Coolings Garden Centres in Bromley

Went today to visit arthurs café £16.80 for a breakfast and pot of tea absolutely ridiculous price and a rip off as it was nothing special. I Won't be coming back. Friend had eggs on toast and pot of tea over £10 😡

I absolutely love Coolings at Knockholt, it's a wonderfully, well kept Garden Centre and the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. The reason I haven't given 5* is how long the wait is at Arthur's cafe. The food and drinks are brilliant but the waiting time is soooooooooooo long. The staff are working hard, I'm just not sure the management have thought about the system and how they can make things move quicker in there. I'm aware this isn't the fist time someone has mentioned the waiting time, as looking back on reviews it's been going on a long time and nothing has changed. Please could someone take a look at things as the cafe is so wonderful and could be made even better.

Personalised, attention to detail service. I contacted online from Australia and asked for gift recommendations for a potted plant to suit my friend's backyard. They recommended a beautiful flowering plant for December and chose a pot to match the photo I sent them of her backyard. So thankful for their care

First time visit to Coolings in Knockholt, as I’d booked a watercolour workshop in one of their craft barns. I was greeted by a lovely lady on the customer service desk, who gave me a map and explained where I could find the barn. First impressions of the centre itself, a nice selection of plants, well laid out. I perused the shop and bought a couple of Christmas presents and a houseplant. I also popped into the cafe to get a cuppa to take into the workshop, it looked really nice and the staff were very pleasant, although I did have to queue ( they could maybe come up with a quicker ordering process). The little cabin that we were in for our watercolour was comfortable and we had a great session. Overall, a good venue for our painting.

We visited purely because I had read that the venue was dog friendly - the garden centre area is large and interesting - I felt the Christmas section could be a bit more in store but did enjoy it. We were particularly pleased to bring our dog into the restaurant - there is a designated area where the dog is not allowed - I asked a member of staff who helpfully showed me.

Great place but very expensive...and queue for coffee at Arthur's was ridiculous! Craft fair probably added to the delays . Food and drinks good when they arrived

£4.45 for a really bad oat latte - no froth at all - and no WiFi in the cafe for months when the mobile signal all around is terrible.

Went to Coolings at Knockholt to buy some garden paving. We were fortunate to be offered assistance by Nigel who is a credit to Coolings . Nigel could not have been more helpful in answering questions about the paving available and nothing was too much trouble to him . He even wheeled our paving slabs to checkout and loaded them for us into our car . Fantastic Customer Service. Thank you Nigel & well done Coolings .

We went for a family outing because it sounded ideal - nature trail, cafe, garden center. We'll return for the cafe - nice food, good size portions, nice staff, nice venue. We'll return for the garden center - great Christmas items, lovely layout, nice staff, very enjoyable. We won't be returning for the nature trail - miserable woman at the ticket hut, made us feel like we'd interrupted her phone call (Nicky) all the cages were far to small and rundown for such large, beautiful birds. The poor raven looked desperate to escape. There was so few goats and pigs they might as well not be there. In our opinion it would be better to rehome the birds/animals and turn the area into an 'adventure playground' with a lower entry fee.

I often go to Coolings at Knockholt and love going to this garden centre. It has a nice atmosphere, quality products & plants and the staff are friendly and helpful, in particular David who last week was exceptional and went out of his way to help me.

Garden Centre itself is lovely, lots of choice and very well laid out for a novice like myself. Unfortunately, the cafe was poorly organised and very over priced. I paid £32 for 2 teas, 2 toasties, a leaf of salad with 1 cherry tomato & packet of crisps. It lacks choice across the range also. Won't be returning for a meal

Large garden centre with eating area and a shop

Garden Centre itself is lovely, lots of choice and very well laid out for a novice like myself. Unfortunately, the cafe was poorly organised and very over priced. I paid £32 for 2 teas, 2 toasties, a leaf of salad with 1 cherry tomato & packet of crisps. It lacks choice across the range also. Won't be returning for a meal

Large garden centre with eating area and a shop

Come here often. Good coffee, food and service. And most times is a quiet, peaceful place to take it easy.

