Leckford Farm Shop in Test Valley

A lovely open modern barn building, with (very unusual and appealing) gifty merchandise at one end and the cafe/restaurant at the other end. If you don't like big open plan then this isn't the place for you. Tasteful interior, with very nice seating, clean and bright. it is a 'take a tray and pay at the till' place, using your table number for ordering hot food. I have to say that although I only had a jacket potato it was the best I've ever had anywhere. My fellow diners agreed that the food quality was very good and good value. This really is a lovely location for a nursery and garden centre, even approaching down the long winding drive is very rural and atmospheric.There is a delightful and historical feel to the areas where plants are kept, as there are tall walls and the way the plants are laid out for sale makes it feel like you are walking around an interesting walled garden. A really nice place to spend a while if you are a keen gardener, with very healthy and some unusual plants.

Love this place - delightful friendly staff and a great place to stop for a coffee and a plant browse!

Nice little place, beautiful oak building and amazing cakes. Yes prices are high but all these places are as so seasonal to make money. If you can get to see the water gardens as well would recommend

The setting is nice. The menu is somewhat limited to sandwiches, baked potatoes, soup and cakes. Food was ok, nothing amazing. Scone disappointing. Served with butter, had to pay extra for clotted cream. Who eats scones with butter. Scone far too crumbly.

My first visit and very impressed but somewhat surprised that John Lewis do not make more of this excellent nursery and combined shop and cafe. There could not many places in Hampshire that could boast this location. My only moan is that I think the menu could have something a little more substantial and incorporate some of food produced from the farm or locality.

We have been using the tearooms for over 2 years, in that time we have probably visited maybe 1-2 times Monday to Friday and at least once on the weekend, spending both lots of money and a few hours in glorious surroundings.. In the last 6 months, the service and quality has dropped immensley.From reductions in the breakfast roll, whch are inconsistant as sometmes 2 sausages, someties 3 to being told rudely that we can't have ham added to a toasted sandwich at lunch at our expense because the chef is too busy. When I pressed the point that indeed it was a lunch offering at lunch time we were informed that we couldn't have ham as the sandwiches are pre packed out side, scones were out of the question due to uncovered food and flies. Although in height of summer the staff tried to rectify this with thin pieces of deli paper....it failed. This is a waitrose establishment, it prides itself on Waitrose and John Lewis values and quality, but theyre faiing miserably. Only today, a manager approached me and made me feel awful for having sugar on my table, she informed me she liked to keep it at the communal bench with napkins cutlery etc, this is ok but 4 of us came for breakfast we have at least 3 hot drinks each, when we first came to this tearooms, sugar was on every table. The staff seem unhappy and the counter where service is taken is chaotic at the very least. today we were behind a coupe who had been queuing since 11.20 am, when they finally got served at 11.35 they were told that breakfast had stopped? I do think on this occassion they were served, but after discussion. They seem to carry themselves with the outstanding surroundings, and building, to be honest if you were a one time visitor you'd be thrilled and overwhelmed. I'm neither, I'm sad that service is not what one would want from Waitrose, I'm sad the staff seem so rude, I'm sad that flies are able to climb over uncovered pastries and I'm sad that sugar on a table is considered bad form and I'm sad that as a long term customer I'm cross enough to write this and feel unable to approach anyone there as everyone is so cross.

Discovered a real gem of a place This beautiful coffee shop is Hidden off the beaten track but so worth hunting for. Set in an idyllic English landscape the shop over looks immaculate gardens and impressive herbaceous boarders. Having wondered around and take cover from the sunshine under mature trees or in the shadow of the walled garden, I enjoyed buying and taking home the very plants I had been inspired by.Leckford Estate has recently started producing its own sparking wine, which is a great souvenir if you don't have room for a six foot Acer in your boot.

Very busy cafe but we did arrive at the peak of lunchtime on a Sunday. Complimentary parking. Long queue to order food but once ordered arrived quickly at our table in the outside seating area. Good quality as you would expect from the John Lewis Partnership. Not the cheapest snack but tasty and ample portions.

The staff are lovely and can't do enough for you. The drinks and cakes are all very reasonable and delicious.You have the added bonus of a waitrose shop and beautiful grounds to walk around. The perfect way to spend an afternoon.

This farm shop is in a beautiful quiet location in the Test Valley and the food is great. Not only do you have a great coffee shop for breakfast, lunch, tea or just a cuppa, you are adjacent to a superb farm shop packed with local produce and a garden centre with a great selection of plants to buy. All in all this is a brilliant location to meet friends for a coffee and cake or a cream tea and we'll certainly be returning for more.

