World’s largest treehouse restaurant relaunches

The world’s largest treehouse restaurant, on the grounds of the ancestral home of the Duke of Northumberland, will relaunch next spring with catering from Searcys.

The Treehouse restaurant at Alnwick Garden will relaunch next spring

In a happy twist of fate, in 1847, the Duke’s ancestor offered funds to John Searcy, his longtime pastry chef, for him to set up the UK’s first catering company, thus John Searcy and Sons was born.

Founded by the Duchess of Northumberland, Alnwick Garden was officially opened by the Prince of Wales in 2001 and attracts millions of visitors each year.

Its iconic Treehouse is one of the largest wooden structures in the world, and boasts a café and restaurant with seating for up to 120 diners.

Next spring Searcys will launch a coffee shop, a revamped Treehouse and new café menus celebrating the best of British produce and locally sourced ingredients at Alnwick Garden.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Searcys. With a world-renowned reputation for quality, sustainability and innovation, the long-term partnership is a perfect fit for our vision of the Treehouse,” said the Duchess of Northumberland.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to make a positive contribution to the local community while sharing our commitment to provenance and sustainability.

“Together, we are committed to sourcing sustainable ingredients and working with British farmers to ensure that up to 90% of all seasonal fruit and vegetables we use are grown in the UK,” added Matt Thomas, managing director of Searcys.

Alnwick Garden is home to the largest Tai Haku cherry orchard in the world, a bamboo maze and the largest treehouse restaurant in the world.