Cafe Van Hage in East Hertfordshire

What a shame. Service was so so, although the chap that brought out our food was particularly poor. My entire table had eaten their food and mine still hadn’t come out so I got a refund, a very meek apology… pretty shocking for Van Hague prices and standards. Won’t be returning.

After reading negative reviews on here I was a bit dubious about visiting the cafe. Bit as it was a convenient place to take Mum and meet my Aunt I thought I’d take a chance. Just goes to show how you should not heed most reviews on here! The new restaurant and cafe is beautifully decorated. You can have table service or self service. We opted for self service as that part was so lovely and cool in this hot weather. The choice of cakes was amazing and MUCH better quality than the old VH cafe. I had a delicious 3 cheese scone whilst Mum and Aunt had a fresh cream hazelnut roulade. Staff were so helpful and the cafe is spotless and a beautiful oasis in such a hot day. Bravo Blue Diamond / Van Hage! I will definitely be back!

Very disappointed I had ham egg & chips which was fine, my wife had quiche HORRIBLE sent it back, very dry and no taste, replacement not much better.

Coffee is good but nearly £20 for four pieces of cake is ridiculous. We left without purchasing anything.

Never been a fan if VH cafe - have always regarded it as an overpriced canteen, with its factory-like look and cheap, uncomfortable seating. However since Blue Diamond took over it has become a quite ridiculous, with unnecessary ordering rules being imposed, staff appearing untrained and, above all, the new patisserie not being open on a Sunday and yet having the doors open - many people going in and wondering what's going on!

It takes ages queuing up separately for food & then for drinks even though there aren’t that many people in the queues. The cafe is also very noisy.

Very crowded with a long queue around a self service counter. Sat outside in a large covered area as inside was crowded. Ok coffee and cake but nothing special

I was visiting the garden centre and wanted to get something to eat so I visited there cafe. I had a drink and a sandwich which was very tasty. It was around 1pm and the cafe was not packed but busy. There were plenty of staff around dealing with customers and also clearing and cleaning tables. Well run operation.

This cafe is so quintessentially english, it's a very nice place for lunch and to finish off your gardening shop.

Trip here was fine, I enjoyed the day out with my friend, but they sold too many places and so the ice rink was far too busy. They also had too many of the assistant penguin and banana skate things. Basically spent the whole 45 mins trying to not get cut up by everyone!

We have been coming to Van Hage since it was owned by the Dutch family and located between Hoddesdon and Broxborourne. The garden centre is excellent but the Restaurant is more like a motorway service area but perhaps worse. Yesterday's visit topped the worst meal ever - my wife and I both ordered jacket potato with braised beef. When we got to our table we saw that we both had two small pieces of meat and were unable to cut them as they were so tough. When we returned them, the assistant said "Oh was the meat tough" as she had already had previous complaints. I was unable to eat my jacket as the skin was too tough to cut. We had to wipe our table with baby wipes as it was dirty and nothing appeared to have been cleared away from our or other tables. I saw two ladies witha baby doing the same thing at the table next to us. The toilets (upstairs) are also awful and more like the worst public toilets you see in run down areas. If they had to survive on just this restaurant it would be closed in no time - it is clear from reading other reviews that other customes think the same - the seating area is cramped and scruffy - it is not a cheap place to eat. This is the first bad review I have placed for years but we it was awful - we will not be returning.

Sunday opening time on website given as 10.00 so sat at home unnecessarily as upon arriving at 10.00 found a very busy VH having opened at 9.30am???

This place could be so good, but treats its customers as a captive market.the vast majority attend for the garden centre or some of the other attractions, but seek out a coffee or some food. It is badly organised with queues, one till open most of the time, and very expensive with at best modest quality. The seating area inside is at best reminiscent of a school dining room, and is extremely noisy. With the amount of people who come with children or grandchildren there are a lot of buggies etc which makes the space more restrictive and unwelcoming. Pull it down and start again!

