Very popular lunch time venue, we enjoyed the special Christmas carvery, but the veg Wellington was not great. I should have skipped that and just had Yorkshire pudding and all the great vegetables.
The food is very nice plus pudding, cakes. Drinks piping hot. Also with it being in a garden centre you have the best of both worlds, having some fun in the garden centre with Xmas around the corner plenty of Xmas things to look at
The quiche is excellent, and the coffee is nice too. I'm not sure what was going on with the cheesy chips, though. I'm guessing they'd poured melted cheese on top. However, there was a heart-stopping amount, and it hardly had any cheese flavour at all! I'd be the last to complain about too much cheese, usually, but this wasn't pleasant. Also, since we last visited, they've boarded off the hot counter, which is a real shame. It's good to see the food choices before ordering (like every other garden centre restaurant), it's a bit off-putting.
Excellent restaurant in Swarkestone Garden Centre. We would definitely come back here, prices are reasonable for the quality and service. Very good & big slice of cake, and good quality meals. We had the following, and would recommend; -Bacon & Stilton Panini -Hog Roast Sausage Roll, and Chips -Bacon & Stilton Quiche -Victoria Sponge -Sticky Toffee Muffin -Walnut Brownie (GF)
We went for afternoon tea as a January treat. Our waitress Trudy was lovely and very welcoming. Nothing was too much trouble. Tea was served on tiered stands. A good selection of sandwiches, small cakes and of course scones. All delicious.
I had been told the food was really nice. However, I had a quiche which was a bit sloppy, roast potatoes that were nearly cold and lettuce leaves plus two pieces of cucumber and two halves of a cherry tomato which was meant to be a salad! Christmas displays were lovely but food not up to standard for the price paid.
Big car park , although can be a bit of a walk from the fringes and gets full at peak times. Some big puddles on day we visited. Large, airy restaurant with outside area. Service was good but can be slow with some queing at peak times, but well worth the wait as a good selection of hot and cold meals, lite bites etc. Good selection of teas Reasonable pricing. Excellent giant scones.
A shortish car journey from Derby and surrounding areas. Ample car parking some hard standing some loose gravel. Excellent assortment of container plants and most things gardening. Excellent restaurant clean with a good range of snacks to full meals. A range of coffee and teas are available.
Visited on a Sunday morning (arrived at 10.30ish) at the start of October, whilst they were hosting a craft fair. Lots of staff out helping to arrange and sort parking, so very straightforward to get parked up even though they were already quite busy. Took a wander around the craft fair - lots of good quality stalls. Had a quick look around the Christmas decorations section, which always seems well organised (by colour/theme) and not too cramped or crowded. Then we headed to the garden restaurant for a cuppa and something sweet to eat. Lots to choose from, and the portion sizes on the sweet things was very generous (the fruit scones are enormous!) We ordered our cakes (caramel shortcake and a peanut butter stack - both of which were delicious) and then joined the queue for the drinks. There was a separate queue for anyone ordering hot breakfast food (which smelled amazing). The drink queue took a while to get through, simply because there were lots of customers. We ordered a tea and a large filter coffee, and they were served in takeaway cups (a policy to maintain efficiency when they have a craft fair on, as stated on a sign at the tills) We chose to sit outside as the weather was pleasantly warm - plenty of tables to choose from (lots of seating indoors too, but as they were busy it was quieter to sit outside) The outdoor seating area has been well-thought out, with a "home garden" feel to it - a lawn area and properly planted borders. There was a choice of tables and chairs, or very sturdy picnic benches to sit at. Looking forward to visiting again - we plan on trying the cooked breakfast next time!
The Garden Restaurant is located at Swarkestone Nursery, Lowes Ln, Swarkestone, Derby DE73 7GQ, UK
You can contact The Garden Restaurant at +44 1332 703122
You can find directions to The Garden Restaurant by following this map link