Camelia Botnar Bistro in Horsham

Have been here many times for lovely light lunches with a pretty salad. However that has now all gone. Lunches are awful and badly cooked and served with. CRISPS. Tuna melt lunch was horrid. Will not eat here again. Why change something that was so nice.?

Absolutely the best cooked breakfast I have ever had! The bacon, egg, sausage, toast, baked beans, hash browns and toast were cooked to perfection ❤️

The philosophy behind Camilia Botna is commendable. They endeavour to help young people to learn a trade whilst they help in the garden centre. The centre itself is very good with top quality plants and lots of accessories like pots, garden ornaments, etc. and the staff are very helpful and friendly. I didn't find the café very good, however, but my wife likes this restaurant and tells me that the cake selection is very good. I'm afraid I can't comment on this since I seldom if ever eat cake. She also likes the fact that they do coffee in cafeters which I am also not keen on. I was very disappointed with the choice of food which was scant to say the least. If you go, go for the plants - not the food.

We always gave good food at Camelia Botnar, This particular day we had breakfast, came out hot, nice presentation, lovely staff Staff in both cafe and the rest of the place are always helpful and polite

Prompt friendly service. Nice choice of lunchtime light meals. Freshly prepared. Very tasty. Excellent value for money. Very clean.

Nice table area outside as well as the inside area. Menu was limited the day I visited but looks usually full of nice home-cooked food. Cheerful staff. Reasonable prices.

Visit here on a regular basis. Great quality breakfasts until a strict 11:30, then to lunches. All the food is top quality. Nice restaurant with additional outdoor seating.

Popped in for lunch, we both had jacket potatoes. Good size portion, and it came out hot. Friendly staff, and a good setting.

Very good afternoon tea. Generously filled sandwiches, delicious cakes and scones with jam and clotted cream. Helpful staff

Checked web site before visit only to find closed when arrived! Why can’t you keep your website up to date. It’s the modern way you know !

well where do i start when i went there i was very pleased to see items made by people from a charity which all looked well made and different, its not every day you get to buy what trainees make i feel like i bought peoples artworks rather then just some bed side tables they look great in my home, also the iron fire surround i purchased has all my guests asking where i found that gem. The garden centre is full to the brim full of so many plants my eyes were met with so many plants iv not seen before as well as all the favourites like clematis and ivy's such good quality. The nice easy access carpark made it easy for me to find my way around the centre, i wanted to explore every nook and cranny and needed a trolley instead of a basket due to all the lovely things i found, that pottery is very nice too especially the purple (deep) plates. I'm sure i will be returning here for another batch of those delicious scones which i must add had a stash of flavour about them. oh if you go here make sure you clear out your car boot so you can fit more in your car, i made that mistake and couldn't fit that extra cordyline in i wanted :) i hope you all enjoy it as much as i did

On the way to Amberley Museum, a group of us called in for coffee. The coffee was freshly made, tasty and served by friendly staff. We did not have anything to eat but the cakes, and other snacks, looked, and smelt, delicious. As well as seating inside, there is also seating in the garden.

We have stopped off here before during our bike rides. This time we wanted to eat our coffee and cake in the garden. It was busy out there as it was a hot, sunny day. The tables, many of which are shaded, are next to the plant sales and they have built a lovely big, wooden pirate ship for the children to play on in the corner of the garden. So, I would say the garden is much improved for eating refreshments. We wondered around the plant sales and the shop, with unique craft items make by the students of the foundation, who are disadvantaged students who need help to learn skills for work. They helped to make the pirate ship which looked fantastic.

Called in for a coffee on our way to Amberley Museum. This is a pleasant well ventilated coffee shop. Covid regulations are observed; there's hand sanitiser available, masks must be (and are) worn, there's a clear marked one way system and the tables are socially distanced. There's even outdoor seating. The staff were very friendly and welcoming and the coffee was freshly made and tasty.

This is a lovely Garden Centre but we were disappointed with the quality of their ciabatta's. They came ready prepared with the fillings in them which left a lot to be desired. The portions of salad were generous but predominately leaves. However the coffee and the tea was good and the cream teas and cakes looked nice. I would go there again but would steer away from the lunches.

