A Leisurely Garden Lunch at Pickity Place in Mason

A bowl of soup, warm house-made bread, a glass of blueberry lemonade, and a stroll past flowering herbs can all fit into the same afternoon at Pickity Place in Mason, New Hampshire. Reached by a scenic rural drive, this compact destination turns lunch into a pleasantly unhurried outing.

The setting is a small cottage- or schoolhouse-style building rather than a large restaurant dining room. Scheduled seatings give the meal a shared rhythm, and the day tends to unfold at a slower pace: settle in for lunch, wander the grounds, then spend a little time among the plants and shelves of the property’s shops.

It suits the occasions that deserve more than grabbing a sandwich on the way somewhere else. Couples, friends, families and mother-daughter duos can make a full afternoon of it without needing much of an agenda beyond eating well and taking their time.

Pickity Place serves a changing five-course lunch centered on seasonal ingredients. The format commonly begins with a vegetable spread and crackers, then moves through soup, house-made bread with herbed butter, seasonal greens, a main course and dessert.

The cooking has a strong vegetable and herb presence, with vegetarian choices on the menu and seasonal greens sometimes finished with edible flowers. It is a garden-minded meal without the need to label every plate the same way; menus can vary, and some have included chicken alongside garden-vegetable-centered dishes.

Past lunches have brought out smoked tomato soup, gazpacho, chicken francaise, vegetable entrées and chocolate-strawberry cheesecake. Those are snapshots rather than standing promises, which is a useful reason to look over the current month’s menu before reserving.

Beverages are included with the meal, a small detail that makes the multi-course format feel especially relaxed. Lemonades rotate with the seasons, with Maine blueberry, strawberry-basil and lavender among the varieties that have appeared.

Tea and coffee are also available, and spiced hot tea has accompanied dessert. The restaurant does not serve alcohol, so the drink list stays focused on nonalcoholic choices that fit the daytime, garden-table mood.

This is not a place where the courses arrive all at once and the table is turned over in a hurry. The meal is served in sequence, allowing time for a bowl of soup to be a proper course and for dessert to arrive as a final pause rather than an afterthought.

Scheduled groups generally arrive and dine on the same timetable, which gives the room a gentle sense of occasion. A schoolhouse-style entrance has even included the ringing of a bell to signal that it is time to go inside.

The cozy scale works in its favor. Instead of a sprawling formal room, Pickity Place offers a warm, close-in cottage atmosphere where a five-course lunch can still feel casual enough for a weekday treat.

The grounds give the visit a second chapter. Landscaped garden paths can be explored before or after lunch, with seasonal flowers, herbs and the changing fragrance of plants in bloom or drying nearby.

The gardens are also reason enough to stop even without a meal on the calendar. A walk through the plantings, followed by time in the shops, makes a satisfying smaller outing for travelers passing through this corner of southern New Hampshire.

Look for the little cottage known as Grandma’s house in the garden. It adds a storybook note to the grounds without turning the place into a staged attraction; it is simply one more detail to come upon while walking around.

Pickity Place sells herbs grown in its own gardens, which makes a natural bridge between the lunch plates and the outdoor beds. After tasting herbed butter or a vegetable-forward course, it is easy to leave thinking about what might work in a windowsill pot or backyard patch.

There is also a gift shop and a separate garden center, giving browsers a few more places to linger. The browsing is not an afterthought tacked onto the restaurant; it is one of the reasons the property works so well as an afternoon destination.

A resident cat named Poppy has also been known to make an impression around the property. Consider that a possible bonus, not a scheduled appearance.

Mason’s rural approach helps set the tone before lunch begins. The route includes country and, in places, unpaved road sections, while the property itself has free on-site parking in a compact lot.

GPS has been useful on the remote-feeling drive, and limited cell reception can make the arrival feel pleasantly removed from the usual stream of messages and errands. Once there, the gardens and small buildings provide plenty to occupy an afternoon without much need to look at a screen.

Some of the garden and entry or waiting areas are exposed to outdoor temperatures seasonally. That is worth keeping in mind on especially warm, cool or rainy days, particularly if you plan to spend time outside after the meal.

Reservations are important, especially for weekends and popular seasonal menus. Openings can vary, but planning ahead is sensible; some dining dates are booked several weeks in advance, while cancellations can occasionally create shorter-notice opportunities.

The reservation process may include selecting the meal in advance, so checking the current menu and booking details before calling or reserving online can make the day go more smoothly. Since the menu changes monthly, that preview is also a nice way to decide which season sounds most tempting.

Vegetarian choices are a regular feature of the lunch. Dietary accommodations may be possible in some cases, including gluten intolerance, but specific needs are best discussed directly during the reservation process.