Searcys steps into Prescott & Conran's shoes at the Design Museum

Searcys has been appointed as the official caterer at the Design Museum in London's Kensington, two months after the previous caterer, Prescott & Conran, went into administration.

Prescott & Conran had operated the Parabola restaurant since the opening of the museum within the repurposed former Commonwealth Institute building in 2016. The restaurant, which at one time was run by chef Rowley Leigh, closed in June.

Sercys has launched a coffee bar on the ground floor and a casual dining café on the top floor.

The coffee bar will serve hot drinks, smoothies, cakes and bakes, while the café will feature a menu offering the likes of Colston Bassett Stilton and broccoli tart, or Loch Duart salmon fillet, crushed Jersey Royals, tenderstem broccoli and dill mayonnaise. A weekend brunch menu will be added shortly.

Searcys' commitment to sustainability will be highlighted in its pledge to ensure up to 90% of all seasonal fruit and vegetables are grown in the UK, alongside British meat and flour milled in England.

Searcys will also cater for events within six spaces throughout the Grade II-listed modernist museum, including the triple-height atrium and the 202-seat, theatre-style Bakala auditorium.

Matt Thomas, managing director of Searcys, said: "Our dialogue with the Design Museum over the past several months has been incredibly exciting. We are now keen to help bring the museum's vision to life through its retail and event spaces. We feel that our brands are perfectly aligned."

Alice Black, co-director of the Design Museum, added: "With a coffee bar on the ground floor, and a relaxed café on the top floor, Searcys will serve an exciting selection of sustainably sourced foods, allowing visitors to complement their visit and enjoy the spectacular surroundings of the museum."

Searcys was founded in 1847 and its portfolio of bars, restaurants and venues include St Pancras Brasserie and Champagne Bar, King's Cross, London; Helix restaurant and Iris bar at the Gherkin, City of London; the Roman Baths Kitchen and the Pump Room, Bath; and the Orangery at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire.

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