Those with legitimate medical exemptions from face masks are NOT welcome or safe here.Attended with my sister for breakfast but the attitude towards me from the staff made it unbearable and I was forced to leave in a hurry as I did NOT feel safe. If you are exempt from mask wearing, DO NOT GO HERE! YOU ARE NOT WELCOME!

Just returned from a very nice lunch and browse around the Camelia Botnar Centre as hadn’t visited for a while. Didn’t have to queue and food good, staff very friendly. We liked the fact that there was lots of outdoor seating too and improvements such as the wooden children’s pirate ship. Money has def been spent on the upkeep. We had just returned from a visit to Nymans where they clearly haven’t a clue about adapting to the current situation and are happy to take your money but no consideration for customers to eat and drink their purchase. The same goes for the Arundel Wetland Trust. All mentioned are charities but the Camelia Botnar Centre has pitched it guest right.

I recommended the restaurant to my friend and felt embarrassed at the length of time waiting to be served and the quality, or rather lack of it, when we received our lunch and drinks. Covid seems to be the go-to answer for everything that is below standard for service right now, but I really don't think we will be returning. Improvements certainly need to be made!

One person serving behind the counter with 6 people waiting Very poor menu choice Definitely not worth a visit

Visited coffee shop yesterday. coffee was nice, cakes were OK considering the current situation. Had to queue and wait for coffee and cakes to be put on tray. This took about 10 minutes due to one customer in front of us getting cream teas. Major concern was Track and Trace form. The Government guidelines say ONLY collect "a contact phone number for each customer or visitor, or for the lead member of a group of people" and "date of visit, arrival time and, where possible, departure time". However the Camilla Botnar form that you are asked to complete wants address, post code, telephone number, email number, date of visit and time. It says the info will not be shared and will be destroyed in 21 days. However, this information gathering form did seem over the top and we will not return if this is the system that Botnar have adopted. Perhaps we only needed to put name and telephone number, date and time, but this was not made clear.

Came on Sunny afternoon - staff under pressure, limited menu and could be so much more. Food very underwhelming and seemed no-one was clearing up - understand maybe busy but not ideal when you hear staff arguing over what each should be doing. Need to up their game considering what other Garden Centres are offering - in particular Hilliers in Horsham and the new Tates of Sussex Garden Centre at Dial Post - think they will signal the demise of Cameila but maybe that is the plan!

Worth a visit for a spot of lunch. Highly recommend the Welsh Rarebit with chips and salad. Scrummy!

Nice but simple food, not too expensive and with nice staff. Having craft goods for sale next door is a nice touch, and it all contributes towards the running of the foundation

It’s just different. Camellia Botna has plants and crafts - and a lovely coffee shop. The food is excellent, service friendly, and the pace is gentle. In the summer you get to sit and look at plants. In the winter its nice gifts, unusual hand made products. We go most weeks just to regroup and recoup.

Typical garden centre coffee shop. It is not a restaurant! Very limited choices on menu. Food was a bit slow arriving but we'll presented and fresh. Old fashioned tea pots that start pouring everywhere except in your cup.

Stopped today for a look around and what we thought would be a quick coffee and a sandwich. Nursery very nice, clean and tidy. Nice iron work around. Coffee shop/cafe, looked lovely. You lady servicing took our order and made our drinks nice a quickly, good selection of snacks available. Placed our order and got our drinks at 12.55 , cleared a table of dirty crockery ourselves, several tables were loaded with dirty cups and plates. After 35 minute wait and still no sandwiches, spoke to the young lady behind the counter, she went to find our order. Another 10 minutes later she arrived with our order. To her credit she did apologise and offered us another coffee each as we had long finished the original ones. Our food was very nicely presented and tasted great. But having to wait nearly 45 minutes for two sandwiches is really not on. I understand that the nursery is charity run. I myself work for a charity. The young people working there are supervised, it’s a shame as a return visit can only be possible if you have loads of time to spare.Customer service let’s them down. Good nice and prices reasonable. Surroundings nice.