Great place to meet up with friends and enjoy a coffee cake and a sandwich. Very friendly staff which are also very customer focused. Clean and welcoming with a nice atmosphere

Visited with friends for coffee and cake. Did not disappoint. Victoria sandwich was very good as, reportedly, was the chocolate cake. Very generous portions. Such a nice setting. Had a look around the nursery whilst there. All good and more customer focussed staff on duty on this occasion.

We went for lunch on Sunday 31st July having walked from visiting the Water Gardens nearby. My daughter and I had the Coronation Chicken Jacket, my man had the Prawn Mayo Jacket and my son had the Tuna Toastie... all came with a nicely dressed salad and were delicious! The restaurant was busy, as you would expect on a Sunday lunchtime, but we were served quickly by friendly polite staff. Top marks! We would go more often if we didn't live over 150 miles away!!

Went there Wednesday at 1.00, very busy. Quite along queue to get served but once my wife got back to the table the food came in about 5 minutes. The staff are friendly and the café has a good atmosphere, food is very good.

Wait rose do things well, the Leckford farm shop and cafe is done really well. Yes it's a bit prices for the meat, but the cafe, coffee and cakes are very reasonable. The gardens are a joy to walk round in the summer and they are all on one level.The estate is beautiful and if you get a chance have a look around, even the farmers stop to chat.Great place to chill, relax and eat and get the shopping in too

Wonderful place to visit if you fancy a hearty breakfast made with local produce! We were lucky to visit on a sunny day and took complete advantage of the outside seating area to have our breakfast!The food was great and good value for money and the staff were friendly and informative where needed. It was very busy when we went with people of all age groups, but there was plenty of space to sit and we were not made to feel rushed!There is also a farm shop as well as the café area where you can buy all sorts of different locally produced items.

Visited with some friends for lunch, the cafe is in a lovely setting and the day we visited the weather was warm and fine plenty of inside and outside seating. You basically find a table and go to the counter to order your food and drinks. Not a vast menu but all our party found dishes to suit. I had the ploughmans lunch which was very large! Cheese, pork pie, pickles, nice bread, an apple and some ham, everything was very tasty and fresh. Other members of the party had the jacket potatoes with various fillings with a nice mixed salad. As it was a warm day we drank some of the local Leckford cider which was most refreshing. Afterwards we strolled round the garden centre and beautiful small garden which was looking superb as all the lavender and the large border were in full bloom.

This is a "nice" place to eat. The diners feel like a concoction of WI members and Telegraph readers, secure and comfortable in the knowledge that this is located on the Waitrose farm. Grandparents with grandchildren, groups of friends, that sort of thing. The overall feel is, well, nice.The place is very light and airy. It's all relatively new and has a sense of money having been spent on it to make it, well, nice. There is a superb drive leading to the café through the woods. Worth going in spring.As to the food, well it's "nice". The menu is definitely fairly conservative - toasted sandwiches, baked potatoes and the like. Everything we had was really good, though. It's all good middle of the road stuff. Presentation is lovely and I suspect there are some quite talented people in the kitchen who are thwarted from spreading their wings a little. More adventurous offerings and a broader range would be - yes - nice.

Great trout pate with a generous and delicious salad. Carrot cake to die for. Really light and airy cafe/restaurant.

We recently visited the farm shop and ended up having a Cream Tea which was very nice ! The staff were very helpful and polite.

Lovely Farm shop and restaurant, but please increase your staff. It is unfair on customers and yourselves and the people working there! The queues were far too long! More staff easy fix, happy customers!

My wife took me here for lunch as she's been several times before.We had a walk around the nursery first and then went in for lunch. You find a table then go up to the counter to order your food.I chose the Ploughmans which cam with pork pie, ham, cheeses, pickled onions, coleslaw a small green leaf salad, grapes and a soft multispeed baguette. My wife went for the baked potato with prawns and we were both delighted.We decided to go back for cake and coffee (for dessert) and shared the carrot cake which was to die for. It was very busy but the staff were pleasant, apart from the older woman on the till who had obviously not been trained to smile!We then went to look around the Farm Shop and delicatessen and came away with some pork pie, scotch eggs and local cheese. A must for lunch if you're in the area. I can't wait to go back!

Visited Monday, early lunchtime. Really very impressed. Great flat white, amazing trout pate served with excellent salads, large and most delicious portion of carrot cake. Checked out the nursery and the farm shop. All good. Will visit again very soon.

Beautiful location and farm shop with good size restaurant. Long queue on arrival but this was due to a bike group!! We ordered brunch and waited about half an hour for the food to arrive which was a little disappointing as my tea was cold when the brunch arrived! Food was very good. I think there wasn't enough staff on, such a shame as it's such a beautiful place to visit for brunch and a spot of shopping. We look forward to visiting again very soon and really hope for drastic improvements.

