The seed that started Roots + Seeds was five greenhouses in a field in the Cotswolds, serving up scenic suppers, during the pandemic in July 2020.
It proved such a success that once the concept grew into a thriving business model as The Scenic Supper, the duo behind it decided they needed a permanent base.
Toby Baggott and Sam Lawson-King opened Roots + Seeds Kitchen Garden at the Bathurst Estate in Cirencester in April 2023, which has gone from strength to strength.
So much so that it attracted the attention of the owners of independent foodie hot spot Gloucester Food Dock.
Fast forward to April 2025 and the doors to the new Gloucester Roots + Seeds cafe and kitchen officially open on Tuesday 8 April 2025.
Roots + Seeds brings a creative countryside inspired menu that includes superfood salads and seasonally inspired breakfast and lunchtime offerings.
There's granola with local lemon honey, spring compote and yoghurt for a lighter breakfast as well as classic bacon and sausage sarnies, a full English, breakfast burger, eggs Florentine and Benedict as well as a more unusual braised beef cheek served with homemade hash, tempura onion rings and poached egg.
The lunch menu features light bites including a soup of the day, hot smoked mackerel and garlic mushrooms on toast as well as a Kitchen Garden superfood salad alongside sandwiches and Double Gloucester croque monsieur.
More substantial seasonal dishes include braised lamb shoulder, salt baked carrot with leek terrine and vegetable broth, as well as wild garlic gnocchi with crumbled feta, Gloucester Brewery beer battered fish and chips and burgers with skin-on fries.
After getting a couple of months of trading under their belt, they will consider opening into the evening too.
The styling of the new opening is the epitome of Cotswolds chic with cream and blue parasols on the terrace, planters full of delicate pale yellow daffodils and fennel ferns, while inside, white tables are dotted with green vases and daffodil and white tulip stems.
With cream wood panelled walls, there's a light and airy feel to the space all the way back to the open kitchen tucked away in the former cellar. There's a countryside aesthetic with green and striped cushions and piles of books on a shelf with potted plants, making the space feel quite homely.
On the wall hangs two pieces of artwork that were first displayed in the greenhouses at the beginning of it all — bringing a sense of the past growing into the future.
If the venture goes well at Gloucester Food Dock, more Roots + Seeds kitchens and cafes could pop up across Gloucestershire, but for now, the goal is to make a success of this new opening.
Toby, who lives in the Cotswolds, said: 'Quality is very important to us, we need to maintain the standards we've established in Cirencester so customers know what to expect from us.
'With this new opening we very much feel like country mice coming to the city. When we opened our doors, before the official opening, people just walked right in. You don't really get that so much in the countryside — people have to know about you to visit.'
The menu at Gloucester Food Dock currently mirrors the Cirencester branch but will evolve as the team learns which items are foodie favourites and they build up some customer feedback to add in new dishes.
Doors to Roots + Seeds at Gloucester Food Dock open at 9am on Tuesday 8 April 2025.