The Coffee Shop offers breakfast and light lunches, apart from morning and afternoon tea/coffee and delicious cakes. Light lunches are soups and quiches.Excellent service.The gardens are beautiful as are the arts and crafts on sale made by under priviledged youngsters, taught to them by staff. This is a long time tradition from the time the Foundation was formed by Octave Botnar in memory of his daughter.

This is a great restaurant for light lunches.. The food is freshly prepared & you don't have long to wait to be served .Just recently they have been revamping the gardens & the arrangement of the plants .They have a great selection and reasonable priced .

The coffee shop was lovely, the service was with a smile and the staff was very helpful and friendly. We ended up drinking outside so our little one could play on the new wooden pirate ship they have outside.

A friend and I had breakfast today at the coffee shop. I had never been before and we both had scrambled egg with bacon which was accompanied by 2 rounds of toast and butter. It was absolutely delicious, the best scrambled egg I’ve eaten out. The staff were lovely and very friendly and helpful. Would highly recommend and will certainly go again.

First time visited and it was excellent. Friendly staff, good food freshly prepared with a good lunch time selection. The garden centre has a good selection of plants with many varieties never heard of, all in good condition and reasonably priced.They are obviously still adding facilities which will only make it an even better place to visit.

What can I say? Service good friendly staff shame about the breakfast. Tomatoes were cooked. Toasted serve on the same plate as the full English. One portion of butter. Lovely garden centre but don't stay for breakfast.

I visited this garden centre alone, for the first time, for an afternoon outing, to buy planting for my new garden. After being told by the car valeting service in the car park that I could take my dog into the centre while they valeted my car, I queued at the cafe with my small dog quietly on a lead. I was immediately accosted by a waiter that I must sit outside with my dog. I continued to queue for a sandwich order and then sat outside in chilly weather, without a coat. I waited 25 minutes for my sandwich to arrive. After eating it I attempted to leave the way I had entered and was shouted at by the woman server behind the counter that I couldn't walk out through the cafe. She continued to shout in front of customers that she hadn't known I had a dog when she served me. What a rude and offending place to try and spend a Sunday afternoon. Nasty, unwelcoming, 'jobs-worth" people and owners. Out of step with the relaxed atmosphere towards dogs at other garden centres. No doubt this place welcomes noisy and messy children with open arms! I thoroughly regretted my visit and left without giving my custom to these unpleasant people, for what would have been a substantial amount of plants.

Good food and service in a nice environment. We were impressed with the ethos of the centre and the staff.

Over many years we were regular customers,but about eighteen months ago we stopped going as we had too many instances of poor quality (eg cakes well past their best) and poor value for money (very sparsely filled paninis and tired salad). We were clearly not alone as it appeared at the times we visited to be far less busy than in the past.

The restaurant is now order and pay at the counter, and the food is delivered to your table by the staff. Nice environment, nice people and interesting garden centre, gift shop and furniture display (made on the premises). One minor issue we had was when our generously sized toasted tea cakes arrived the two pats of butter per person are only just enough to cover. We asked for one more pat of butter and they said yes, but it will cost you 10p. Having gone to the counter to ask, we had to go back to the table and get some money from the handbag and go up to the counter again to pay and get this precious pat of butter. Fortunately there was no queue but you can imagine the issues if there had been. It may seem petty to complain about this, but it did take to gloss off the visit. Next time we shall probably ask for extra butter when we order and pay the surcharge.

Lovely cafe fresh food and good service , friendly staff, and very clean quite busy at lunch times so don’t go too late.

Very impressed by this place, as a gluten intolerant customer. Although they don't present a GF menu, all the staff were right on the ball when it came to discussing the options with them. There are GF bread rolls if you elect for a sandwich and even GF cakes (a rarity). The food was of good quality, good value, the table service rapid and the staff informed (as I said) and friendly. What's not to like?

Stopped here on an exceptionally warm day in February for lunch.

Popped in for a quick lunch of a tuna panini and cappuncino. Food tasty and staff friendly. Well worth a visit.

