June Supper Club at Petersham Nurseries

I am a big fan of Aussie chef, Skye Gyngell, so when a friend heard about the suppers being held at her restaurant, Petersham Nurseries in Richmond, London, through out summer, of course we had to go.
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The supper was a set course dinner at £85 per person, not including service or wine. Expectations were therefore justifiably high.
Upon arrival we walked, enchanted, through the nursery and into the glass house. What a beautiful setting! The floor is bare soil, the walls and ceiling are the glass walls of the glass house, but the space is filled prettily with French wrought iron chairs, a mixture of wooden tables, lovely lighting and plants. It was just gorgeous and I was very excited.
Once seated we enjoyed a lovely rose syrup & rose petal prosecco - delicious.
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The first three courses were: shaved asparagus with tipico, mint & caper dressing, andCharantais melon & San Daniele with rose syrup, followed by an entree of scallops, peas & roasted red peppers, spinacini & chilli dressing, and then a main course of salt baked wild salmon with yellow bean salad & pot of Jersey Royals.
These first three courses were beautiful. Both the composition of the dishes and their presentation reflected the atmosphere and the space - there was no pretention and the meals were reliant upon fresh, seasonal ingredients. The presentation was refreshingly relaxed and almost artless in its simplicity. For me, these courses captured exactly what Petersham Nurseries is all about. On my way to the bathroom I spotted chef Skye Gyngell in the kitchen - she was definitely working hard in that kitchen! Later I saw her in a less hectic moment and I couldn't resist telling her we were Aussies and were so excited to be there. She looked buggered and was probably sick of being approached by over zealous diners, but very graciously thanked me for coming.
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Unfortunately, after such a strong start, our experience then went rather down hill. As the cheese course was being served we were told that the advertised blue cheese (Basajo blue sheeps milk cheese) had run out and that there would be a substitute of Tipico. This was the same cheese that appeared in the earlier shaved asparagus starter. This was disappointing and rather strange for 2 reasons. Firstly, we had booked our table approximately 2 months in advance, and I assume others had too - in any event, it was not a supper where you could just turn up on the night, so every table had to have been pre-booked. Further, we had a set menu, so it wasn't as though an unexpected number of people decided to order cheese that night. My point is, they knew how many portions of cheese they would need, and they got it wrong.
Secondly, the cheese that was substituted was not only one we'd already been served, but it seemed a rather inappropriate cheese to be eaten as a cheese course. We were essentially given some shavings of the Parmesan-like cheese with a dollop of quince paste. That was it. Most of us just couldn't eat more than 1 piece. It was most peculiar. I would have actually preferred it if they had just said - the cheese has run out, we have no idea why, but have a glass of wine and we'll knock £10 off the per person price.
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From this course onwards, our waiter clearly remembered that he had somewhere else to be, because he decided to pick up the pace and started to clear plates before everyone at the table had finished eating. This is my number one pet hate. I recall my mother not letting us either leave or clear the table when I was 5 years old, so how hard is it for a waiter in a top restaurant to show similar restraint? Our party did arrive late for our booking, but I don't think this is an excuse to be rushed through a meal we were paying in excess of £85 each for (and Petersham Nurseries later confirmed that our lateness had not influenced the timing of the night at all).
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Dessert was lovely, but for the price I expected more. We were served a bowl of fresh strawberries and raspberries with a rose geranium scented cream. It was very refreshing and delicate, but I felt disappointed. Where was the lovely buttery shortbread, or a gooey meringue? I expected a little whisking, some kneading, baking, something! (Y was so underwhelmed she couldn't even be bothered taking the lens cap off the camera)
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Again plates were whisked away and it seemed as though our waiter really just wanted us out of there. Some members of the party therefore asked about ordering a taxi, and I'm told it was for this reason that none of us were offered any tea or coffee, unlike other tables.
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We left, trying to remember only the first part of the meal and doing our best to repress the second half.
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Considering our table would have dropped almost £1,000.00 that night, I felt I had unfinished business with Petersham Nurseries. I emailed them the next day raising the issues of the cheese, the rushed service, the clearing of plates and not being offered tea or coffee. I received a response about 10 days later, essentially agreeing with me (which in itself was disappointing - I love an argument!) and offering us a free bottle of champagne if/when we returned.
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I think we experienced an unlucky combination of factors - the cheese running out and a waiter who perhaps held a grudge throughout the entire meal because some of us turned up late (?). The setting is gorgeous, and a lot of the food was exceptional. I would consider going back for lunch (it's usually open during the day only, but the suppers at night are a special summer time event) because it really is lovely sitting in the glass house, and because I could order from the a la carte menu, ... and maybe because I want to love Petersham Nurseries so much.