Courtens Garden Centre in Wiltshire

Gorgeous hidden gem with delicious cakes and lunches

Arrived just after they usually stopped serving, but still got great service and great food. The wife and I both had different ploughman's and they were both perfect. Wish I had taken a picture.

Superb dining experience. Absolutely loved our time here. Staff were delightful, particularly Ella. See you again soon!

Funny little place. Staff were really nice and helpful. Gifts in the shop are quite expensive. We had a really nice lunch but restaurant area and toilet is very run down and tatty. Could definitely do with some decorating. Dust the cobwebs away too!

Lovely staff, first time I have been as have 0 abilities with plants or flowers. I was helped by a lovely lady who helped me with ease pick out a gift. I would definitely recommend to anyone. So helpful and happy to assist with any questions.

Friendly, knowledgeable and helpful staff. Oh, and the nibbles aren't bad either.

Family run nursery with lovely cafe. Homemade food and good service.

1st visit since the new owners. Well stocked . Good coffee and very tasty cakes. Good luck 👍

Nice, friendly Garden Centre with good food in the cafe.

Lovely staff and service best cakes in the world highly recommend

Absolutely exceptional cakes and scones. Lovely service, they really went the extra mile. Nice surroundings also. Treated our four legged friend well. Highly recommend a visit.

Will be visiting again when out that way

Delicious croque monsieur, beautiful plants and great service!

To have such a wonderful place on my doorstep is fab

Rejeuvenated by new owners - pleasantly surprised!

It's OK seen better plants else wear

Compact and bijou, nice quality plants at good prices and friendly helpful staff.

Coronation chicken, ploughmans and cheese scone lunches were thoroughly enjoyed by all. A delightful tranquil setting overlooking the flowers and garden centre. A great place to enjoy a catch up with friends. Attentive staff and delicious food.

We visited the Shed Cafe today but came away very disappointed. We only wanted a light lunch but had to share our food due to the prices and even the dish we did have was very small. We thought this was one of the most over priced cafes around the Romsey area and you can much more at better value elsewhere. Shame

All the plants we looked at were in a lovely condition, everyone was so polite and helpful. Great food at the cafe. Made several purchases, thanks.

Lovely garden centre. Great selection of plants and pots etc. Highly recommend The Shed Cafe. Plenty of gluten free and vegetarian options. We will be back!

Lovely little garden centre and Great cheese scones.

Jane provided our click and collect lunch today which was as delicious as ever. Sorry you had to make soup just for us Jane but we did love it 😍 Quiches were also yummy as always. Thank you, we can’t wait to visit again soon. 👍

Great independent garden centre where you can get good advice as well as good plants. I always find everything I need. Nice selection of unusual cards and gifts too.

Knowledgeable and very helpful.

I love this garden centre and its cafe. The people who run it are very knowledgeable and happy to chat. You not only get some wonderful plants but gifts before the important coffee and cake.

Coutens is a lovely family owned garden centre with some quality Nik knacks. It is not a shopping mall like most modern garden centres. Please support them and the Shed cafe (loads of tasty stuff) we need more like this.

Another delicious lunch at The Shed today; fresh homemade food cooked to order and always served with a smile. Another huge thanks to Jane and the team. We’ll be visiting again soon 👍

Looked after very well by the staff who were patient and attentive. The cakes looked lovely but I opted for a freshly baked cheese scone and my husband had brunch, The cafetiere coffee was good. Then there's the shop with a selection of items which could make lovely gifts. Toiletries, toys, seeds, jewellery and fancy goods and of course the garden centre. The cafe is called "The Shed" so you can gently confuse your friends by telling them that you ate in The Shed. Oh, but it's much more than a shed, so try it!!

Food was absolutely delicious, all freshly-cooked with a good choice of dishes for both adults and children. My roasted tomatoes with halloumi and humous was superb, children enjoyed croques and toasties. Also an excellent choice of soft drinks including juices, smoothies and sparkling drinks. The staff brought jugs of chilled water and kept them topped up. We didn't indulge in dessert this time as we were full after mains but will do next time if isn't so hot!