Some unusual sandwiches and very friendly staff. Good quality fare. Mixture of high back chairs and comfy sofas. Light and bright. Outside tables overlooking the plants on sale.

Lovely cafe..& great efficient staff. Visited for morning coffee... We had this with the cheese scones ..with soft cheese & chutney ..It was very nice....but would have preferred to have had the scones served warmed up .

Lovely cafe & great efficient staff .

Went here for breakfast last week. It was one of those Indian summer mornings everything was lovely and this was a lovely little place to have breakfast. I had bacon sandwich and my daughter had cooked breakfast and tea it was delicious. They have a really sweet gift shop with quirky little gifts . They also sell handmade furniture and sell plants. Really worth a visit.

Having recently undergone new management this cafe has been refurbished. The menu is smaller but food is very tasty and reasonably priced.

Lovely cafe & great service... beautiful furniture to browse too... the best place to meet up with friends!

Not the best experience in this weather as staff were stressed and frustrated. Only popped in for a gift but decided to have a cuppa. Nice selection of cakes but some looked passed their best. Appreciate its difficult in this weather to keep food looking appetising

Went with friends after a walk for an afternoon cuppa and cake. Good car parking and plenty of seats both inside and outside. Friendly service and a nice place which also sells furniture and plants.

I have visited here twice in 3 days. It is in the middle of the garden centre.

Small garden centre with limited choice expensive cafe. Food took over 30 mins and order was wrong. To be fair they refunded the cost of incorrect items

Ordered the chicken and chorizo sandwich. It was awful. Terrible quality of ingredients. Barely filled and overpriced.

Went to look for some early Christmas things for others. Decided to have Coffee and cake. Nice fresh cakes, coffee not so good. Did get both coffees added with more hot milk and was better.nice place to walk around and staff were OK

Lovely location. Nice cafe. Good selection of cakes. Expensive for a garden centre. The capuccino I had was the smallest I have ever had anywhere: so won't be going back until theyat least double the size of the cups.

Over heard a staff member swearing at trainees. I can't repeat the words l heard disgusting honestly who would want to work or visit there again. I will never visit again

Have been here to both look around, have a drink and sometimes food in the cafe. The drinks are always nice, food varies as does the ambiance of the site. There is often a smell of drains in my opinion.

Lovely cafe. Excellent latte. There is also a shop to browse for gifts. Ironwork and woodwork made by staff. We went three times in a week after having discovered it.

Very nice cafe lovely outside space to sit and enjoy the home made cakes Garden centre with different plants to buy

Recent visit here. We are old fans and supporters of the CB Foundation Love their woodwork. Cabinet making and cafe training school. Visited Aug 17 Tasty Quiche. Sandwiches toasted and well presented. Good enjoyable meal Recommend.

Lovely place to browse for unusual presents and cards. Most interesting furniture & ironwork as well as the gardens & flowers. All this followed by a lovely cream tea.

Dirigido por una fundación ayudando a jóvenes desfavorecidos, debe ir alrededor de la exposición manifestando hechos a mano, muebles de alta calidad y también comprar sus plantas de la amplia selección de alta calidad a un precio razonable/flores, arbustos y árboles en el vivero. Entonces visita la tienda de regalos antes de relajarse en la cafetería donde sirven almuerzos y tés. Principalmente tartas y sandwiches, pero también comidas ligeras con interesantes platos realizados.

We used to look forward to coming here for breakfast - traveling from Brighton - then it changed two years ago - poor publicity in the local press - told no longer offer breakfast - so didn't bother - went back 6 months ago and tried it three times - every time the baked beans were stone cold - so gave up - tried it again earlier this month as had to visit the garden centre to get some fantastic produce - tried the breakfast again - it had improved a lot - I liked it more than my partner - as this is my review rather than partners I gave it a very good -

The outside tables on a fine day among beautiful flowers and plants are a wonderful place to visit and eat homemade cakes. The choice is difficult to make as everything looks so tempting and the staff seem to enjoy their work which is encouraging.

Very nice well filled sandwiches, with a lovely choice of tasty cakes to follow.Every thing looks clean and well kept.

i went with a group of friends and the staff were great, only real let down was a limited choice of cakes and gluten free stuff. the cakes we had were very nice and the price was generally ok.

