Should you be visiting Kew Gardens, and feeling inclined to match the horticulture with some culinary history, call into Newens Original Maids of Honour tea rooms and bakery, on Kew Road opposite the gardens.
It has a long history: developed from an earlier business in Richmond, established in 1887 in its present site on Kew Road. severely damaged by bombing in the 1939-45 war, and rebuilt in the late 1940s. It been patronised by royalty, film stars, Winston Churchill and (it seems at busy periods) most visitors to the gardens.
An archetypal English tea-room, they do breakfasts, lunches and teas, and there is a shop serving all their products. The star of the show is the Maids of Honour tart, unique to this bakery, dating from the 16th century, and allegedly first made for Henry VIII. Described by them as “sweet yet slightly savoury, light and crisp yet unctuously soft in the middle”, the recipe is naturally secret, but apparently involves curd cheese.
A review from a few years back is still accurate as regards both the restaurant and its products; little changes here. You can, however, keep up with them on Twitter – @maidsofhonour.
The Occasional Informationist 