Resturant staff are always very miserable and one member of staff was extremely rude to a customer in front of us, who ended up going home and didn’t want to continue queuing in the end. I feel like the staff need retraining on how to communicate with staff, be polite and have a smile on their face maybe! They all seem very miserable and like they can’t be bothered! Such a shame as it brings down the atmosphere in the resturant. I had a jacket potato with chilli, but the chill had no juice with it and was so so dry…. I had to ask for a butter…. We will not be rushing back anytime soon.

Coolings garden centre is ok, Arthur’s cafe/restaurant is an expensive disappointment. A ham and cheese toasted sandwich for £10!!!! The bread was dry and the pathetic limp salad on the side a waste. A pot of tea for two…£6!! Never again.

Excellent selection of good quality plants, shrubs and trees. Everything you need from a garden centre.

Cooling's is one of the best garden centers around! The quality is amazing, and they have a great selection of trees, flowers, and more. The staff is fantastic too. We had the pleasure of being served and advised by John, who joined just 5 weeks ago. Despite being new, he's knowledgeable, personable, and provided some of the best customer service I've experienced in a long time. He wasn't pushy at all, but offered us plenty of "food for thought" with a great sense of humor. Thank you, Cooling's, and thank you, John—keep up the great work!

The Garden Centre itself is fantastic. Had high hopes for Arthur's Restaurant too but what a disappointment. The coffees were good but the food was very poor and hideously overpriced. Had.the chilli con carne at £14.95. For that I was expecting gastro pub quality, but it was dry, fatty and tasteless. Such a shame, lets Coolings down.

Amazing selection of plants, pots and compost, plus pet foods, gifts, greetings cards etc.

It's always enjoyable to visit Coolings. We had a few questions and a staff member was only too happy to help. Plenty of parking too.

Beautiful garden centre with high quality plants , good stock and so well displayed.

Hello our visit today was pleasant with enjoyable food. Just thought l would mention the outside wooden seating area on grass at Arthers. The wooden tables had birds poo on. Also the table was a little unstable along with the seats being rather worn/rough. Perhaps an overal of outside seating.

Lovely garden centre beautiful selection of plants and garden accessories very worth a visit. The staff are all very helpful and friendly. My only downside is the price of some of the plants they are quite expensive more so than other centres.

My favourite garden centre-great selection of plants - always makes me feel amazed. This time, it was the pelargoniums - loved the selection

A wonderful garden centre for all things outside but also a very good restaurant too. Aside from the somewhat inefficient queuing system, where you find a table and then join the queue to order (which is often out the door at busy periods), the food was lovely if a little pricey. Table service might be a better option here due to space. With my children I had to reserve the table and then clog up the queue with my children who didn't want to be left at the table. The food however was lovely and excellent quality. Have had breakfast, coffee/cake and a lunch at Coolings since discovering it. What will draw us back are the offers for Family members which are excellent and seasonal so there is always something to come back and buy for the garden each month.

Lovely variety of fresh plants and a reasonably good restaurant although the spring menu isn't as good as previous.

Very helpful staff, wide variety of lovely plants.

Always fabulous, a great range of plants and a great variety of those plants, all looking very healthy. A favourite for me along with another of their branches The Potted Garden

'Enth time at the center today. I am still "frightened" at the amount of things I want to buy from you. You have converted us. The market was a bit lonely, not very many stalls. We had a coffee at Arthur's as well. We will be visiting again soon, and of course spending more money.

Bought some 2L pot grasses for about £15 each. When I went to plant them it turned out that the grasses had just been repotted into 2L pots, they had no roots and 95% of the 2L was just compost. They are effectively selling 7cm pot size plants that should cost £6 in 2L pots for £15 full of compost - complete crooks. I had used Coolings a lot in the past, but it seems they are just ripping customers off now. REPSONSE You most certainly are 'crooks', or your behaviour is indistinguiable from 'crooks' - these plants had been very recently repotted, I know this as the compost that represented 95% of the purchase still had the feed pellets intact within it, so your team knew full well that they'd taken a £6 item, put it in a much later pot and filled the extra space with compost, and were selling it for £15 on the basis of the new pot size. As to your preference / lecture on how you prefer customers to interact, could I perhaps suggest rather than berating customers you don't try to rip them off in the first place - that would be my approach (rather than posting condescending replies about your preferences). As to returning it - I was mid-planting, so had 7 other plants lined up to plant and just planted them anyway - luckily all the other plants were from Coblands / Sevenoaks Garden Centre, so were all fine (and, in fact, presented a good comparison to how poor your plants were).

