BURNBY Hall Gardens is home to the largest collection of water lilies in Europe. In addition to the lake, where the fish are plentiful and always on the lookout for food, there are also colourful and well-maintained gardens.

After a couple of hours strolling in gorgeous sunshine or just sitting amid flower beds gazing at the lake, it was time for refreshment.

The tearooms overlook the lake with the option of sitting inside or on a terrace. We chose to be outside.

This is a self-service venue. Food is either selected from the display cabinets or ordered to be freshly made. Being a party of three, our choices came from both categories.

There was nothing unusual about the food. I took a pre-packed salad sandwich (£1.60) and cold drinks (75p each) from the cabinet.

Despite the warm weather, I asked for the beef and vegetable soup (£1.90) to test a range of menu items. This was very tasty and full of vegetables. My sandwich was fresh and extremely well-filled.

Our remaining requirements were ordered for delivery to the table. Ann had a jacket potato with tuna (£2.80). This was amply filled and more than satisfied her appetite.

Our young guest had a tuna sandwich (£1.70) which she said was very good but thought it would have been helpful if some cutlery had been brought along with it. She went to find a knife and fork, not realising that the latter was so bent it made eating with it a real challenge.

It was good to see that used crockery was quickly removed and tables wiped immediately they were vacated.

Our bill came to £10.25 which with a £2 entry charge to the gardens made for a delightful way to enjoy both weather and surroundings for a reasonable price.