Petersham Nurseries Book

Tasting notes:

This book charts their twenty-year journey from a small plant nursery behind their family home, intertwining recipes, narratives from family members and sketches of the changing seasons. Incorporating stories of the couple’s past, from Francesco’s travels in Afghanistan, India and Nepal to Gael’s journey from Australia to Paris and her career as a model, the book illustrates how the nurseries developed in line with their personal commitment to nature, integrity and family. Shaped by the creativity, character and passions of owners Francesco and Gael, together with their four children – Petersham Nurseries is a true family business; a hotbed of energy and ideas that delights in a shared dedication to the environment and positive living. The 432-page book combines the story of the Boglione family in their own words and transports readers through the changing seasons at the nursery to the family farm in Devon and the Tuscan vineyards, with 240 beautiful colour photographs by Andrew Montgomery, archive photography, expert styling tips for the home and garden and 36 seasonal recipes.

Producer description:

When Gael and Francesco Boglione bought the run-down and heavily modified Petersham House in the 1990s, they never imagined that it would lead to them presiding over a celebrated garden centre and an internationally renowned, Michelin Green-Starred Restaurant. Their new home, Petersham House, overlooked a local plant nursery, which had been carved out of the grounds of their Queen Anne home in the 1970s. Francesco recalls initially not knowing what to do with the place. Inspired by his youthful travels to India, when as a self-confessed hippy, he bought and sold unusual furniture, paintings, sculptures and decorations as a means of funding his expeditions. He recalls a vision materialising. Bringing a gentle approach and an ability for drawing out beauty in the simplest of things, Gael’s natural style, elegance and attention to detail was at the heart of the transformation, evolving over the years into the strong ethos maintained today.