Garden Centre Catering Awards winner profile

The heritage of the horticultural school, founded by the redoubtable Beatrix Havergal with her partner Avice Sanders back in 1931, remains at the core of what Waterperry Gardens does. The aim is to share the decades of knowledge acquired by the staff with visitors and apprentices alike.

The gardens themselves are evidence of Havergal’s horticultural virtuosity, in particular the classical herbaceous border. They remain an object of admiration for visitors by virtue of the gardeners’ continuing faithfulness to its original conception.

Although the teaching school left its mark on the gardens, these were principally established for educational purposes, including the striking ‘living catalogue’ of herbaceous plants. Yet, since the closure of the school, extensive developments have taken place in the gardens under the auspices of the present owners, The School of Philosophy and Economic Science, far beyond their scope when it was purchased in 1971.

The gardens now occupy 20 acres. Managers Bernard Saunders and Mary Spiller were responsible for this development through their combination of artistic and horticultural expertise. This resulted in a number of planted spaces that bring together geometrical and aesthetic principles with brilliant plant selection. The result is an uplifting and often surprising experience for visitors. These elements remain uppermost in developments that are currently at the design stage, and as the gardens continue to develop in the future.

Whether you be merely dropping by or spending the day, looking for a quick cup of coffee and a scone or planning to relax over a leisurely lunch, no visit to Waterperry Gardens is complete without including the Tea Shop. There is indoor and outdoor seating available, and the highest standards of food hygiene are always followed, in line with the outlet’s five-star rating.

The team at the Tea Shop make everything by hand on the premises, using the best locally sourced ingredients they can find, often from within the walled garden. The menu boasts delicious home-baked cakes, vegan oat-bars, vegetarian lasagnes, chicken salads, toasties and sandwiches. The aim is to cater for everyone. The Tea Shop is also committed to using biodegradable packaging for all of its takeaway products.

The Waterperry Tea consists of homeade jam and a scone, with clotted cream, a selection of homemade cakes, a variety of sandwiches, a homemade quiche and a pot of looseleaf tea or a barista coffee. This costs £25.50 per adult, £16.50 per child or £32.75 for a Celebration Tea. On average, 14 full afternoon teas and over 50 cream teas are sold per week.

A spokesperson says: “We are famous for our scones. We make all of our cakes, scones and jam ourselves from scratch. Waterperry is a beautiful place and our customers can look out onto the grounds while they are having their afternoon teas.”

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