Babur restaurant teams up with Horniman Museum for garden-inspired anniversary menu

Babur, the Indian restaurant in Forest Hill, has launched a limited-edition menu created in collaboration with the nearby Horniman Museum and Gardens, marking a joint anniversary for the two South London institutions. The menu, titled Together in Bloom, is available from 17^th July until 20^th September and draws on the herbs, botanicals and planting found across the Horniman’s gardens.

The menu was developed by Babur’s executive chef Jiwan Lal and head mixologist Rupam Talukdar. It combines botanicals such as wild lavender, cat mint, thyme and rosemary with the restaurant’s spices, and is offered both as a tasting menu and à la carte. Cocktails accompanying the selection are inspired by the gardens, with a commemorative gift set of two bottled cocktails also available for £12.95 from Babur and the Horniman’s gift shop.

The Horniman Museum and Gardens opened in 1901 as a gift from tea trader and philanthropist Frederick John Horniman to the people of London. It holds a collection of around 350,000 objects, specimens and artefacts, and its 16-acre grounds include display gardens, a Butterfly House and an animal walk. Meanwhile Babur, established in 1985, is among London’s longer-running Indian restaurants. It was named Best Restaurant at the Mayor of Lewisham Business Awards 2025 and has been listed among the UK’s Top 100 Curry Restaurants for five consecutive years. The two AA Rosette-awarded restaurant holds ambitions of earning a Michelin star.

The collaboration is part of Babur’s wider programme of community partnerships that aim to invest in the local area. It coincides with the restaurant’s 41^st birthday and the museum’s 125^th, and grew out of a visit to the Horniman Gardens last year. Founder Emdad Rahman explained: 

“With every year Babur celebrates another milestone, we reflect on what it truly means to be part of this community. Forest Hill has given so much to us over the years, and our 41^st year is all about giving thanks.

Jiwan, Rupam and I toured the Horniman Gardens with Errol [Fernandes, the Horniman’s head of horticulture] last spring and that visit sparked the idea for this collaboration. What we’ve created is a menu inspired by what grows in our community. It’s a celebration of Babur, the Horniman and everything that makes South London such a remarkable place to call home.”

Food Desk

The Together In Bloom menu is available from 17^th July until 20^th September 2026 at Babur, 119 Brockley Rise, London SE23 1JP. For further information or to book a table, visit the restaurant’s website here.

For further information about the Horniman Museum and Gardens, visit the museum’s website here.