Press Release

Christmas gifts exclusively available in the new-look Kew Gardens Shop

Whilst you are visiting the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew this autumn/winter, take a look at our bigger and better gift and coffee shops in the Victoria Plaza. The new retail facilities will create the perfect atmosphere to browse for a memento of your visit or a unique gift for a loved one.

At Victoria Plaza, the shop will be expanded and reorganised into sections to provide something for everyone. The newly opened outdoor Garden Shop offers a collection of beautiful plants and unique objects for the garden, the Cook Shop will stock a range of recently launched delicious food products, the extended Book Shop will stock a comprehensive range of botanical and garden related books, and at White Peaks, the expanded Children's Shop provides great inspiration for stocking fillers and pocket money toys. Alongside these themed areas, the Kew Gardens gift shop will stock a wide range of unique products selected especially to be the perfect gift this Christmas, including 2007 diaries and calendars, tea towels, trays and notepaper all printed with striking botanical designs, and a range of Kew Gardens toiletries.

Culinary treats to tantalise your taste-buds

Christmas is a time of indulgence, when you can treat yourself and your loved ones to something a bit special and the new range of exclusive sweets, teas, coffees and condiments available in the Kew Gardens Cook Shop will add a special touch to your festive feast.

The new range includes a selection of oils, dressings, herb jellies and vinegars that will complement your Christmas dinner or spice up the left-overs on Boxing Day! Geranium and Lavender jellies are a perfect accompaniment to roasts, cold or smoked meats, game, poultry, pate or terrine. They can also be used reduced in sauces, pates, salads, soups, sweets, puddings, and cakes or as a glaze for roasts. Another versatile condiment available at the Kew Gardens Cook Shop is Cherry oil, which can be used in salads or in sauces with Parma or Serrano hams, bacon, game, or poultry and is particularly good with duck or turkey. Alternatively, it may also accompany ice cream, mousse or pancakes.

For a decadent breakfast, you could try one of Kew 's preserves such as Bucks Fizz Marmalade, a traditional marmalade made with a hint of champagne, or Amaretto Jam, where the addition of amaretto liqueur to apricot jam gives a wonderful almond flavour. Either would be wonderful together with a cup of Kew 's Breakfast Blend cafetiere ground coffee – a full flavoured and smooth dark roast.

After over-indulging why not try some of Kew's Green Jasmine Tea? A base of green leaves from the Anhui Province is mixed with real jasmine blossom to give this tea a fine delicate flavour. With its low caffeine and healthy tannins this is a superb tea to aid after dinner digestion. At bedtime, Kew 's luxurious drinking chocolate, sold in a beautiful refillable green glass storage jar, will help you drift off into a peaceful sleep.

Sweet treats are laced with festive spices including organic ginger or chocolate orange fudge, or cinnamon and nutmeg flavoured chocolates.

Notes to Editors:

View images of Kew's retail products at http://www.kew.org/press/images/retail.html and of the Garden Shop at http://www.kew.org/press/images/garden_shop.html . Contact the press office to obtain a username and password to download high resolution images.

The Victoria Gate gift shop is open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am until half an hour before the Gardens close. The White Peaks gift shop is open Monday to Saturday at 10am until an hour before the Gardens close. On Sundays, both shops are open from 12noon until 6pm .

All proceeds from the Kew Garden shop go towards funding RBG Kew's vital research and conservation work around the world.

Kew Gardens opens daily at 9.30am and currently closes at 6.30pm on weekdays and 7.30pm at weekends. Admission to the Gardens is £11.75 for adults, 8.75 for concessions, and FREE to children under 17 years of age. Admission prices and closing times vary seasonally – please check www.kew.org. For visitor information please call 020 8332 5655 or visit www.kew.org.

For further information please contact Lauren Bird, Oliver Basciano or Anna Quenby in the Kew Gardens Press Office on 020 8332 5607 or email pr@kew.org.

Full product list:

Spicy Chocolate Bars
Dark Chocolate with Chilli £2.75
Dark Chocolate with Nutmeg £2.75
Milk Chocolate with Cardamon £2.75
White Chocolate with Cinnamon £2.75

Plain Chocolate Bars
Dark £1.99
Milk £1.99
White £1.99

Bottled Drinking Chocolate
Dark Drinking Chocolate £14.95
White Drinking Chocolate £14.95
Dark Drinking Chocolate with Chilli £14.95

Drinking Chocolate Refill Bags
Dark Drinking Chocolate £9.95
White Drinking Chocolate £9.95
Dark Drinking Chocolate with Chilli £9.95

Bottled Chocolate Buttons
Mixed £16.95
Milk £16.95
White £16.95

Chocolate Button Refill Bags
Mixed £9.95
Milk £9.95
White £9.95

Chocolate – Dipped Organic Dried Fruit

Mango £6.95
Pineapple £6.95
Apple £6.95

Tinned Teas
Breakfast Blend £3.95
Earl Grey Leaf £3.95
China Green Jasmine £3.95
China Keemun Orchid £3.95

Tinned Fruit Infusions
Apple and Lemon £3.95
Strawberry and Kiwi £3.95
Mixed Red Berry £4.95

Cafetiere Ground Coffee
Breakfast Blend £4.95
After Dinner Blend £4.95
Moka D'Or Blend £5.95

Oils
Basil £3.50
Chilli £3.50
Lime Leaves £4.50
Porcini £4.50

Blended Dressings
Golden Raspberry and Geranium £4.75
Raspberry and Lavender £3.50
Lime Black Pepper and Lavender £3.50

Herb Jellies
Lavender £4.25
Geranium £4.25
Apache Chilli £4.25

Vinegars
Golden Raspberry £2.95
Spice Basil £4.95
Cherry £2.95

Preserves

Bucks Fizz Marmalade £3.50
Three Fruit Marmalade £2.95
Country House Marmalade £2.95
English Breakfast Marmalade £2.95
Old Wives Jam (Rhubarb & Ginger) £3.25
Brook Damson Jam £3.25
Wye Strawberry Jam £3.25
Wealdon Tayberry Jam £3.25
High Dumpsie Dearie Jam £3.25
Rum Gumbo Jam £3.50
Amaretto Jam £3.50
Careless £3.95
Pilgrims' Raspberry £3.95
Morello Cherry Extra Jam £3.95
Canterbury £3.95
Champers £3.95
Cheeky Chilli Jam £3.95
Wildflower Honey £6.95

Fudge
Clotted Cream Vanilla £4.99
Stem Ginger £4.99
Chocolate Orange £4.99

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace. RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. www.kew.org.

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