WAS it Sunday lunch or a hint of spring that brought so many people to this venue? As far as we were concerned it was a working lunch!

This is a self-service venue within the covered area of the garden centre. Wheelchair access is easy and there are plenty of tables where extra space is available.

We consulted the daily specials board. Carrot and coriander soup (£2.25), roast beef or steak and kidney pie with new potatoes and vegetables (£5.35) and cheese/onion quiche with chips and salad (£3.55) were the fare of the day.

The servery displayed sandwiches, cakes and tray bakes. Was this all?

The customer next to me had a printed menu in his hand. Apparently we should have chosen a table, looked at the menu then queued to order.

Ann spotted a turkey and cranberry sandwich (£2.35) which she described as very good especially as most of the crusts had been removed. Some of the mustard and cress garnish still had roots and growing medium. Very fresh!

She followed this with banoffee pie (£2.15) which almost beat her. It was rich and the portion generous.

Having sneaked a look at my neighbour's menu when we were in the queue I selected a jacket potato with mushrooms and bacon (£3.45). There was a warning at the servery that there would be a delay because all orders were freshly prepared. In my case this proved to be more than 15 minutes. In fact Ann had finished her snack before I started mine.

The delay gave me the opportunity to see what else was on the regular menu. The combo of soup and a sandwich (£3.55) looked good value and the ciapini melts appetising.

A large potato appeared with a decent rasher of lean bacon and at least a dozen close capped mushrooms. I can only describe it as delicious and very filling.

To satisfy my sweet tooth, the cherry and coconut slice (99p) was just right.

The tables were cleared promptly but we did not see any being wiped.

However there was a shortage of cutlery and customers were repeatedly asking for supplies.

Our snack should have come to £8.94 but the assistant who took our money requested a lesser sum. Who were we to argue?

Updated: 09:04 Saturday, February 12, 2005