Yet again a negative experience in the canteen in Peterborough branch very little food available in the afternoon very expensive for poor quality food baguette £7.95 with no salad dry cake poor service only one member of staff taking money with queue of people despite a number of members of staff standing around who ever the company is who are providing this service they are negatively impacting on what is otherwise a high quality garden centre with excellent products and an impressive food section

We took my young granddaughter here today on this Bank Holiday as we like the selection of flowers (although quite frankly much more expensive than most garden centres) and we thought she would enjoy the miniature train, the farm animals and the wild life centre, which she did immensely. However I digress, why oh why has the restaurant not been updated and reorganised into a modern clean cafe, that serves reasonable tasty and good value for money food. The staff (mostly rude, surly and unfriendly) are rushing around like headless chickens but don’t actually seem to be doing much. By 1 o’clock they had also run out of salad to go with a jacket potato and salad!! But conveniently forgot to tell you when ordering, and by the time they bring it out to you, you have lost the will to live along with your appetite. Honestly unless I find out it’s been refurbished and some decent food is being served I will not be eating there again.

The cafe of one of the biggest and well known garden centres really should be able to provide a much better standard of food. Very reasonably priced roast lunch on a Sunday but the quality was very poor. Quantity no problem, but that’s just not enough nowadays and such a wasted opportunity.

Have been coming here for over 20 years and seen the efforts made to increase visitor numbers, such as circus every school holiday, new zoo and expanding the plant area. Unfortunately it appears that no effort has been made to ensure the cafe can keep up with the increase in customer numbers. Still the same tired old limited table layout and ridiculous queuing system which requires customers to queue at separate counters to get food and then drinks, and then queue up again somewhere else to pay, by which time hot food has gone cold. On last couple of visits there were no free tables and queues were almost out the door, meaning potential customers decided not to bother. This is a shame as the food is usually good and staff are friendly and helpful. Can’t understand why Cafe VH has not been developed in line with rest of garden centre, or the ‘pop up’ cafe that is installed during skating season isn’t a permanent fixture, even if it’s opening is reserved just for weekends, bank and school holidays.

Used to look forward to combining shopping and stopping for lunch.I have never seen a very good restaurant go down hill in such a bad way.Must be new managers in cafe as I assume its leased out I returned two cakes as stale No one seems to be in charge or knows what they are doing.Van Hague should replace these amateurs as it will harm their business in the long run We go to Vanstone Park now but would return To Van Hague if they got their act together as nearer

We arrived with our 5 year old granddaughter at 1.00pm on Saturday. Our only complaint that to order nuggets and chips was going to take 15 mins, so our granddaughter had a large hot sausage roll. She thoroughly enjoyed it. We had baked potatoes, one with braised beef and the other with chilli con carne. Both were good, particularly the braised beef. We didn't have to wait for the food or a table. No problems about going there again.

Lovely choice of food reasonably priced nice and clean the roast beef dinner looked beautiful wish we had stayed for that but we were too early but would recommend it and will come back and try it next time

You spend absolutely ages queueing for food & drinks at the numerous serving stations & then have to queue once more to pay for them.

The Café VH at Van Hage's Great Amwell site is a thing of beauty – if you like to see people suffer and wander around in utter confusion and bewilderment.

We visited on a Saturday for the first time and we will not be in a rush to go back. The restaurant should be an attractive place to stop during any visit to the garden centre but it isn't. The decor is stark and the seats in places are tatty with tape sticking the backs together. This is a shame as the quality of the food and drink is good if highly priced. Table clearing was also very slow with many tables littered with debris. Compared to other garden centre cafes we have visited this one needs attention from management.

We use Cafe VH regularly so were pleased to see that the cafe was closed for Essential maintenance. Surely this should have

The cafe in Van Hage many years ago used to be a great place to get a nice lunchtime meal that didn't cost s fortune, how times have changed .... last week ... panini with a side garnish £7.95 ... ouch what a rip-off! Also tables un-cleared and floor not swept, so seated at dirty tables with food debris around your feet.

Second year its still excellent! Superb! My little girl loves it, its well organised, and even has a zamboni! Heartily recommend!

This is our 5th family skating trip, quite a family tradition now. As usual it is well organised and the children ( 8-1 ) had a fabulous time. The only sad bit was no mulled wine, Van Hages what where you thinking!!?

My scones were fine, in contrast to other recent reviews! I visited at 3:30 pm on 29th Nov. and had an excellent scone and tea. The scones were so good that the fruit scones had already sold out so I chose a cherry scone and butter. It was of a generous size, and the accompanying tea was fine.