Very friendly and a nice place to stop at

A lovely friendly family run centre with great food, freshly made.

Fabulous, lovely helpful people. Will definitely be going again.

Chris and his team are doing well against all the Covid-19 problems.

Fabulous place excellent service.

great food and great staff , fab cakes go often as no one makes cakes and soup like this would recommend

Fantastic selection of homemade cakes - pictured is coffe and walnut with meringue topping. Very reasonably priced in a lovely small cosy setting. Lovely shop on the way out

We love The Shed so much. You can enjoy delicious home made food infront of a roaring log burner. I love it. The cheese scones and crumble slice are a firm favourite! Dogs are allowed too! We will be back again soon xx

Staff very friendly and helpful

This cafe is a gem.Friendly and welcoming, with a real log burner, tasteful decor and gorgeous gifts too. Would recommend to anyone.

Good service, but only one vegan cake option. It tasted lovely, but may not be every vegan's choice.

Good variety of food and drink with log burner for cold days. Also.an interesting selection of good quality gifts

Warm welcome at the cafe; hot log fire, hot coffee, good cakes (and savouries). Oh, and they sell plants and tasteful gifts too.

Lovely shop, plenty to choose from and a great place to catch a snack or two.

Have a great trip out with Courtens Cafe with a wander around the garden centre before or after

What's not to love, plants backed up by friendly knowledgeable staff and a great place to have a bite and a beverage of your choice. Keeping it local and independant.

Friendly cafe within the nursery. The coffee was made in a pot rather than the usual diluted espresso. The cakes were fresh and very good. The seating was basic but OK.

Fantastic indepent garden centre. Plants are healthy and well cared for. The Café has awesome homemade cakes and tarts to choose to go with your tea or coffee, there's lovely outside seating areas to which the staff seek you out with your drinks and cake. Well worth return visits.

Lovely harden centre. Very helpful staff and fantastic food at The Shed Cafe.

This is a small family run operation within a small but well stocked garden centre. We have either lunch or coffee and cake here about once a month, and can thoroughly recommend the quality of both. The staff are friendly too. In summer you can sit outside amongst the plants for sale, in the winter there is a lovely wood burning stove inside. The only thing to be aware of is that as this is family run and open seven days a week, they do close earlier than many similar cafes, especially on a Sunday, so if you're after coffee and cake in the afternoon, check their opening times on the web before you go.

Called in for tea and cakes one wintry afternoon. Very pleasant visit but the best part was the shop with some amazing produce and at reasonable prices. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Lovely place, nice selections of plants grown local, nice peaceful to sit and have tea among the plants. Very nice helpful staff.

Healthy plants,knowledgeable staff and a very amiable ambiance. Good experience. Highly recommended. Well done.

This is a very welcoming place, with beautiful home made cakes. I went with two friends, and we had the soup which was just superb.. While there, l purchased seed potatoes and looked round the many lovely craft gifts for sale. Highly recommended Shed cafe.

Lovely friendly little garden centre. Good quality plants and coffee

Called in as passing for lunch and had an amazing cheese scone open sandwich. Amazing warm and cosy fire.

I have been going here for the homemade cakes for years when visiting the excellent garden centre. They also serve a variety of savoury dishes alongside the cakes and the coffee is excellent.

Toasted sandwich very nice and the coffee was excellent and the lemon drizzel cake was to die for :)

Very cosy atmosphere....... Good food in Pleasant rustic surroundings....... Good music playing, hot fire blazing........

Foods fantastic staffs the most helpful ive met for a long time

This café is now on our list for regular meeting places with the added bonus of the plants to look at in the Garden centre

This is a charming garden centre and cafe. The staff are warm and friendly as is the warming log fire. I was meeting a friends for tea but this place is equally pleasant for popping in on ones own. The array of home made cakes,pies and sandwiches are lovely. For those of us that need a wheat free cake fix they didn’t disappoint. Chocolate brownies, flapjacks and coconut and berry slice fab!

