Cafe Birch in Surrey Heath

Thank you so much for putting on an excellent cream tea for the Parkinson's Bracknell Group on Saturday 16th November. You made us feel so welcome. And the Christmas themed table looked beautiful. Andrea and the staffs went the extra miles for us. Big thank you from the carers Parkinson's Bracknell Group

Lovely garden centre,very well supplied of plants and pots. Large choice of gardening tools and anything related to the garden.

This is a really nice place. There is plenty of stock of plants, all well looked after. Outside covers a big area, so there lots to choose. The price is a little on the high side, but you are paying for what you get. The cafe is very good. Sunday roast looking taste and smells nice

Plants are of good quality but more expensive than other garden centres. The cafe used to be decent but I was very disappointed with the offering of Welsh rarebit today. One slice of cheese on toast for £8.00 is a bit steep. No salad just a piece of parsley and a bit of tomato to add colour. Won't be going back.

Great place and nearby for a quick visit

Unfortunately yet another visit today (Saturday 24th August) to the cafe and only sandwiches on offer as a meal. That’s 3 out of 4 of the last visits where this has been the case. We were lucky and got the choice of sandwiches or jacket potatoes last week! You are loosing your regular customers. But at least we went elsewhere and found a complete menu of food (and considerably cheaper). It can’t be too difficult to get a couple of cooks in to cover holidays if you plan in advance!

Such a disappointment today. 4 of us met for long overdue catch up in the lovely garden for lunch. One of us wanted Pie of the day, not available, another wanted Risotto, not available. We were then told by the staff member that the “pie man had not arrived and they weren’t doing the menu today”! So we all settled for jacket potatoes. Our friends orders arrived. One Coronation chicken with hardly any chicken, one tuna mayo came with a small amount of very unappetising and dry tuna. My prawn mayo was ok but the presentation left a lot to be desired. No Love in preparation, just a pile of prawns an and a blob of unappetising mayo on the end. Our final dish faired ok. A good portion of coronation chicken on the jacket. I appreciate this is not a fine dining restaurant but still far below our past experiences here. We advised the young lady who bought our food that we weren’t happy. She said she would tell the manager. A very nice team member then came and listened to and agreed with our concerns. We were then met with a very officious, unpleasant and rude staff member. She advised us the potato sizes vary greatly and the portion sizes were strictly weighed and therefore the filling could look different on each potato. This was definitely not the case as the portion sizes did differ incredibly. I mentioned about the way the prawn one came. She replied ”yes that’s right, that’s the way we serve it”. By now our friends small portions were cold and unappetising but she was not prepared to change them or bring more filling, said she could offer us a free drink but nothing else and then walked off. Very, very poor customer service and food (on reading the reviews we are not alone in our opinions!) in a lovely setting. So very sad that we had to write this review. Come on Hillier, for such a long established family concern, we would expect a lot better. The manager did not make an appearance at all. We were told she was cooking! We will sadly consider one of the many other local options in future. As I said such a great shame as I really hate writing poor reviews. The 1 star is for the restaurant only and should not reflect on the Garden Centre itself.

Had a plowmans lunch, as recommended by friends £14.00 what a rip Off , soft bread, no eggs, apple going brown , 2 tiny slices of ham, one pickle and a mediocre piece of cheese . Too busy as lots of old ladies cashing in last day coupons, they were not prepared No knives available, cook was washing up and collecting dishes. Will NOT return

My first visit here. It is a very nice garden place. We had a cream tea in the restaurant and the fruit scones were home made and quite delicious.

My friend and I have just had the most delicious cheese scones here. They were just out of the oven, made on site not just heated from frozen and boy were they good!! Buttered and washed down with a lovely pot of tea. We eat at a fair few eateries and I can honestly say they were the best I've had for a very long while. Staff were super friendly too. We will be back.

Just had the best cheese scones ever! Arrived at 9 and they were still warm, just perfect with the butter that melted on them. Will deffo be back. 😊

The good things about this garden centre is they accept dogs. The garden centre it's self is a good size with a mix of plants. The staff were friendly. The reason I'm giving it 2 star is the price for a toastie at £8.99, for a ham and cheese toastie. £9 basically for a slice of ham and cheese

Good friendly service. Excellent cafe. Staff in garden centre really helpful. Probably the best garden centre in Berkshire

Had prawn sandwich, very few prawns. Very little sauce, no lettuce. After Many years a big disappointment

Beautiful day, the staff seemed totally overwhelmed by the presence of customers. Waited 35minutes for a toasted sandwich which was tasteless and dripping with grease, accompanied by a meagre spoon coleslaw. This was at 1 pm, and they had already run out of baked potatoes. Needs an overhaul in the way they process the food orders as I was only one of many complaining about the long , long wait for their lunch. Never again !!

