On May 22, Henry and I enjoyed an afternoon with Christiane Nangle in a restaurant near her apartment located in the Sloane Square area, not far from the Royal Chelsea Hospital, home of the Chelsea Pensioners, and famous as being architect Christopher Wren’s finest work in brick.  Our friend is actively involved consulting with the committee overseeing the development of the hospital grounds, since her windows overlook the park. She is the one who recommended that we might enjoy lunch at the Orangerie in Kensington Gardens. Henry and I followed up on her recommendation, and enjoyed it so much the first time we dined there, that we returned twice more within a ten-day period.  Breakfast, Lunch or Tea are all served here in a setting adjacent to Kensington Palace. Queen Anne’s greenhouse was built in 1704, probably designed in part by Nicholas Hawksmoor with carved details by Grinling Gibbons. When not in use as a prime wedding-reception venue, The Orangerie acts as a restaurant and tea rooms for the palace. The tables are both indoors in a lovely, spacious room, or outdoors under white umbrellas on the summer terrace. The Orangerie overlooks lush lawns and an allée of enormous shrubbery, something out of Alice in Wonderland. The wait in line for a table can take up to 20 minutes, but dining outdoors was well worth the wait for both Henry and me. We found the luncheon fare to be well-prepared and beautifully presented. Though the lunch menu is light and somewhat limited, many diners come here to indulge in a traditional English Tea. The tea menu is quite abundant with lovely scones and cakes, plus a nice selection of teas to make even the British swoon.  After lunch, we often walked to the lovely formal gardens that front the palace, enjoying the flowers, the terraced banks of the pond, the fountains squirting out of bas-relief boxes, and the birds nesting nearby.

PHOTOS: Left Column: 1.View of The Orangerie, c. 1704. 2. View of the trees in Kensington Gardens. 3. A Coot in its box nest in the formal pond at Kensington Palace. 4. A small skiff alongside the pond in the gardens of Kensington Palace. 5. View of Kensington Palace from the gardens. 6. A plantation of flowers in the formal gardens of Kensington Palace. Center, Top: The Orangerie with its allée of shrubbery, some of them enormous plants of holly, reminded me of a scene from Alice in Wonderland. Center, Middle: View of the garden that stands before Kensington Palace.  Center, Bottom: Entrance to an arbor and gardens at Kensington Palace. Right Column: 1. The red brick façade and summer terrace of The Orangerie at Kensington Palace. The little barefoot girl has just appeared outdoors, having left her parents’ table indoors. Watch what happens! 2. A decorative urn, one of a pair that decorate the entrance to The Orangerie. 3. A very British child. The barefoot girl decided to make a little mischief by unhooking the velvet rope that segregates those awaiting a table. She was neither caught in the act, nor reprimanded, much to her pleasure.

JOURDAN ARPELLE-ZIEGLER                                        BACK TO MAP  PAGE