I had not visited for several years but was very pleased with the changes made. My friend and I were able to sit outside which was very pleasant. The food did not take too long to arrive and it was very delicious.

We were ignored upon arrival, so had to look around for a menu. Our drinks were forgotten, I had to ask for them. We ordered ploughman's..can't go wrong with that, we thought. How wrong we were. Baguettes were, at best, soggy. Our plates were missing any butter, so I had to ask again. And the blobs of tomatoe puree that was masquerading as 'tomatoe chutney'...well I never!!!

This cafe was refurbished earlier this year. It is part of the complex which includes skills training and much of these alterations included work achieved by the apprentices. All of these changes are very nicely doneFor me, the cafe has just the right system. One orders at the counter, pays at that time and your order is quickly brought to your table by one of the staff. Really very nice and one of our favourite places. Do try it if you can.

We used to come here regular for coffee tea.. & meals ..The they stopped cooking meals. So it was great to see they had a substantial menu for cooked food. It has been spruced up & looks much lighter . The food was nicely presented . The young man who served us was very chatty & helpful .

Two stars may seem harsh for a pleasant coffee shop with comfortable chairs and efficient service but, like the rest of this garden centre and shop, it proved to be a let-down. The coffee in its own cafetiere raised hopes. However our scones were tasteless and crumbled away into pieces, making it a messy and near-impossible task to add the clotted cream and jam.In the garden centre, there were few customers but huge numbers of pots of spring flowers in full bloom. Most surely would remain unsold and have to be thrown out. There was an unkempt 'Trainee Garden' area without any sign of a trainee. In the shop, the pottery was well displayed but did not look as if it would sell easily. The furniture was quite expensive and unavailable to view on-line or in a catalogue. A desk with side drawers and a chair might have been useful for computer work, yet it had no slots at the back for leads, perhaps indicative of a lack of commercial awareness. I would like this worthy enterprise to succeed and its trainees to have a good start to their working lives but I am doubtful.

Small, beautifully displayed garden centre. Plush slightly expensive cafe. Extensive hand-made pottery, furniture & metal-work shop. Best disabled loo I've used. What more could you ask for?

Always been intrigued when driving past the sign for Camelia Botnar gardens on the A272 to Cowfold. So on the way home we popped into the garden centre and were amazed at the large shop, cafe and gardens. We had a look around and there are lots of bespoke and unusual items to buy including pottery and metalwork, which we found out is made on site by young trainees. In fact the site is a Foundation set up by Octav Botnar a philanthropist, whose daughter died in a car accident and whose name was Camelia!Also had a pot of tea and delicious tuna and cheese sandwich in lovely soft brown bread. Definitely be turning off the A272 again.

We used to visit this coffee shop quite often but hadn't been for a while. We felt disappointed, arriving around 3 pm on a Sunday for coffee and cake and a look around the shop etc., we realised it closed at 3. 30 pm so had to rush. Also took a look around the shop which had changed and was closing at 4 pm. The staff seemed more interested in talking to each other than actnoligging us. I don't think we will be going back it is such a shame.

We arrived in between breakfast and lunch so decided to wait until 12 when lunch is served, the menu isnt as good as it used to be which is a shame, coffee was nice and strong but just over half a cup was a tad disappointing, especially as my husband just has a black one, we ordered paninis which are served with a side salad. Staff very friendly but unless the menu improves dont think we will return

Wife & I met her sister here. Decided to meet here as have the used cafe many months before & it was good. Found it just as good as before. They warn you that "the staff are under training & might not be totally efficient yet" - nice touch. The cafe has a nice atmosphere, enough seating for midweek & not congested; waiter service. Great coffee / tea, & snacks were satisfactory. Al the staff were very friendly.

Lovely place where I take my Mum for lunch out. Very accomodating, and understanding. Good value meals.

Sadly not what it used to be. From good menu with wine now cafe style with limited choice. Had bolognaise but had cheddar cheese on top?? Food lukewarm warm. Casual off hand service. Sad to see such a decline. Good Christmas display in gift shop.

