Gardeners Retreat

Good old fashioned food. Often busy; not the cheapest

This is an above-average cafe attached to a garden centre, located on the main road from Bude heading towards Red Post / Holsworthy. It's open seven days a week including Bank Hols (closed for Christmas), and can get very busy at weekends and at holidays. It's just down the road from a residential old folks home, and often attracts visiting families who've come to see parents and grandparents. The menu is mainstream traditional British; steak and kidney pie, jacket potatos, lasagne, macaroni cheese, soup of the day, shepherd's pie, etc, and usually a Special of the Day which will be some kind of roast meal with two veg. Portions are generous and the food is very tasty. For summer, they do a range of salads, pasties and quiches but don't expect to find adventurous or unusual ingredients! The menu harks back to the 1950s in many ways but the quality is better than you'd expect. It's all cooked on the premises. You order at the counter (only one member of staff takes orders so there can be a big queue) and meals are then delivered to your table. They have a licence so you can order a glass of wine but the range is limited. The range of cakes, on the other hand, is superb. Many are baked in their own kitchen and are delicious; the treacle tart and chocolate tiffin are among the best I've had served anywhere. The staff are very friendly and helpful, too. Lunch for two can cost over £20, so this isn't a bargain, but the food is very dependable and hearty, and we eat here fairly regularly as a result... 7/10

By Hooligween at 09:46 on 21/01/11