London, RichmondThe Retreat Kitchen - plant based food for the soul

By Karen Brown, Glowcation editor
16 January '18

TV? Tick. Retreat? Tick. Thailand? Tick. The story behind The Retreat Kitchen is an intriguing one.

Maggie and Claire met on a month’s televised retreat in Thailand. They were joined by presenter Nick Knowles and a BBC film crew. They all detoxed together ditching their stressful jobs for a strict vegan regime with strangers on Koh Phangan.

But that’s not all. Energised and inspired by their experience , they decided to bring the virtues of plant-based food home. Nick Knowles joined forces with them and The Retreat Kitchen was born bringing organic, plant based food to TW10.

The setting

The café is at the bottom of Richmond Hill. Two rustic tables outside allow you to people watch or you can choose the slick, relaxing interior. The walls are clad with calming green and patterned white panels and the dark wood furniture adds style and simplicity.

There are fresh flowers on the tables and a few plug sockets for laptop lovers. It’s handy for Richmond Park, the river and Richmond’s eclectic mix of shops.

The little things

We loved the vibe and the backstory. Maggie and Claire exude energy and are clearly passionate about healthy eating. Plus the environmental, and pretty, patterned paper straws got our vote.

The fresh juice test

The Retreat Kitchen sells the Raw Press range of juices and make seven smoothies fresh on site. We chose the Green Giant-a deliciously filling mix of spinach, kale, banana, mango, kiwi, apple juice, spirulina,chlorella, wheatgrass and barley grass.

What we ate

We visited at lunchtime and had the tart of the day – roasted peppers and pesto. And we had two salads- Morroccan spiced aubergine and chickpea plus kale, pomegranate, cauilflower and sweet potato.

All were exquisite with large portions. There’s a good choice of vegan cakes and the plum tart was amazing. We finished off with a turmeric latte and a homemade Lemon Bao Ball a yummy mix of cashews, baobab, coconut, dates and lemon.

The bill

Tart of the day and salad  £10.50
Green Giant Smoothie  £4.50
Turmeric Latte  £3.25
Lemon Bao ball  £3.00

What else?

The Retreat Kitchen is family and dog friendly. They are happy to pack take-aways too.

What made us glow?

Meeting the owners and atmosphere and ethos of the cafe.

The Retreat Kitchen

16 Hill Rise,
Richmond TW10 6UA

020 8127 0700
@theretreatkitchen
visit website
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