Visited Sunday 25/11/18 had a lovely time at the grotto even though didn't book staff got us in as it wasn't too busy. Nice touch with the little Christmas tree present and was impressed the staff referred to Father Christmas rather than Americanised "Santa" (sorry I'm British and proud) lovely Christmas experience.

This used to be our favourite place to visit to get us in the Christmas mood but visited early afternoon on Saturday and as usual it was very busy. Cafe is an absolute joke, no tables clean enough to use. Food rediculously expensive and cold coffee. Gift and decorations are the same as last year. The small zoo is an absolute disgrace, the animals are clearly not looked after correctly. Disgusting cages with very sad looking animals in. I think the RSPCA would close the place down. An absolute disgrace. If things don't improve it will be reported.

Has to queue for ages to even get in the cafe. Yes fair enough it was a Sunday but there was one girl on the door who didn't have a clue what she was doing. There were empty tables but nobody clearing them. When we eventually got a table we left our coats there and struggled to queue up with a 17 month old. Nobody knew what to do. People pushing and shoving everywhere. Nobody knew where to queue for anything. There was a board for children's meals but nowhere to order it. Sameas toasted sandwiches. We stood there for about half hour being ignored by the staff. Eventually I shouted is anybody serving. Someone from somewhere else came over and took an order of two ham and cheese toastie but we then had to order chips from someone else. We queued up to pay and sat down. Our food came over and I cannot say how disappointed we were. Seeded burnt brownbread for a toastie! Nowhere on the sign did it say seeded bread. I can't eat things like that due to ibs so I literally had to pull the ham out and eat it. Absolutely disgusting and there should be signs up. Normal bread should be used! For safety reasons for a start. There were no cups of glasses for a bottle of fizzy drink. The table wasn't wiped. Nobody even offered. It was a complete and utter sham. Disgusting place! I'd gobe there as it was the anniversary of my mum's death and she used to like to visit. She would of been disgusted. I suggest you sort your rude staff out and the food you serve people. Clearly can't cope.

Visited today - not too impressed. The cafe was stupidly busy and when we finally got the food, the jacket potatoes were almost raw. The centre itself was heaving and the zoo at £7 per adult was just too expensive. The father Christmas grotto at £11.50 was also way overpriced - you had to pay even more if you wanted a photo. The minature steam railway though was brilliant - at only a pound per adult i would highly recommend it.

Scones reduced to half the size, coffee cups...a large is now only the old medium and medium now small, but all at higher price!! Lucky if coffee warm enough. Lunch reasonable as long as you enjoy small portions of canteen grade veg. Cafe used to be good but gone down hill. Unfortunately, acoustics poor, noisy. Good for taking children, small animals area. Good for an hour or two under cover, reasonably warm.

I have been coming here for years, the scones were always amazing! Not anymore I have just ordered cream tea and the scones have reduced in size and the mixture has changed! They are terrible I have just been told the new manager wasn’t happy with them as pensioners share them so has changed them! I have a membership here and I’m discussed how one person can change this and not for the better! Do not go there if you can help it it’s gone down hill terribly!

Often have tea/coffee at Van Hagh and shared a scone with my husband. Not any more!

We were shopping here for garden materials and decided to stay for cake and tea/coffee. As it was a lovely warm day we sat outside in the rather nice seating area. We had coconut and cherry cake and a slice of pistachio cake, both were rather dry possibly because they were not covered up !.. The coffee was very good and the tea was fine. The store is well stocked and the scent of candles hits you as soon as you walk in., it`s not cheap to buy goods here but everything is excellent quality. We usually come when all the Christmas goodies are out, which was beginning to happen today as the staff were busy clearing a large area for their displays which are always amazing. Well worth a visit but you`d probably need a good few hours or half a day to browse everything....enjoy..

It has been up until now a good place to go for a friendly coffee the staff are great, however since the new manager at the Cafe VH has started the whole atmosphere has changed. She has reduced the size of the scones but not reduced the price as pensioners on a limited budget would buy one scone and share it which I find terrible. Therefore out of principle I won't be buying the scones anymore. I thought VH was a family owned and orientated business that like pensioners but clearly the new Cafe manager hasn't been told.

