MAGAZINE

Welcome to the latest edition of Garden Centre Catering. I am fortunate to kick off my new role as editor with our Summer issue – a time when sales traditionally begin to soar as the (hopefully) hotter weather moves in and diners are drawn to alfresco eats in beautiful surroundings.

This may be first issue but I have already hit the ground running by visiting my first outlet, the Mulberry Café near Peterborough. Being on the outskirts of the Cambridgeshire city, it was a great introduction to the sector. As well as being a beautiful space in its own right, it also had enough room to grow much of its own edible produce, alongside over 1m plants a year.

If you need some inspiration, Bosworth’s Garden Centre’s Elton outpost really is a superb example of a business that takes a truly holistic approach while keeping things simple where required. A previous Sustainability Award winner, the specific reason for my visit was that impressively, Bosworth’s also claimed Group Garden Centre Caterer of the Year Award last year. You can read all about the incredible work these truly worthy winners do in our Operator profile on page 12.

Speaking of which, it would be remiss of me not to mention that entries to our 2024 awards are now open. There are four categories to submit for, with the winners being announced in our Winter issue. If you would like more information or to enter, go to News on page 6 or pop over to gardencentrecateringawards.co.uk now.