Very nice place and friendly staff. We had tea with scones and cake and nothing to fault in any way. Clean, quick service and food was all very good. We will use again when in the area. Recommended.

We have been visiting for over 8yrs and always had lovely food and greeted with smiley friendly faces! How sad that today when we arrived it had all changedNo friendly greeting! Nobody explained you had to order at the counter and pay?! Another customer told us! We ordered 3 full English but sadly the sausages had been kept warm for far to long so they were dryThe bacon wasn't much better the fried eggs only two came as they should the other had been broken whilst being cooked! So sad as we have usually has excellent food and service. I doubt we shall go again.

This coffee shop is within a garden centre but it you wouldn't know it once inside.Upholstered chairs, helpful staff, good food and excellent coffee.Well worth a small detour off of the A 272

I had a delightful spinach and goats cheese quiche. The pastry was excellent. Very thin and well cooked. My husband had a tuna mayo sandwich. The brown bread was thick and soft with a very large amount of tuna served with a little salad. It was excellent. It was too hot to sit outside today. The restaurant seating was really good and comfortable. Service was quick and with a smile. Will definitely visit again.

Arranged to meet up with family on Sunday 4th September because it's a convenient place for us to meet & they have always done great breakfasts. Firstly we wanted "a cuppa" & had to order at the till & pay for it there, not unreasonable really but when we were given the menus it transpired that if we had the "full English" tea & coffee were included in the price,bit annoying but it was sorted out fairly satisfactorily. Then on perusing the breakfast menu what had always been my treat I.e. Smoked salmon on muffins with poached eggs & Hollandaise sauce was no longer available!! So I Ordered scrambled eggs on toast with bacon. The scrambled eggs were dry not light & fluffy & the bacon had definitely been kept warm for too long as it was overlooked,dry & very chewy. The venue is still a nice place to visit but I for one will not be having breakfast there again.

We spent an hour and a half here on a group, church outing to enjoy a cream tea and look around the nursery and shop.After a picturesue countryside coach tour, it was lovely to walk in to the coffee shop, sit down and be waited upon.The cream tea with fresh strawberry was lovely and it was wonderful to walk around afterwards, especially to learn how the Botnar Foundation Trust provides residential training and work experience, helping young people to learn a skilled trade. The Foundation aims o help those 16 - 21 year olds who are from problematic situations at home due to circumstances outside their control.There is a metalwork ,woodwork and a pottery showroom - all with amazing handcrafted items.the 5 acre nursery has displays of flowers and plants and the Gift Shop has good displays of cards, gifts, jams, chutneys, jewellery, soaps etc.A nice place to enjoy an afternoon out.

Really worth a trip here to see the garden centre, furniture and craft shops. The tearoom is a delightful added extra!

Typical garden centre cafe serving coffee through lunch to teas. Small selection of cakes etc. Book for lunch as can get very busy.

Late Saturday lunch steak very tough food just warm very disappointed normally had good food here staff not very helpful looked like wanted to home

The whole experience at Camila Botnar is very good. From the wonderful selection of plants, hand made furniture, gift shop and excellent food. A really good place to visit.

We visited the Camelia Botnar Coffee Shop after seeing it when driving past. We're glad we noticed it.The coffee shop and garden centre are very well kept. All of the furniture was either extremely well kept of very new, as well as being clean. The staff were very friendly (considering that they would have been tired after a bank holiday Monday). From what I understand, most of the staff are trainees/apprentices, so it was nice to get such a great service.Our order came quickly and most of it was of great quality. We had tea, coffee, scones, and shortbread (But wouldn't suggest the hot chocolate).Afterwards, we explored the garden centre and had a look at the other things which had been made by their trainees. This was a great addition to the visit.I would suggest this coffee shop to anyone in the area and think it would be a good idea to research the Camelia Botnar Foundation before visiting too.