This cafe is set in a massive garden Centre with a place to see farm animals (free of charge) and also more exotic animals (for a fee). The cafe is large and often full (meaning a struggle to get a seat at peak times). However, it’s definitely worth the wait as the food is excellent, ranging from hot/cold, healthy and not-so-healthy. Despite the visitor numbers the food is fresh, plentiful and tasty. It’s not cheap but then portions are not skimpy. Try the home-baked giant scones with jam & cream - divine!

Worth visiting with children to see the small farm which is free.

Van Hage Garden Centre was very much part of our lives when our girls were young and visitors came to stay when we lived in Hoddesdon in the 90s. It was a great place to go with little ones because of the train and the birds and animals plus a cafe too. Quite a nice day out....

I went to this garden centre yesterday with my great niece who is 2years old and my niece.

at this time of year, the location helps - you can sit inside or out, so it covers all bases. A good selection of drinks and cakes met us - not sure about the rest of the menu, but we were happy with what we wanted. If you have a Van Hage card, then you can get a free coffee or tea, and a reduction in the prices of everything else, so for regular visitors the purchase of a card makes sense.

Our first visit this last weekend and we'll definitely be back as what a fantastic place!

I go there for both breakfast and lunch. In the last year the menu became less varied and also the already made sandwiches are not as tasty and filling as they used to be. The tables are not emptied wiped clean (after customers leave) as promptly as one would expect - in fact, I had to repeatedly ask them to come and do that.

We called in for a cup of tea and a cake on the way home from Norfolk on a Tuesday afternoon.

Very good place for meeting friends if in area but unfortunately lunch was below standard and coffee tepid, will not be going again. Toilets in cafe not what you would be expecting, flushing not working, informed customer service very attentive but too late 3pm to see if problems recitified For such a big restaurant toilets better in car park. Very dissppointed as been recommend by family to be able to spend the day there. Why do you have to pay for petting area, it should be part of the Van Hage experience?

Have been visiting Van Hage’s for years! The Cafe is always busy & you’re quite often left scanning for somewhere to sit! For a Cafe in a garden centre there is a fair range of food available - however, it is all quite pricey!

Be careful when you order that you find out the price you are expected to pay. They offer breakfast items at £1 each, therefore a sausage bap with three sausages in a bread roll you would expect to be no more than say £4, here it is £5 meaning the bread roll is £2, to my mind a complete rip off, for which they make no apology.

Van hages is beyond the average garden centre. A miniature railway, two animal areas, sheds and summer houses ,A very large garden centre and a first class cafe. There is a good choice of lunches. All pretty standard cafe items but it is done well and efficiently. It is large and there is a lot of seating so there was never a situation of people hanging around waiting.

We've been in here several times over the last year on various visits to Van Hage. Generally we've only had drinks and a cake. But the cake selection is excellent, drinks are decent and all of it reasonably priced.

I remember when Van Hage was a small garden centre in Broxbourne. Now many years later my husband and I pay £12 a year and Pop in to Van hage for our free coffee and tea and share a scone or if really hungry 1 each they are soooo lovely the service is good on cold days they warm the cup so your drink doesn’t get cold the tables are kept clean and tidy. The staff are always polite and helpful. We always enjoy a drink before walking round the plants and garden centre. Shame ladies toilets are upstairs and one of the buildings in the outdoor square isn’t changed into a toilet area with easy access, for those using the cafe.

We love visiting Van Hage for the garden centre, petting farm and miniature railway. It’s a nice day out for the family. It’s such a shame the restaurant remains such poor value - very little variety on the adult menu versus a far more appealing kid’s one, had to wait ages for our order and London prices to boot. Recommended for hot drinks and cakes only.

Went to Van Haag for a day out in November.After walking around for a while we decided to go in to the cafe.

Coffee and cakes with friends whilst kids went ice skating. Basic tables and chairs make shift cafe to accommodate non ice skaters.

Staff couldn’t care less. Staff on the ice stood and chatted rather than help people. Staff in the cafe are...

We took the grandchildren to see the farm animals and to have a ride on the train. The children really...

Lovely cakes & beautifully sized scones. The queues during the day can be ridiculous due to the huge number of...

We visited on a Sunday very busy coffee was cold and pastries and cakes where stale. It’s not cheap other...