Cafe: pleasant environment; excellent food; reasonable cost. Customer-oriented staff except for the lady in black with specs on the check-out till who might benefit from developing her inter-personal skills: her automotive and rigid stance slows the paying process down, causing a queue at times.

An exceptional spot offering everything you need for your garden, including plenty of outdoor space displaying posts, plants, and various outdoor items. Don't miss the opportunity to browse through the wonderful range of garden buildings and sheds while dining at the superb onsite restaurant.

Can't really comment on the garden centre. It is quite small which may suit what you are looking for compared to some of the mega sized stores in the area, particularly Longacres, a short drive down the road. We came for a late breakfast early lunch. There was a small queue, and after speaking to the lady seating people who was very polite, seemed they were struggling due to the end of a half price breakfast offer. I was asked if we were there for breakfast and I said no, thinking it was just reference to them transitioning to lunch menu which didn't bother me. However I then found they were not serving food hot food at all when at the till and was a bit rudely spoken to by a lady when I picked up a utensil to get a piece of cake, asking had I not read the small sign which I had moved past saying they served the cake themselves as she took the utensil from my hand, a bit ridiculous if you ask me, the lady behind me in the queue also shared a glance and eye roll with me over the matter😂 I then ordered a Latte and was told the machine was broken, so all in all was a pretty pointless affair at that point. We left and had some nice food at M&S cafe instead!

Had an amazing breakfast this morning and bought a few bits on the way out . The staff were working hard and we're pleasant both in the restaurant and the sales area Definitely worth travelling that little bit further

Visited and purchased paving from the Westminster Stone/paving centre at the back of the garden centre. Absolutely delighted, some breakages but all replaced by Bob who was helpful with our choice and great with the odd problem 10/10!!!

Extremely helpful staff. Thank you.

Staff extremely friendly and helpful. Had something to eat and found it very comfortable. Plenty of room, nice and quiet, extremely relaxing.

Staff always friendly and helpful including coffee shop.

They have good eating place very bissy good food worth a go

Lovely garden centre with cafe. They have decorated it nicely for Christmas

Great food but oh my word it is slow in the cafe. A very inefficient team and way of working. Very quiet when we were there but I have still stood here after paying waiting 18 minutes for a cup of tea and piece of cake.

Today we had much better scones than previous visits. They were really cooked well, before were pale and undercooked. Maybe due to the new chef ? This Cafe has been a really comfortable place to go, sitting outside in the sunshine is a true bonus. The lunch menu is not as it used to be previously, but lack of staff may have been the reason why. Let’s hope it will return again. Coffee is always good, I personally wish they had more Danish pastries , croissant, pain au raisin, apricot Danish would be great. There are very grand gateaux available but for afternoons not breakfast time. Fully recommend a visit to this attractive venue.

Excellent place for getting plants and garden furniture

Garden center is lovely with friendly and helpful staff. Dont go to the restaurant if you have dietry needs, they are not adaptable or helpful which is a shame.

Clean tidy friendly helpful staff , healthy plants , special offers, plenty parking space, joined their garden club seems good deal.

Disappointing visit in cafeteria breakfast nothing special - rude manager won't be coming back .

I've been shopping here for years (mostly to eat in the cafe as the plants are expensive!) However the plant quality is excellent and the choice of plants very good. The cafe: not cheap but good quality, lovely atmosphere and above all the cafe staff are lovely, friendly and obliging. (So pleased that the full and small breakfasts are back on offer, not just baps!) I would like to have more merchandise in the shop (to compete with Longacres) but understand that space is limited. Overall this is a lovely garden centre to browse, shop and eat.

Plenty off parking single story garden centre with a cafe and shop besides the usual plants and shrubs to many more to list and a great car wash done by hand

A sweet little garden centre, and the cafe is always popular. The only thing is they always seem to sell the same food, and never really do anything chocolate. Please can we have more varied cakes etc.

very dissapointed in food. 1st time was soup and was so bland had to keep adding salt for some tast. second was ploughmans. 1 tomato cut in 4 with blunt knife and not fully through. 3 full radishes, 2 limp celery sticks 2 limp full spring onions. block of chedder and thin slice of brie. looked like it was prepared for a neandathal, no finese no passion for food prep. bread was ok and so was coleslaw apart from that 14 quid absolutely never again. atrocious.