This is an excellent eating, place, It has been changed to self service but the meals are as good as they were when it was service . Wonderful Shop, and garden centre plenty of hand made items to buy.,

We come here pretty often, and have done for quite a few years.We were most disappointed when they decided to have a shake up just before Christmas, but are pleased to say that the breakfasts are now just as good as they used to be!Although you now order and pay for your meal at the counter before you eat, the meal is brought out to your table.This particular morning we hadn't quite earned the Full English and instead chose a mountain of creamy, flavoursome, Scrambled Egg on Toast for him and a nice, crisp, bacon sarnie for me. The food was good, and the service is still as friendly as ever - we're lucky to have you!

Having been before when its always been really busy we were quite surprised that it was almost empty. We ordered a cake each and coffee from the counter and paid at the time, Im sure we had table service on previous visits, that aside the cakes were delicious. Other options were available soup, quiches with salad or paninis. Wethen wandered round gift shop and garden centre which on a sunny day was lovely.

Over the last ten years or so we must have eaten well over a hundred lunches (at the very least ten a year). Food was good quality at a reasonable price with friendly,helpful service.Now that the "light lunch menu" consists of very little other than baked potato,panini,soup,etc. The ambience has gone from a friendly 'buzz' to quiet.We will probably go back occasionally for a morning coffee or tea in the afternoon but we will look elsewhere for lunchNor can you reserve a table anymore,although given how quiet the place is now this is no longer a problem.Such a shame........

Have visited several times over the last year, recently under new management to which they have now stopped serving 'main' meals and you can no longer reserve a table....But... It's still a lovely place to go for a light lunch and a coffee!Very well kept, always clean and love the choice of seating areas... Table & chairs or comfy sofas. Carpeted dining area which is really nice as we find other places with wooden floors can be quite noisy when there's alot of people....the carpet seems to help keep the sound level of chatter down!Staff have always been polite and very helpful.Hoping to return soon....

We've visited this centre as a meeting place for several years now, we were quite shocked to hear of the bistro closing, through family we visited with. Management replied to a review stating an annual loss of £100,000! surely they would have done something about that sooner if that were the case. The garden centre & craft items are fine pieces & we have made a few purchases ourselves over the years all of which have been excellent quality, we will return to see for ourselves in May. This is a retrospective review, Watch this space.

Yet again we have enjoyed a beautifully prepared and flavoursome lunch. The waiting staff are so helpful and polite and all this enjoyed in a very pleasant bistro surrounded by the garden centre, carpentry department and gift shop. Always a good experience. Thank you to you all

I can only agree with most of the recent reviewers. This was our first visit since the changes and came away disappointed. I fully understand that the Bistro has to at least break even but is difficult to see how it ran at such a loss with the number of covers served under the old system. The atmosphere has completely changed with reduced numbers, no table service. Menu options also reduced.

Having been told in December that there were going to be changes to the restaurant a friend and I thought we would "give it a try" and were sooooo disappointed with the new set up. Previously this was our favourite place to have coffee/breakfast and browse the shop/garden centre.. We were the only people there for well over an hour. Sadly today will be the last time we will be visiting what was at one time a lovely place with great staff and atmosphere. Why did it have to change.

should no longer be a bistro as all staff previous have left and new staff have been employed as a self-service coffee shop.

We have always visited Camellia Botnar for the lovely full English breakfast and have been prepared to do an hours round trip to get it. Whilst there we have always spent money in the shop or garden centre and the wrought iron section. We arrived today only to find a very limited breakfast. The scrambled eggs were burnt and inedible and the fried eggs a solid mess. The serving staff were absolutely charming and obviously struggling to make the best of a bad job. I cannot understand why the management has changed what seemed to be a thriving business. As we will not be returning to eat we will clearly not be spending money in the shop etc. It's all such a shame.

Visited recently, and perception is that the Bistro has 'lost its edge'!A change from orders being taken at table, now raised with the main counter, yet still delivered by Waiting Staff.Despite being only a week or so before Christmas, the place was almost empty; the food was still tasty, hot and promptly delivered, but the atmosphere of a bustling Bistro with Customers was missing.And, the stock level in both the Gift Shop and the gardening section was very low.It doesn't seem the same somehow........

No longer a Bistro. What a shame. Now to be missed. Still worth visiting for the furniture, pottery and garden centre