From the last few years, this garden centre is our favourite. But look like they are lowering the standard. I brought a pack with pepper seeds, paid £2.50 for it. Went home and I found .. surprise 5 seeds. I couldn't believe it. Just 5 seeds. Think twice when you want to buy something like this.

Title: Blossoming Oasis: A Review of Cooling Garden Centre Nestled amidst the tranquil outskirts,Cooling Garden Centre is a verdant haven that effortlessly marries nature's beauty with impeccable service. From the moment you step foot onto its lush grounds, a sense of serenity envelops you, transporting you into a world where the vibrant colors of flora and the soothing melodies of chirping birds reign supreme.The array of plant life at Cooling is nothing short of extraordinary. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a novice enthusiast, the vast selection caters to every need and preference. From exotic orchids to hardy perennials, each specimen is meticulously tended to, ensuring optimal health and vitality. The knowledgeable staff members are always on hand to offer expert advice and assistance, making every visit an educational experience.Beyond its impressive botanical offerings, Cooling excels in providing a holistic garden experience

Arthur’s cafe. A place that presents itself as a prestige cafe, but in reality falls far short. The coffee is mediocre at best, you pay nearly £4 for a large latte that tastes more like a £1.50 cheap street coffee. As for food, I ordered the ham, egg and chips meal. The ham was decent, but the eggs were not great. The egg yolk was mostly cooked but the egg white was still raw. I even found a glob of raw egg white in my chips (see picture)! The kitchen clearly cuts corners where it can and there is absolutely zero quality control. The whole meal cost just under £14 so it’s overall very disappointing, not including the tiny portions that are more for show rather than to keep you going. Chips alone are £2.95 and you literally get them in a small metal cup no bigger than a small mug. Never before have I payed £3 for a single dry potato.

I’ll be avoiding Arthur’s in the future - the prices are quite frankly scandalous. £8.50 for two waters and a cookie - that’s either comical or criminal, I’m not sure, but it’s not good either way. The coffee is made by untrained professionals who wouldn’t know how to pull an espresso shot if their life depended on it. Not their fault, just a clear lack of training. And to top it all off, they finish breakfast at 11 and don’t start lunch until 11:30, so a 30 minute slot where food is just not served?! Oh well, at least I can get a £3 cookie. Drive past Coolings and head to Polhill five minutes away, you’ll be very pleased you did.

If you like seeing lots of large birds in small cages this is the place to go. There wasn't much else when we were there - some meerkats in a small enclosure, a few pigs, wallabies, goats, chickens, and other animals. The whole place is run down. The signs are all worn and dirty, and a lick of paint would help in various places. It was also muddy - there is a warning sign where you pay suggesting you wear wellingtons. Coolings have for years run a very attractive garden centre, and why they associate themselves with this place I do not know.

Good Coffee/Tea and Cake. Would recommend. Also a good selection of food for lunches.

I find £6-45 for 1 slice of toast with baked beans extortionate.

A friend and I fancied a scone and a coffee at Arthur’s within Coolings . Scones are triangular and always over baked, common sense should tell them that something with 3 corners is going to overbake. They really need to clean the kitchen door as well, it was disgusting and totally put me off to think they keep touching the door and then touching plates, cutlery etc to take to customers.

the animals are treated in a horrible condition, a male guinea pig kept alone (there social animals and are meant to be kept in pairs,3s etc) not enough hay, sawdust or anything to keep warm. also locked in cages until about 10:30am. the pigs live in misery. not enough space, mud everywhere even in the “bed” area, the roof of there small shelter is coming off and falling down. birds not getting what they need (no food in the cages) budgies in the freezing cold, a parrot left alone and on the sign about her it states they like having a partner to live with. meerkats in damp wet environments not enough to dig in. don’t come here

I like Coolings. It does not so mobbed as other places further into London. So it is calm and pleasant to shop there.

