case study: Hillier at syon park

History can be an important element for a business, not only for providing a sense of stature, but for defining its brand and legacy too. Having been established in 1864 by Edwin Hillier, Hillier Nurseries is one such company that offers a rich heritage, and over the years it has grown to encompass a network of 19 garden centres across the South of England.

A passionate plantsman, founder Edwin moved frequently between different establishments to gain experience under some of the greatest names in gardening; one such posting being Syon House, West London, a move which ultimately helped shape his passion for horticulture.

With his remarkable experiences and training under his belt, Edwin purchased a plot of land and a florist’s shop in Winchester, Hampshire, planting the seed for what Hillier Nurseries is today. More than a century later, Hillier Nurseries has come back to its roots, having recently opened a new site at the very place that Edwin learnt so much – the grand estate of Syon House.

Opened in April 2021, Hillier Garden Centre Syon Park offers visitors the chance to browse and buy a range of plants and gifts; and when it comes to lunchtime, they are spoilt for choice too.

Hillier at Syon Park

“When we opened in April last year, restrictions were beginning to lift, so our focus was to create as ‘normal’ a service as possible,” Dan Williams, Head of Restaurants for Hillier, says. “We therefore opened two eateries on the site; The Courtyard Restaurant, which offers al fresco dining and views of the Great Conservatory; and The Clocktower Café, where customers can purchase barista-prepared hot drinks, sweet and savoury treats.

“Catering within garden centres is the single biggest change in the last 20 years, so the opening of The Courtyard Restaurant, which offers table service, and The Clocktower Café, which has greater emphasis on our take-away service, were vitally important to us,” Dan adds. “Not only has this helped create a relaxed environment, but it has ensured the site is attractive to all ages, including families.”

Made from the heart
Having such an important, historical connection between its founder and the new site makes Hillier Garden Centre Syon Park unique; however, this isn’t the only thing that makes it special. With a focus on using local suppliers as much as possible, combined with a homemade element, the centre’s restaurant and cafe menu options are ones that are both diverse and yet tantalisingly delicious too.

“We serve traditional food, but with some notable elevations to each dish, for example, fresh coriander, sultanas and apricots in our coronation chicken, or fresh sage in our rich gravy for our cider braised pork and grain mustard mash. The list goes on.” Dan explains.

“Even the sandwiches have been elevated. We chop/cut our ‘just set’ free range eggs to create generous chunks for our egg mayonnaise and avocado sandwich and layer it between thick slices of white or malted brown bread. Smoked bacon, for enhanced flavour, is used in our bacon, brie and cranberry rustic panini. All our filled breads are served with a ‘house’ coleslaw.”

Delicious fish finger sandwich and breakfast

“One of the favourite items on the menu is our fishfinger sandwich,” Dan says. “Prepared daily in our kitchen the cod is cut into strips and dipped into our homemade beer batter. Served in an artisan baguette with crisp lettuce and homemade lime tartare sauce, we think these taste great – and so do our customers!

“Along with quality, we put focus on the provenance of our ingredients,” he adds. “For example, we use British, Red Tractor endorsed meat, our eggs are free range, our jam for Afternoon Tea is English Tiptree and we use British cheese.”

Thanks to its focus on local and fresh ingredients, the restaurant and café both have seasonal menus which change twice yearly. The team also make seasonal tweaks to ingredients throughout the year to reflect ‘what’s best in season’, or for events including Mother’s Day, Christmas and Easter. Inspiration for these ideas are fuelled by food ‘roadshows’, led by Hillier’s Development Chef to engage the team with every dish.

The results are menus offering a range of dishes, from both vegan and vegetarian dishes (see page 33 for more on these tasty items), to hearty lunchtime meals, such as slow braised beef steak artisan baguette, which is served with gherkin and mustard mayonnaise, Bourbon barbeque sauce, fries, battered onion rings and house coleslaw, to the more traditional Ploughman’s lunch.

“In partnership with a local butcher, we also offer a wide range of locally supplied products, including crisps, craft beers and sauces, all of which are available in our Food Hall,” Dan continues.

A love for elevenses
Following the lifting of restrictions and lockdowns, the demand for dining at garden centres has been on the increase – and one trend in particular that the team has noticed is the uptake in breakfast and brunch. Even following its special post-Christmas breakfast offer to drive footfall, breakfast and brunch remains popular – to the point where breakfast times have now been extended until 12pm to match demand.

“We have an extensive breakfast menu, including our signature dish ‘The Syon’, which comes with poached eggs, smoked back bacon, pork sausages, sautéed mushrooms, grilled tomato, baked beans and toasted Hobbs bakery sourdough” Dan says. “Another popular breakfast item is our avocado on sourdough toast, which can be customised with an egg or smoked back bacon if customers wish. Along with the more traditional items, such as eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs on toast, and our Syon Bacon ‘Buttie’, we also serve a range of pastries and homemade scones, which our customers love as well.”

Positive changes
When it comes to bringing in customers to the restaurant and café, the menus practically do all the selling, but to ensure the widest coverage the team use a mix of marketing channels, as well as sending out new menus and offerings to its highly engaged Hillier Gardening Club.

With garden centre catering gaining in popularity, it is, as Dan points out, good to know that investments are being made throughout the sector to create real restaurants that are focused on providing customers with quality food – elements which are fundamental to driving additional customers, gaining loyalty, not to mention increasing dwell time and the frequency of visits.

For the team at Hillier Garden Centre Syon Park, they seem to have got the balance of these elements just right, and with a choice of tantalisingly delicious-sounding menus on offer, it seems clear that customers will continue to flock to enjoy the food on offer – maybe even for centuries to come.