Visited for skating this was great for all the family age ranging from 4 to 65. Children had a Penguin and a banana to aid skating. Good pets area for children which you can get up close too. Mini steam train ride and horse carousel. Good selection of plants and Christmas items two cafe areas one of theses next to the ice skating. Why not a 5? you may ask! Very busy and prices of good expensive well worth a visit.

This is the first time my little girl has been old enough to go skating (age 3) and she has been asking to go since she first saw "that" Pella pig episode!

Stop off on our way home, coach driver informed the of our arrival we had an hour and a half stop, we went straight to the restaurant (good job we did) we all wanted a hot Sunday lunch, it took over 40mins to get our meal, we counted about 8 members of staff rushing around but only about 3 of them on the hot food counter, but mostly there was only 1, she was a hero cutting meats and plating up whilst the Que was getting longer, the meal was fine but we had no time to enjoy it, we also had no time to visit what looked like a very nice shopping place.

This popular garden centre also has this very popular cafe, great for breakfast before you start your shopping, or lunch when you have finished your shopping. Also on offer is a great selection of cakes, a variety of teas and coffees, all very reasonably priced. Plenty of seating room and ample parking on site

The cafe at Van Hage Garden Centre, near Ware, Hertfordshire, is really a self-service restaurant. They provide a good range of both hot and cold food, drinks and snacks. We go there about twice a month, usually just for coffee and a scone or similar. We are members of Van Hage discount club, which costs about £10 a year, but for this we get free coffee or tea, and a 10% discount on anything else we may buy at the Garden Centre. The garden centre itself is extensive, and there is also a small farm animals zoo, which is free to enter, and a larger wild animal zoo for which there is an entry fee. There's also a miniature railway, run by a local railway club, which is very popular with kids. It's unlikely that many people would visit only the cafe, without wandering around and seeing everything else on offer. Some days there is a local farmers' market, and even an ice-rink in Winter. Parking is free and extensive, and there are good clean toilets and wash-rooms close to the entrance and also to the restaurant. There are also outdoor wash stations which should be used by children and adults who may come into contact with the small farm animals.

Whilst the staff do their best & are always polite, you would think that getting a coffee & warm scone back to a free table would be easy.First you have to queue for the cakes, then for the coffee & then again to pay, followed by trying to find a table, by which time your coffee & scones have gone cold.You then pray that there is a table free in the area outside the main cafe but still indoors as inside the main cafe it’s so noisy that you can’t hear yourself think let alone have a conversation. Nearly every time we visit Van Hage’s which has a great garden centre but an awful cafe we have to clear a table that the previous customers have used.The garden centre deserves a 5 star but the cafe continues to merit only a 2 star.

We visited the centre & restaurant again on Saturday as we enjoy Van Hage's regular display changes. However, I just wish to comment on the extortionate cost of the soup. There isn't anyway the cost of £8.25 can be justified. It is a self service resturant as opposed to say Harrods where the soup is priced at £8.00. It would be interesting to know how a provincial establishment can justify this charge as opposed to a leading West End restaurant?

The café is very large and very noisy and echoey in the summer and when it is busy .If you are hard of hearing you really have to concentrate to hear your friend opposite you. there is a secondary area which is preferable as it is smaller and quieter, but a bit of a trek with a heavy tray. The tables are often not cleared by their users.The food is expensive for what it is, the staff are friendly and polite, especially as there are often long queues at times, and short tempers from certain members of the public.

My wife mother and my self went to Peterborough van hage for the Christmas decoration reveal the staff were very polite and helpful all three of us are disabled and could not ask for better or more friendly staff they had great knowledge about the food they were serving. The cafe was busy but clean and tidy didn't have to wait in the queue for long

Have been going for a while now and always say that their scones are the best, but yesterday I had a baked potato and a child's macaroni cheese with beans. My granddaughter wasn't too impressed with the mac cheese, but loved the beans, yoghurt and apple juice as part of her meal I thought this was reasonable value. Mine was good, nice creamy potato inside, but sadly they put balsamic dressing on my salad - oh please will you ask before dressing a salad!Tea was great, service is sometimes a bit erratic, but it is always clean and well served with table clearers and as it is soooooo busy sometimes they are kept on their toes!I think their prices are a little high, but they're always so busy everyone else must be happy to pay.