We have been coming here over the years and have always loved our fab lunches. But this trip was Very disappointing. We ordered lunch from a very reduced menu. We only had a jacket potato, which used to be stunning. A good choice of toppings and lots of food. This time only a choice of cheese, beans or both. When it arrived, there was hardly any cheese. £7.25 with beans. We paid £1.40 extra for the cheese and when it arrived they had hardly given us any beans and a table spoon of grated cheese at the most. My father in law did better by just having the beans. A much better portion. All in all we just felt ripped off. We won't bother coming for lunch again. Such a shame.

The plants here look so lovely and fresh. They have larger trees as well, including an olive free for £999!

Friendly staff, excellent presentation of garden centre plants and shrubs. Very good food if a tad pricey

Quiet. Very quiet. Day after Queenies funeral so maybe most of the clientele were still in mouring. Nice coffee and cake at the restaurant and uninterrupted walk around the plants. 27/3/23 - sun out people out. Busy I thought for a Monday but not rushed. Never is. The way we like it 30/4 - Busy today which was surprising as day after BH. 30/10 Very quiet due to substantial rain. Easy if wet to look around. Reorganisation for Xmas

Lovely garden centre with an excellent restaurant (Arthur’s) .

Always meet very nice, friendly, and knowledgeable staff here.... Would always recommend...👍👍

Excellent Garden Centre. Craft Fair all this weekend, including live pottery making & a Blacksmith, which was fascinating to watch.

Never been here before favouring other garden centres. But that was a mistake, this is an excellent garden centre and a real one not a glorified furniture shop and all that other rubbish. Arthurs restaurant breakfast was also very good.

We came this weekend for maybe our 4th visit for a cooked breakfast and some plant shopping and we were really satisfied. It seemed like the quality of the ingredients and presentation had got significantly better since last time we ate here, and the coffee in particular was much improved. Really good selection of plants, garden tools, etc. Will definitely be back soon!

This is a review for Coolings Garden Centre in Knockholt, Kent. I rang this morning hoping to be able - at the last minute - to arrange for the delivery of fruit trees to a church in the area, for a wedding this Saturday. They have been wonderful, beyond helpful, quite extraordinarily patient, kind, intelligent, and helpful. First I spoke to the delightful Jace, who is warm friendly and immediately on the ball. She helped me through the initial enquiries, checked that delivery would be possible, found me Mark, treeman extraordinaire, to help me with the choice. Mark has been just great. Like Jace he immediately got what it was that we were hoping to find, advised me, found great choices, photographed them, dealt with me chopping and changing and coming up with new plans - and, brilliantly, he added to the ideas, so great - and was taking photographs in torrential rain. Then lovely Nicky was just as helpful and great with ideas and help for ways to wrap the trees - and so warm, so kind - altogether it has been a really very happy - joyous indeed - experience. There is something so special about the sort of extra, above-and-beyond sort of professional help that this team have given so generously. I just wish you were all going to be at the wedding - thank you so much!

Had a gorgeous piece of cake at Arthur's! Tasted home-made, not too sweet. And bought some fantastic plants too!!

Visited Arthurs restaurant, visited this afternoon, ordered two jacket potatoes one with cheese & butter only. It was served with a mediocre salad consisting of lettuce & grated carrot. The potatoes were luke warm. very disappointed with the food overall, and was overpriced.

Food is very basic and overpriced. I asked to add avocado to my sandwich (i was refused first and got an approval only after a lady went to the kitchens). I was charged an extra £1.0. I think I've got 1/4 of avocado (best case) spread on a gummy piece of a very basic bread.

Great garden centre. Such good quality plants & so much to choose from. Arthur's Restaurant is our favourite. Sadly, we're finding meal prices have increased a lot recently.