A good selection of plants and trees, seeds etc. A great place to come for a lunch with a nice atmosphere.Staff friendly. And a small gift shop

Great family garden centre with great knowledgeable staff so much better than the chain type (you know who I mean), also the food and cakes are to die for, just can't stop going back for more.

Nice little cafe attached to the garden centre at the end of the village. Really lovely and succinct but delicious choice of items on the menu. I had the Croque Monsieur and a fresh juice. Reasonable prices too. Will definitely return again.

Passing by we spotted a sign for The Shed cafe on the A27 near Whiteparish and called in for some tea.It’s a bit of a jumble inside but had a weird charm about the muddled look.The tea and cake was great and the menu for other items looked interesting.The chairs where made from heavy angle iron so difficult to move but there was a cosy looking settee.The food is great but the decor in need of a makeover. Oh and can you replace the lock on the loo door as the DIY repair makes it difficult to use.

Staff are friendly and helpful and the recent refurbishment is inviting.Food selection is limited but home made and tasty, although a little pricey.Croque Monsieur is excellent and salads are good too.Have been several time snow and will return even though prices are a little high for this type of cafe.

First visit to cafe with friends ordered tartlet and salad a very small tartlet came with a mixed salad heavily dressed although asked for no dressing so had to leave it moved tables as previous customers china cutlery not cleared away and table was not wiped also a pile of something in the corner we did not wish to sit with..felt it could benefit from a good clean ..on our visit there was a fly problem which was annoying to us and other diners very overpriced for what was on offer would not recomend .. there are many cafes and tearooms in the area that offer good food reasonably priced and value for money ..

Courtens Garden Centre is a great family owned place. The owners are always on hand to help and advise. They also have a lovely cafe and the best home-made cakes I've ever had (and I've had a lot!)

Kmowledgable gardeners, excellent home made food.

Lovely food and very friendly staff....great place for lunch by the log burner! Thanks

It provided a place to unwind and rest. It is basic but refreshing with positive products from ecological sources.

The "go to" location of choice in the Whiteparish area.The nursery stocks seasonal bulbs and vegetables as well as a good selection of plants while "The Shed" cafe is welcoming with a warm log burner in the winter and a very wide selection of food. In warmer weather there are outdoor seating areas as well. Dogs welcome.

So nice to find an independent place that does nice food with great service and a nice environment. Highly recommended!

Cafe and shop in this little garden centre was a nice surprise, food was well cooked and presented, but price was a bit higher than elsewhere. Good view from cafe window of the plants and surroundings, would visit again

This review is based on 5+ visits since its opening.The Shed is a hugely welcome outlet in Whiteparish where the opportunity to eat in a local setting has been diminished during the past few years.The positives: as other reviewers have commented, the ambience and staff are both excellent: this is a really lovely place to wile away an hour drinking great coffee and an interesting range of hot chocolates...The food, though limited in range, is also first class and very much in the locally-sourced; up market garden cafe style (the home-made cakes are just that and seriously good!!) BUT.....It is all too expensive! Portion sizes appear to have been controlled to the nearest gram and paying £5 for a basic cheese toastie with no trimmings is taking the mick. A bowl of soup with crusty bread at £6 takes the shine off the occasion as does £4 for a cheese scone and butter or £2.50 for a small chocolate brownie. As a reasonably regular user, and knowing the level of demand from 'the ladies who lunch', The Shed could do with increased footfall rather than bearing down on the 'loyal few'.A pricing review; some 'meal deal' offers and a loyalty scheme could reap massive benefits.The Shed is a 5* venue; I've only dropped it by 2* to reflect pricing. Whiteparish needs The Shed but not at any price.. please give me the opportunity to post a (fully) glowing review!!

Stopped by for a lunchtime bite. Busy cafe, with a roaring log fire to enjoy. My wife had a filled spud. I had a cheese n ham toastie with a nice coffee. All freshly prepared and very tasty. Could have added some coleslaw and improved the garnish for the price charged but a nice lite bite all the same. Thanks.