I frequently call in for coffee and often a homemade scone - large and with cheese or dried fruit or cherries. It can be very noisy because the floors are wooden and the ceiling very high, and lots of children and parents/grandparents frequent it. It is self-service apart from the drinks but it is quite easy to manage with the trays provided.

I've been coming to Van Hage's Garden Centre for a lot of years and have watched it grow and expand, but sadly the café does not improve. Sitting in the courtyard in the sunshine with a drink is great, but the main café is VERY noisy and the overspill room is soul less. The food is overpriced in my view and the quality is variable... eg. my friend bought shortbread when we last visited and it was dry and crumbly. The staff rarely smile and some can be unhelpful - it doesn't cost anything to be nice! However, it is easily accessible if bringing anyone in a wheelchair. The ladies toilets are really rather grim and at busy times there is always a queue as there are only 3. I love the garden centre but the café is not up to the same standard sadly.

We visited one Sunday morning for brunch. There's a really good selection of good food, full cooked breakfast, paninis, toasties, cakes and very large and very nice scones, both cheese and fruit. The jacket potatoes weren't available until lunchtime. There's the usual selection of drinks, the coffee is good, unusual for a garden centre cafe. We did sit down at a table but it had crumbs on it as did the seat although you could see the table had been wiped. The toilets are bad though. This is a very busy place with clearly good revenue so please Van Hage sort your toilets out, they're just not good enough. The disabled are downstairs but the ladies and mens are upstairs. None of the three toilets would flush and they are cramped, they're just not nice or clean. I caught sight of the toilet brush, filthy, brown and disgusting as was the floor behind the brush, clearly not been touched in a long time. Gross, just gross. Not to the same standard as the cafe or garden centre and an insult to your customers.

We got in early and got a table for 5. The food was good and they know how to keep you happy. Sausages for mass catering were excellent.

Every friday my Wife and I pick up my mother-in-law and take her to Van Hage. This is a good quality garden centre. we normally me some other friends in the Cafe.Because we arrived in the cafe before 11 am 2 of us had the set breakfast priced at £5.00 for a 5 piece including tea. My wife had a rock cake with butter, clotted cream with jam. The breakfast was well cooked, tasty and looked good on the plate. At the end there was nothing left on all of our plates. A good way to start the day.

We went here at the weekend with son in law, his mother and grandson. What a lovely place. I don't know which of us enjoyed it most!!!! Fantastic plants and pots of every shape and size and loads of other produce. We had lunch at the cafe and sat outside--a very generous panini-lovely. Then we saw the mini farm with rabbits, guinea pigs, goats, chickens, terrapins and more.Then came the highlight for grandson--the TRAIN!!!! He went on it with each of us -4 rides and it was such fun and at one pound a go won't break the bank. What a brilliant place-do go!

Visited the "Garden Centre" only. It was a good hour spent with the "mini zoo". The kids loved it. Lots of plants etc. they also did sheds and surprisingly they even sold clothes.

Wonderful Garden Centre! However..Decided to have a spot of lunch in the cafe. Large and welcoming upon approach, However once at the counter unfortunately the staff who served me was pretty rude? I asked what else is in the panini with the grated cheese? And was told look at the board menu? I replied I have, but you have none stating it has grated cheese? She half smiled and carried on with duties? So we got over that lovely welcome. We then proceeded to checkout. We then got charged 25 pounds for 2 lunches and 2 coffees. We commented that's a bit steep? The cashier said it is van Hage.. Anyhow, We sat down we checked our receipt and we were charged for 3 lunches. We got a refund. This Garden centre is delightful, Unfortunetly the cafe is not in full blossom.

Van Hages really do need to add some love to their restaurant. This garden centre must have thousands of people visit every day and the food, service and ambience is just not nice - sorry. Its a large cavernous place that is very loud especially if its full of kids and the over spill restaurant room at the back is even worse - feels like you are eating food in a warehouse. Food is oily and overpriced, by the time you get your food to a table its gone cold as there are not enough tills. This is a beautiful garden centre with so many staff, fantastic plant ideas and everything you could wish for - the restaurant is seriously lacking in attention.

Visited today for part of Birthday activities. Great Place , lots to see . The restaurant was top class , food excellent, with plenty of choice for a 67 year old , and a 3 year old , plus the ones in between. We enjoyed the little animal park too .