It's a great garden centre. Well stocked, nice people and fair prices. Bonus for being dog friendly too.

Went as a treat for cooked breakfast on a Bank Holiday. Disappointed. Long queue out the door despite many empty tables in the cafe. Food took ages to arrive. We arrived at 1040. Got food 1130. Clearly under staffed. Average food, almost cold, expensive for what was on the various plates. Awful coffee. Used to be so great, what a shame! However, excellent plant selection as always and of good quality.

Very disappointing. We visited on a bank holiday Monday and very busy (to be expected) but only 2 ladies dealing with the orders and a huge queue which moved at a snails pace. The system they use was just inadequte. We have been here several times but I'm afraid I would be tempted not to return except that the plant side of things is fabulous. Somebody needs to review their system of dealing with and serving customers at Arthurs.

I had been looking for ways to train my honeysuckle plant without attaching it to neighbours' fence. Jason went out of his way to help and came up with a great solution. On previous occasions I've asked staff about plants and they are always so knowledgeable and helpful. A great place for gardeners.

Excellent experience at coolings this morning. I was looking for a new acer for my south east London garden, but had trouble finding something durable enough for the strong wind conditions. A very helpful member of staff gave me valuable guidance on what was best for my specific situation and I came away with a beautiful semi mature maple tree which seems very happy in the garden. The checkout was excellent and they provided me with a £10 discount due to being a member. Thank you coolings - very well done.

The roast I had was very tasty. Good quality ingredients. It was very quick service and at a very reasonable cost. Takes credit card.

Lovely garden centre with excellent plants and products. Staff are really knowledgeable. Thoroughly recommend.

Very good as ever, plants exactly and coffee shop well presented and tasty snacks.

Arthur’s is completely overpriced, understaffed We were given a pot of hot water and tea bag!by the time we got to table water was no longer hot enough to steep tea properly Slices of cake 4.75 !! So around £70 per whole cake Rip off Compared to how it was this is a rip off Profit I understand But quality must be maintained

Lovely centre. Beautiful plants and everything for the outdoors. We enjoyed great cuppacinos and hot chocolates as well as scones at cafe. The woodlands trail was such fun for the grandchildren despite the cold. Would have liked to see more information boards about the birds - I am from overseas - so this would be useful

Visited the garden center and cafe as a mid week treat with my mother. Garden center well stocked, and clean ( although over priced ). Restaurant on the other hand was dirty, with some tables needed to be cleared. Ordered a breakfast, and ... well it was the most expensive and sad offering I have had in a long time. No toast. No bacon. A poor catering sausage ( thick plastic skin ), no black pudding, a dehydrated herby grilled tomato and some off brand beanz. I have eaten better at Weatherspoon's and on motorway service centers. This is supposed to be a high quality restaurant, yet the food was poor and overpriced, and the service was lacking.

Have visited this Garden Centre a few times previously, but today I was disappointed with the Breakfast we received. Good friendly service as always, however food was only warm and not as much as usual. It was always a reliable place to go for good food in the past, but would not make the effort to travel here again sadly!

(Coolings Lifestyle Knockholt Pound) This is a slightly off of the beaten track garden centre but worth seeking out. Lots of parking, very spacious. Interesting garden centre shop. There's a nice cafe with light bites and drinks which is very easy to access. Opposite the cafe is a bird of prey / nature trail too- chargeable. Good to take the kids around. About a mile north east on Rushmore Hill is their other centre, which is slightly busier and bigger.

Good selection of indoor n outdoor plants

Very helpful service. The koi water barn gave fantastic service with so much advice, offering deals and information to support in decisions about the koi and pond. Thank you!

Probably the best garden centre for miles around! Huge choice of quality plants and other garden items. Always enjoy a wander around here, followed by tea and delicious cake in Arthur's café!

Brilliant garden centre with so much choice. Reasonably priced too. Lovely little cafe at the back with a great selection for a snack or lunch.

Great range of good quality plants and garden accessories.

After noon birthday tea was the best we have ever had. Staff where very attentive. Plenty of everything.