A great garden centre with a lovely newly extended café serving very good quality light lunches and superb cakes! Staff are very friendly and knowledgeable re plants. I love garden centres like this, so much better than the oversized and overpriced Wyevales and the like. The plants they sell are of a very good quality and are not expensive compared with other garden centres around Romsey.

Courtens Coffee Shop provides home made cakes that are really delicious! The staff are welcoming and friendly. They are happy to chat to you but are not intrusive. They have a lovely wood burning stove, which is very welcome on cold winter days. I would recommend a visit. They also sell a small range of scarves and handbags in the coffee shop, as well as a very good range of greeting cards.

After buying our seed potatoes as part of Courten's potato festival, we treated ourselves to two generous portions of delicious home-made cake (chocolate & walnut and carrot) plus a large and hot percolator of ground coffee. All enjoyed on a couch in front of an attractive log burner. We'll be back!

The Shed Cafe at Courtens has had a revamp. New kitchen area with alarger seating area and doing lunches! I stopped by for a coffee with a friend and had a fabulous slice of coffee and walnut cake to go with it! Will be back to try the light lunch menu. Fantastic service with friendly staff

What a pleasant surprise... My Wife and I called in yesterday on the way to an appointment, and discovered this gem, very clean and tidy, had the best croque monsieur I have had in a long time and even managed to negotiate with my partner for some of her delicious homemade soup (Red pepper & chorizo), we somehow found room for cake, homemade, light coffee and walnut cake, we will be back!

I love going to Courtens, the Garden centre is small but delightful; the shop has lots of gardening and gift ideas. Friendly staff, lovely homemade cakes, teas and coffee's

This is a delightful, family run garden centre with a resident artist who paints exceptional animal pictures and a small cafe. Get excited about the paintings and the cakes and coffee in the cafe...but that's it...cakes (albeit exceptionally good cakes).If you want anything else such as sandwiches then you're going to be disappointed.

The cakes are amazing and some of the best I've tasted. A great place for afternoon tea. A gem The owners are really friendly and knowledgable about the plants

We stumbled upon this garden centre quite by chance and how lucky we were.A wide range of plants with knowledgeable helpful staff on hand.A small but well stocked shop with good reasonably priced goodies and a café with the most delicious carrot cake I have ever tasted!! We will definitely return.

An excellent independent local garden centre in whiteparish. All the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. The little cafe with its log burner, fresh tea, proper coffee and home made cakes is unbeatable!

Very nice visit today. Great cuppa. Nice staff. Kids had ice cream whilst I had chocolate banana cake. Lovely. Cosy by log burner too. Well done.

Popped in for a cup of tea and a cake. Sat by a lovely roaring log burner, had a super, proper cuppa in lovely China from a teapot that didn't leak and cakes to die for!! We had a triple layer chocolate cake, fresh as a daisy, with a proper chocolate flavour too and a chocolate biscuit cake too. Lovely. Oh and a purbeck chocolate ice cream too. All 10/10. Will definitely be back. Wife really liked the shop and cards too!!! Well done Courtens.

Oh the cake. Light, tasty, generous portions and reasonably priced. We just popped in one day because it had a sign outside advertising home made cake and have been regulars ever since. Sometimes we also buy plants or ask for garden advice, but I'm not as keen a gardener as I am a cake eater! It is a family run business and everyone who works here is friendly and helpful. We always leave with a smile. Good tea, cafetieres of coffee, and a small range of soft drinks are available to accompany the delicious cake. On a nice day you can sit outside in an area feels hidden, but is actually where the garden furniture is displayed. Just make sure you order first, or they will not know you are there!

Cakes to die for, but you don't have to do that. Just give them some money....very reasonable and they give you some cake. They stopped doing cakes a couple of years ago but brought them back by popular demand. It's only a small cafe with about 4/5 tables part of garden centre but the owners wife bakes the most sublime cakes. My favourite was white chocolate and raspberry....not sure if they still do this but all the cakes are A+++ 5*....delicious. And large cafetiere of coffee very good value. Was like a bereavement when they stopped doing cakes. Such good news they now do them. Please support them to continue providing this valuable/essential service to the community!