Popped in for lunch with 3yr old grandson. He picked the cold child lunch. He could pick 5 items. But no water just juice cartons. No brown bread sandwiches and either ham or cheese fillings. So very disappointed with choice.I'm veggie and gluten free.3 or 4 items of choice for gluten free. So just had a cup of tea. Can't believe they don't cater for me.

Went here for a break from work with a friend. The cafe serves the usual fare of cakes and drinks. The tea was good and my friend had a coffee. We sat in the shade in the courtyard. A lovely day spent chatting and letting the world go by. The cafe was constantly busy but it never got overcrowded and there are plenty of places to sit inside and out.

We had a lovely late morning visit and was delighted with the cake selection as it was a bit early for lunch.

We visit Van Hague's quite regularly, and inevitably end up in the café... To be honest, although Van Hague's is beautifully laid out, and finished with great attention to detail, there is an underlying element of 'a license to print money'. The café is no exception. Everything is quite overpriced for what it is, and the place is crowded, noisy and not very relaxing. The food and coffee are OK, but as I have already said, overpriced. It's a shame because a visit to Van Hague's is always worth it, just a shame that it's slightly marred by opportunism...

Visiting the adjoining garden centre we thought it would be nice to have a cup of something and a slice of cake as it was mid afternoon. The cafe has a good selection of cakes but NOT ONE that was gluten free. Surely with a dozen or so cakes on display a couple could be gluten free. Over 600,000 people in the UK have coeliac disease and gluten in food makes them very ill. It is not a lifestyle choice.The cafe itself is not very inviting, cluttered, and untidy. The staff appear disinterested. Van Hagues obviously believe they have a captive audience so don't need to try.

We would just like to say what a lovely manager we have at van hages at the moment. She is kind and thoughtful and doesn't treat her staff like slaves!!! She makes the work place a better place. We are lucky to have one lovely manager and two lovely team leaders.

What can i say, this is a garden centre with a fantastic coffee shop.The breakfast we had was ok, nothing special but the cake we had afterwards was fantastic, MASSIVE portions of cake (probably shouldn't have said the as they will make them smaller now) which tasted and look fantastic

Delicious fry-up: Eggs to order on top of everything you could ask for in an English breakfast; the bacon had a wonderful taste like you wanted to know the brand, sausage really good, mushrooms: some browned, some not but when I tasted them they were so mushroomy I didn't care, a fried tomato, one of those hash brown triangles that work so well with a runny egg yolk and my one regret was thinking I could eat two triangles of fried bread, next time I'd say no or get one of those enormous cheesy scones instead. oh and beans which I don't like but up to you. Good coffee any way you want. Clean and well-run and full of people chatting. Nice. Afterwards we went to the free animal farm, so glad it's back, sweet experience still smiling in remembrance, just wish you could test the hot tubs...

Visited mid week for a quick lunch while in between jobs. I chose a jacket potato with tuna, nearly £7.When I sat down to eat I quickly noticed the potato was hard and black inside, the staff willingly replaced with another. Unfortunately this second one was also inedible so had to return it. They served me a third replacement which was then ok. The staff were apologetic but I expected better quality at nearly £7 for a quick lunch.Very loud and canteen like, will not rush back in a hurry.

Wanted a particular plant, found staff knowledge poor. Not knowing where to find one. Then producing one on its last legs. Being told it was the last one. Lucky my wife did not believe her, searched herself and found a very healthy one. We bought it and left. Won't go or recommend van hage again. Shame used to be the best Garden centre around.

We usually eat here when visiting the Garden Centre. It is always busy but counter service is usually quick & there is enough seating to cope with everyone. The food is good & reasonably priced, and there are always 1 or 2 veggie options.

Great Place to find all your garden needs! Loved the little shops offering a wide range of home accessories. Cafe nice and good selection of food! Can get very busy!

Whilst visiting the Garden Centre, I popped into the café for a snack. Wanting a baguette of some sort I found it disappointing that at 2pm there were only two left with the same filling and a request for a different filling could not be met. Bit of a poor show I thought. There appeared to be plenty of seating both inside and out and as it was a sunny day I sat outside. I don't think I want to repeat the experience.

