The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has topped a league table ranking children’s food and drink at the UK’s best visitor attractions. The Soil Association’s ‘Out to Lunch’ campaign named the Botanics as the number one caterer for children, praising its commitment to providing a fresh and healthy range for youngsters.

 The Edinburgh attraction includes two cafes and a restaurant operated by catering partner Sodexo Prestige Venues & Events, with each serving seasonal and organic produce grown in its own Market Garden. The project began in 2016, when Sodexo provided funding for a full-time gardener to work alongside its kitchen teams to deliver fresh, seasonal produce to visitors all year round.

The ‘Out to Lunch’ campaign sent secret diner parents to the UK’s most popular museums, art galleries, zoos, visitor centres and theme parks. The Botanics impressed with its variety of locally sourced, Scottish ingredients and its commitment to using farm assured meat and MSC certified fish. Parents also gave the attraction the thumbs up for freshly preparing all meals on site.

The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is the only Scottish visitor attraction to appear in the top five, and placed above London’s Science Museum, Chester Zoo and the Eden Project.

An interactive league table profiling each attraction can be viewed on the Soil Association website from 23rd October