Good cafe, good sale and products, easy parking

Cafe was really nice, fantastic quality on the sandwiches.

Met a friend for breakfast....only to be 'overcharged'! Said 'add orange' for just £1, charged us £3.79 , said unlimited. tea or coffee, when asked for more, they begrudgingly added more hot water to teapot and original teabags! No thanks! Better places to go! Such a shame, as great location for 'meet ups'!

Wish I didn't have to travel so far to visit

Fantastic breakfast in the restaurant today

Disappointed in their new menu Won’t be back for a while

A really good garden centre, a great selection of plants and everything to do with a garden centre. Plus a great restaurant with again a good selection.

Very helpful staff and a good selection of plants all round a good experience

If they put there price down in the first place there can sell more

[July 22] Plant prices are acceptable, but definitely paying Sunningdale/Virginia Waters tax on tea/coffee/food. Also, the wasps! Please buy a couple of wasp traps for just outside the restaurant doors.

Lovely garden centre but not the cheapest. We were given a voucher for a cream tea and I have to say it was the best cream teas I have had. The scones were amazing !

Popped in for morning drinks hot chocolate great 👍 👌

Great shopping experience, had been driving past here for years, i have veen an idiot. What have i been missing.

I used to go to Longacres, but it's got so busy there that the shopping experience there has really gone downhill. So relaxing and pleasant to go to Hillier's! As to be expected a lovely selection of plants, small horticultural tools and excellent repair facilities for mowers etc. (separate building). The fact that Hillier's still concentrates on being primarily a garden centre and not also a supermarket, clothes emporium, home furnishings centre etc. is all to the better. I'm not even sure that the prices are higher than Longacres, but even if they are I would still prefer Hillier's simply because it's more fun shopping there!

I have been buying shrubs and plants from Hillier recently, absolutely amazing, all growing well in a couple of weeks. I will definitely go again there. They have been recommended by a friend and I am so glad I did listen to her.

Nice plants and loads of variety but a bit pricey. Join their Hilliers garden club and receive extra discount on certain lines. There are 19 centres to choose from. Also serves teas and coffees, cakes and snacks too.

Very busy, good selection of plants, pots znd other garden stuff. Prices appear to me to get z little high. Quite a queue to pay and leave on a Saturday

The variety of plants available here is mind blowing.... They also have a wonderful cafe ... Would love to visit again soon.

Went here on a Saturday morning. The Cafe was heaving as they had an offer on for Full English Breakfast £4.99. Clearly they could not cope with the volume of customers that had taken up this offer. On the board on the wall it said Toast (2 slices of Sourdough Bread and Butter) This was what we were served with 😡 At £1.50 a slice (Jam & Marmalade extra) this under cooked toast was pretty appalling.

Very helpful. Breakfast brilliant

I wish I had read the recent reviews and would not have bothered. Firstly the server was friendly. The food was fresh, I had the festive sandwich which was very tasty. The main problem was menu choice. Very poor, sandwich, panini , soup or scones. I have been to the tills in the garden centre and the service there was non existent, I walked out having been ignored.

We went for brunch I can recommend the breakfast very nice indeed the restaurant is th besting the area good food quick service and friendly staff- lists of nice plants as well!!

Recently visited your sunningdale centre for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised, it was so well stocked with a lovely selection of outdoor plants. Although I made no purchase I will definitely be back. I am in the process of re-doing my garden and one of your outdoor members of staff (Debra) was so helpful, and knowledgeable, such a lovely lady ! She has helped me decide which plants would be good for my garden and I will return to your centre for my purchases.

This is a lovely place and it is well-maintained. The displays are absolutely beautiful. There is also an impressive variety of different plants. It was a pleasure to walk around and see how well the members of staff have taken care of the plants. The restaurant was alright. There was plenty of spaces to sit and a good distance between the tables.

Have been a fan for many years but sadly greed has taken over now. Become expensive for quality of food and service on offer. Coleslaw and crisps were included in the cost of a sandwich. Now at nearly £8.00 for a baguette no crisps or slaw and minimum salad totally ridiculous. Menu has shrunk and cake choice very limited. Gentleman serving on the til has the charm of a traffic warden….after a long association we shall not return. .