This café is a canteen for the public.It's very overpriced for nothing special. Some staff are friendly and helpful, but the whole place needs refreshing. There is no WiFi and the TV's play rolling advertising.They have replaced the unlimited milk jugs with little plastic server pots. If you order cooked food, prepare to wait for it!We ordered a Toasted Sandwich and it took half an hour! The tea pots leak (as seems to be the tradition in British cafe's) all for £1.95.The food serving area is cramped and dingy.The toilets are clean enough, but they're upstairs. There is a disabled toilet downstairs.No pets are allowed, but people seem to ignore this rule.Overall it's nothing special.

This cafe is in the centre of Van Hages garden centre and is a great place to stop off for a snack. We sat down in the cafe with our dog and enjoyed a lovely cup of tea. It isn't too busy and the service is good. It's in a lovely location! I recommend visiting if you want to stop off for a quick break whilst shopping at Van Hages.

Do not waste your money. Bring a flask. Worst coffee I have ever tasted. It's like a percolated coffee that's been run through two or three times. I would not return to the garden centre because of it. Especially at the price they charged. Ludicrous. Flowers yes. Cafe crap.

Cafe Van Hage is within the Van Hage garden center. They have plenty of staff and the service is very friendly. They have indoor seating as well as a few outside. The BIG plus for us is that it is pet friendly. Dogs are not allowed in the main dining area but there are a few tables inside (either side of the corridor leading to the cafe) where well behaved dogs are allowed which is great for a rainy day. When the weather is nice, there are quite a few tables outside which is even better (by the pet shop).We tend to just have a drink and have a piece of cake or something. They do serve food but we have never tried it. Food seems slightly pricey but it looks nicely presented and based on Van Hage's clientele, it is what you would expect.If you visit Van Hage garden center frequently, then it is worth paying £10 to get a Van Hage Plus loyalty card which entitles you to discounts and free tea/coffee for every visit. Then if you just pay for the cake, it makes it quite reasonable.I would recommend taking a break during your visit to Van Hage garden center.

Food is way overpriced for what it is, basicc food at twice the price of everywhere else. I love the garden centre here though. Parking is nightmare.

Il complesso di Van Hege è molto interessante e vario per adulti e bambini.Per la sosta bisogna ricorrere al Cafè omonimo. Per noi è la terza! Il risultato non è soddisfacente per il cibo (pasta scotta e carne dura) che risulta anche piuttosto caro vista la qualità ma non è così pessimo come alcune recensioni raccontano.

Serves excellent coffee but the food is very overpriced. Always busy and very noisy not helped by the high ceilings. Seating very basic and not overly comfortable. Tables and floor area could be cleaned and tidied quicker. A wonderful garden centre but cafe let's it down

I visit the Ware branch of the Van hague gardening centre frequently and am a member of the garden club, a real bonus as it entitles me and my partner to a free tea or coffee and a discount on various plants and gifts, in addition to plants and gardening prooducts there are also additonal rooms of homeware items, kitchenware, kids toys, clothes, general items, gifts & cards, sweets, toiletries, stationary with additonal shops near the cafe selling african art and pet supplies.The food is really nice, fresh and absolutly delicious, although a tad overpriced for a family to sit down for a snack it's around £30.00 The staff are all genuinely friendly, polite, professional and more than happy to help. The garden centre itself was also clean, tidy, spacious and though the prices are slightly expensive the stock is all in great condition.I can also say this place would be excellent for younger children, the pets area is great for a day out and a mini train track for kids to have a ride, all together a great day for young and old.

We visited the cafe at Van Hagues before seeing the circus during half term and have used the cafe many times over the years.Despite the prices being a little on the expensive side, the food and drinks are always of excellent quality with generous portions. It does get very busy and sometimes a little messy but that can't always be blamed on the venue and the staff. There are tray stacks for you to clear your own table so leave it as you found it and don't leave the table and surrounding floor area like a mess. The circus btw was excellent and worth a visit the next time it comes. A downer was that the usual free animal area was closed and they had opened a zoo that was £6 for adults and £5 for children. A trade off on the expensive cafe was that there was a really nice free animal section to take the kids to before buying them lunch or a cake. Now they want to milk you for £20+ to see a few animals as well as the expensive cafe, low blow in my opinion.