the cleverest tricks in the plant kingdom. Kew’s new Family Kitchen & Shop is also certified as BREEAM (Building Research Establishment's Environmental Assessment Method) Excellent and incorporates in its design 71 photovoltaic roof panels generating 30 megawatt hours of electricity per annum.
Approximately 80% of the hot water used across the restaurant will be heated using heat recycled from the front of house and the kitchen, reflecting RBG Kew’s commitment to sustainability and target to become Climate Positive by 2030.
Sandra Botterell, Director of Marketing and Commercial Enterprise says: “We are very excited to be opening Kew Gardens’ brand-new food and retail venue, the Family Kitchen & Shop. Situated next to the wonderful Children’s Garden, the restaurant is an ideal space for all the family to enjoy a meal. We hope this space will bring to life a sense of adventure and curiosity and encourage families to appreciate the delicious choices which plants offer in our daily lives.”
