Food: Sneak preview of The Botanist West Bridgford Nottingham

I was excited to be invited to a sneak preview of hotly anticipated new venue The Botanist in West Bridgford on Tuesday evening, ahead of the official opening on Monday, 9 October.

Multi award-winning pub operator The New World Trading Company (NWTC) has transformed the old Fire and Ice building on Bridgford Road.

The stunning concept conjures up all sorts of memories for me, it’s like a cross between my Dad’s old greenhouse, the camellia house at Wollaton Hall and those proper old garden centres you used to go to as a kid, in wooden huts. There’s plenty of greenery, wood and bare walls. The only thing missing is a constantly flowing hosepipe, the smell of tomatoes and my Dad hiding from my Mum.

I had to be over at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham to cover a review at 7.30, so it was a fleeting visit and all too short, a real shame, not only because they were offering us anything from the menu and cocktails, but also because there was so much I wanted to try. When I say us, I mean the invited guests, which seemed to consist of local press and bloggers. When I say cocktails, I mean mocktails, for me anyway, because I was driving.

So, instead of the usual hoping a restaurant doesn’t just reheat a dish, I actually only had time for something quick. Gutted because the menu looks amazing, and there were so many things I wanted to try. In the end, due to time, I opted for salt & vinegar onion petals from the nibbles section and a prosciutto, watermelon and feta salad.

I’d gone alone, so had been seated with a couple of bloggers who planned to hit the menu hard, and were just on their starters when I left. It’s actually an insta dream with cocktails being poured from cute little teapots and food served on trowels.

I think the venue is going to appeal to customers wanting an evening meal from the carefully crafted menu, with home comforts such as Prawn and Chicken Gumbo sitting alongside delicious deli boards and The Botanist’s famous hanging kebabs, as well as those nipping in for a daytime coffee and snack and the after-work cocktail drinkers. The atmospheric surroundings will be brought to life with regular live music, with the cosy, homely venue playing host to high energy evening gigs, as well as chilled out Sunday afternoon sessions.

The innovative pub brand draws inspiration from all things botanical, with a cocktail menu boasting over 45 creations, many with a plant-based twist. Sitting alongside its impressive offer of world famous beers and ales, the extensive cocktail offer sees fresh fruit, herbs and spirits expertly mixed and muddled to deliver an array of unique infusions.