The big interview: Ruxley Manor Garden Centre

Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, which sits in Sidcup on the increasingly expanding south-east edge of London as it protrudes into Kent, is extremely well known in the industry. Not only does the overall centre boast a proud history that dates back almost 60 years, the catering operation specifically is also frequently lauded as being one of the best in the country.

Back in January, Ruxley came first in no more than eight categories of the Garden Centre Association (GCA) Awards for 2025. The most outstanding of all eight wins, however, was claiming the Catering Excellence for Best Destination Garden Centre Restaurant in the UK Award – the reason being that it was the third year in a row Ruxley had won it.

The person leading this remarkable effort is catering manager Jo Evans. Previously an NHS nurse, she joined the family business back in 2014.

“Ruxley is a family business, we are fifth generation, and I'm part of that family,” she explains. “My dad started the garden centre back in 1964 and before that it was plants-for-wholesale business.

“I had no experience in catering or restaurants, but my brother asked me to run the restaurant. My response was, ‘How hard could it be?’”

I begin our illuminating chat by asking Jo what Ruxley’s USP has evolved to be. Is one of the main advantages of being independent that customers can still sense that family feel, almost by osmosis?

“Definitely,” she asserts. “I was born on site and I grew up here, so I feel like I come home every day. I love working here, I'm passionate about the restaurant and I'm passionate about my team. I just live and breath it, and I think that's what makes the difference.”

This would certainly seem to be the case as far as the GCA is concerned. So how important is it to win awards like the aforementioned?

“Very,” says Jo, “but the standards are there regardless. For me, the awards are amazing, and they reinforce what I'm doing, but the bigger picture is the way I run this restaurant, which is all about efficiency. The more efficient we are, the faster the team can get things done, and they don't get stressed because they know what they're doing.

“Also, we always start with the customer. We don't start with the layout of the restaurant or the team hours or anything else, we start with the customer, and it always goes back to them.”

The catering side of Ruxley’s overall offer is becoming increasingly important, as Jo continues: “We used to think that people came to the garden centre and then had something to eat. However, we're now finding that people actually come for something to eat and then have a look around the garden centre. We complement each other very well.

 “I find that we have customers who come in at, say, 9am or 9.30am for a cup of coffee… and then they reappear again at midday for lunch…. and they often reappear again at about 3pm for a cup of tea and a scone.” This gives a whole new meaning to the term repeat customers that I’m sure any operator would kill for.

Part of what keeps them coming back is the sheer variety on offer. The main Mulberry Tree Restaurant boasts over 550 seats, while Sip & Scoop sits just outside serving up gelato, drinks and snacks. You can also add to this an afternoon tea offer, served outdoors in pods, and the self-explanatory food hall.

This all-encompassing offer is obviously extremely well thought-through, though things weren’t quite at this level when Jo joined 12 years ago. “When I started, the chefs were just taking everything out of boxes and putting them in ovens,” she recalls. “I said, ‘You're not chefs. I want you to be chefs’, so we now make all our own cakes, traybakes and gelato.”

This striving to improve clearly hasn’t diminished since, as Jo displays when I ask her what the best-sellers are. “Over the years, if something doesn't sell, I've always changed it,” she says. “I love change, I think it’s such a positive thing.

“Now I feel like we're getting to a point where we know exactly what our customers want. I don’t need to change things as much. Our smashed burgers and pizzas sell really well. The gelato flies out. Sip & Scoop serves over 20 different sorts of ice cream all year round. We have customers who driving for an hour just to come and get it.”

What becomes obvious as we talk is that Ruxley Manor Garden Centre is a business that has successfully preserved its proud traditions while also evolving to keep up with the times. Being at the very centre of such a successful operation, is there one final tip that Jo would offer on how to keep maintain standards at this incredibly impressive level?

“It's all about the team,” she replies instantly. “They're the ones who do it all, not me. It's about valuing and appreciating every single member of your team.”

And this attitude also extends to the all-important clientele, as Jo concludes: “We get all ages here, and I think that's the beauty of being a garden centre. It attracts everyone. Who doesn’t want to look at beautiful British flowers? Or around the gift shop? Or at the garden furniture?” Or, indeed, visit the treble-award-winning restaurant, maybe even three times in one day?

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