A good range of plants and very professional staff. The plant area was very well laid out with plenty of choice and healthy plants. There is a large carpark which is free and has plenty of space to access.

Very pleasant. I was surprised it was so large well laid out. Very clean. Displays all clean and dust free. A gentleman named Chris was most helpful he even found some cardboard for the boot of my car as I purchased 6 lawn turves. He loaded them and was a genuine helpful kind respectful young gentleman. Cafeteria very pleasant. Clean tidy good food and polite attentive service.

Nice place for coffee and brunch. Garden seats are the best. Wasps are a pain but not much to be done about that

Garden centre very good but restaurant plagued by wasps !had to eat quickly and leave. Please sort out the wasp problem.

The selection not great and the food at the restaurant not great.

Caught them on a bad day, service was nonexistent so we left. Tables not cleared and wasps on cakes.

Small garden centre with a great selection.

Food was great and impressed with variety of plants and gifts.

Wide range of plants , equipment and other goods. Cafe is a nice place to refresh yourself before looking at more things. Staff were particularly helpful. Thank you.

Easy to shop and browse and able to socially distance at all times, good quality products but at a premium price

I spent lot of money in this garden centre. Last visit when I went the manageress was talking to a female customer explaining about a plant very patiently. After few minutes when I saw the manageress I thought I will also ask about a plant which I wasn’t sure how to care for, so I approached her and asked the question, she didn’t even look at me just answered my question while she was walking away. For this behaviour only reason I can think of is my skin colour. I felt like someone slapped me. Now I try not to go there.

Lots of plants and ornaments, pleasant staff. Well controlled with amount of people inside.

The best range of plants of any garden centre in the region

One of the best garden centres in this area. Concentrates on plants rather than gifts...

First time at this garden centre. Very deceptive looking from the road, but once inside a very good selection of plant varieties and garden tools. Will definitely visit again.

Nice place. Good selection. Friendly service.

Shame about the queues but excellent variety

Expensive garden centre but not up to high standards. Visited last weekend, a lot of plants were very dry & not kept very well. I got a clematis & when planting it some bark fell off the top & uncovered lots of weeds. So it must have just been put over the top to cover them ! Also noticed tonight when repotting our bell pepper plant we got that there are green aphids all over it. Which I also noticed on the jalapeno plants when choosing one to buy. Awful. A lot of the veg plants were dry & had yellow leaves . Won't be visiting again. Two stars as a very good seed selection.

Nice selection, reasonable prices

This really is a Real Garden Centre - Largely focusing on Plants, Shrubs etc. Great selection, Sensible pricing, Healthy plants, Knowledgeable staff. It has everything you would want from a Garden Centre.

Prices are a bit higher then normal but staff is 10/10

Wow this place is huge, lots to see and buy. Very well run place

Quality plants - great variety for a summer pot bonanza! Very well organised for social-distancing. Staff so helpful - a joy to be back. Thsnk you.

Nice garden centre. Always stopped at the one before, my mistake. Nicely laid out and got everything you need.

Excellent garden centre. Wide range of well kept plants. Very knowledgeable friendly and helpful staff. Good carpark. Can't wait for the cafe to open again. I bought a clematis this time. Very happy.

Excellent range of plants and associated stuff. Perhaps more expensive than Longacres, but no huge queue to get in.

Less busy than nearby garden centres. They stock just about everything for gardens and some nice extras.

Quality-- not so busy as others. Avoid the queue!

Good service always well stocked Easy access

Well organised, not busy but homely.

Went to the Pets Store. Store was great but saw some customers who don't know what distancing means

Staff always willing to help and will carry your Christmas tree to your car like they did this morning. Lovely staff in the cafe too.

Quite expensive unlike longacres

Nice little centre but rather expensive

Bought some pansies and violas. They were lovely sturdy plants, just what I was looking for.

A nice smaller garden centre with a great selection of plants. There was a good selection of Christmas trees and decorations. The parking was plentiful.

Excellent garden centre...lots of choice..very nice cafe..

Such a clean, well organised garden centre with a great choice available. The restaurant is fantastic

Good centre but has to compete against long acres which is larger but Hillier has all you want

Very good restaurant. Very helpful staff with a lovely choice of plants etc. I would happily recommend this garden center to friends.