We visited cooking’s Lifestyle garden centre on the 25th October, Very pleased to see that the cafe had Gluten Free options Staff where very pleasant and helpful well done

Found lovely stocking fillers for Christmas

Wonderful staff , great cafe / coffee shop that does a brilliant 🤩 Sunday roast. Great plants and just a good day out.

Just been and stocked up our spring bulbs and indoor hyacinths. Excellent choice as always as in previous years. Also excellent selection of perennials , roses and other plants for autumn planting . It has for many years been my first choice of garden centre for its wide choice of top quality and well kept, mainly local and UK grown, plants Arthir's good for a refresshing cuppa and good food. Coolings family card a must for good offers Unreservedly recommended..

Great garden centre. They have huge variety of plants, water fountains, sculptures, equipment and everything you could ever need for gardening. The cafe/restaurant serves nice food and has a huge seating area indoors and outdoors. The staff are friendly and are always happy to assist and answer any questions.

Excellent garden centre. I studied my RHS Practical Horticulture course at here. It has a great selection of plants, trees, flowers, seeds, gardening tools, etc. it has free parking space and toilet facilities.

It is always good to go there, a wide range of plants shrubs that leave you spoilt for choice. A lovely bit of cake to be had there also. Staff are helpful and friendly to.

Great range of plants. Clean, very tidy and well presented.

Excellent garden centre , also had a wonderful lunch here .

All garden needs catered for. Cafe there too.

Great garden centre with large Cafe on site. Plenty of free parking.

Huge garden centre, loads of choice, plants all appear to be looked after well and we really enjoyed the cafe for lunch :)

Visited garden centre, Rushmore Hill yesterday 4th June. Extensive choice of quality plants and pots which could have been overwhelming for my sister and myself as gardening novices. My sister Teresa and myself were assisted by a wonderful member of staff called Jenny. She had endless patience, was well informed, reassuring and couldn't have been more helpful. A very pleasurable visit.

Nice garden centre with great selection of plants and other essentials for the garden. Couple of staff members really took the time to talk and help with my choices. Free local delivery when spending over £80 is useful when the car is not suitable. A bit pricey though and some plants were definitely not worth the marked prices... inflation seems to have kicked in here too. Did notice some neglected rows too... shrubs area for missing letter D is a clue.

Always a pleasant experience. Everything neat and tidy and beautifully presented with a lovely dining area to match.

Bang average food and drink at premium prices. Had not been for a long time as I considered it to be too pricey. Had a coconut and raspberry slice which was as dry as sawdust along with well overpriced coffee. Disappointed

A great garden center tucked out of the way from houses and traffic. Worth a visit for their great selection of plants and trees.

Lettuce could have been washed better - I had a live maggot and others left their lettuce because it was brown. Other than that good service.

Great garden centre, fair and reasonable prices. All plants are well looked after and they have a really good houseplant section with plenty of choice including some of the less common

Despite having a Coolings Family card I’m left wondering how family friendly Coolings really are. I visited the other day with my grand daughter in a buggy. The plants fitted perfectly in the basket which hung on the back of the buggy. At check out I was not allowed to take the basket to my car and advised to either use a trolley (and push it along with a buggy) or to somehow balance the plants in a box on the buggy. After great difficulty I managed the latter! I will not be returning until there is a more helpful approach to single adults with young children. Your competitors are much more helpful!

Such a good variety of plants, pots of all types.There are lots of different things for the garden and in the home. very friendly and helpful staff.

My first visit here and I enjoyed it very much. I found everything I needed and had a good browsing experience too. I didn't try the refreshment place, Arthur's, but perhaps next time.

Did the behind the scenes tour. Brilliant. The whole place is beautiful. cream tea in Arthur's afterwards delicious. Staff are super friendly and helpful

Pop into the cafe for coffee and cake . A lady came to counter to complain that her coffee was too strong . I took my 2 cups of coffee and cake back to table and when I stirred it I couldn’t believe my eyes it was basically milk . My husband coffee was very weak as well . I couldn’t taste any coffee , I was drinking warmed milk . Think twice about going back in for coffee and cake

Always excellent strong pla ts.