Good food, large cakes(which kept my brothers happy ) reasonably priced, friendly staff. Pretty surroundings. Recommended a visit

My husband and I have just had the most disappointing eggs benedict. Two very hard poached eggs on a piece of toast 4 mushrooms and a scraping of mayonnaise!! I told the waiter to tell the chef and nobody came to apologise!!! They don't deserve any business if they treat all their customers like they treated us.

I came here last week on Tuesday (so not a particular busy Saturday or Sunday). On arrival, we were greeted by the sight of about 9 outside tables with no people sitting at them, but all were covered in plates and cups that had not been cleared. Inside was the same - a vast number of tables all uncleared. We arrived at around 3.20pm hoping for a late lunch to discover that lunches and all savoury items stop at 3pm. This was disappointing as we would have been happy with soup and a sandwich, and didn't feel like tea and cake. We did however order tea and with the sun shining, I informed the lady behind the till that there was not a single clean table outside, even though none of tables outside had anyone sitting at them. I then waited and waited for someone to appear to clear the tables - 20 minutes later a man appeared and cleared the tables. During the wait, there were barely any customers so I fail to see why it took 20 mins for someone to appear. I don't know if I would return - if a business cannot even employ enough people to clear tables, then I would rather return to the many other cafes in the local area, who can be bothered to clear their tables. It really was a mess on Tuesday and not a single member of staff seemed to care.

During our very lengthy wait to order we saw many a meal come out all with lovely salad garnishes. I decided to order a Quiche Salad, this was under the Salads heading on the menu board. After another 20 minute wait the quiche arrived it was a shock, a pile of lettuce drizzled with a dressing, a small ramekin of crisps, and a 3" diameter quiche. The quiche despite being small was very tasty it was the no existent salad that was the problem. I went to the counter and asked what should have been in the salad I was told by the section manager it should have had a pepper garnish but it had run out as the Sunday morning cyclists had eaten and usually they only drink. The pictures on the website of garnishes included pepper, onion and tomato. They then bought a few slices of normal salad tomato and cucumber out. I had paid £6.95 for this, the rolls and jacket potatoes were cheaper and much better value beautifully garnished. I was not even offered an apology, why are they selling food they haven't got? This was at 13.36 not at the end of the day, what was worse was they were selling salad items in the farm shop just steps from the kitchen. Needless to say I will not be eating there again.

Wonder why everyone who wants just soup or light lunch has to wait so long for the coffee queue, why not a separate Q, it was painful, we went at noon and it was an hour before we got our soup, over 30 mins in the Q and another 30 before it arrived at table, extremely poor service. Thankfully it was yummy when it arrived! But next time if the Q is behind 20 people I would not bother. We watched Q get even longer- right up to the wines at the back. We also got false info on the water garden, a cashier thought it may be open but had no clue on the time. We eventually found the gate to it but it was closed. So that was a waste of time. Later on we saw a sign that it opened for charity at 2pm. You'd think the staf would a) know or b) check for you. Communication is really lacking. Generally I find the staff lovely, but a lady with dark hair in a ponytail wearing a black fleece was really rude. This was last Sunday. Thought I'd buy some choc to go, this lady disappeared from the till... I waited and waited.... Then she appeared and went to the cafe area... Finally returning and without making eye contact or saying anything rung up my goods. Where was the usual " sorry to keep you waiting" Maybe there was no manager on duty? It was a day to remember for the wrong reasons...

So lovely, have recommended to plenty of people who have all had similarly lovely experiences. Delicious breakfasts and the produce they have is second to none. Very clean with lovely seating.

Need to learn how to make a proper cup of cappuccino. The milk was boiled and so hot it took 20 minutes before I could drink it. Was more like a latte than cappuccino. It should be one third coffee, one third milk at the correct temperature and one third creamy froth.

Good coffee and delicious cakes very reasonably priced with large slices. Busy and bustling on a weekend.

I tried the warm roasted vegetable salad with Houmous, it was very tasty and would recommend. However the roasted vegetables was definitely missing something and was a bit sparse. Maybe adding some butternut squash would liven it up a little more. The meal was accompanied by some bread, but no butter. But regardless of this I would have it again and ask for some butter! All in all a very enjoyable lunch, with very clean premises with a good choice of seating both inside and out.As for the shop, it sells luxury high end products at high prices. I did purchase a Lardy cake at almost £5 !!! and have to say I have had better and at half the price, it was very dry and disappointing. So for me personally I would not purchase from the shop again. Also I did notice that when it came to paying in the shop, there was no one behind the till, however a young man from the deli counter came over to serve, which was great, but I was concerned that after handling my money, if he returned to the deli counter that he had washed his hands before handling fresh food. I have mention this as he did not wash his hands before serving me!!!!

Very tasty food served in a nice airy barn with a roaring fire in a woodburner in winter. Tasty food to buy from butcher, deli and fruit and veg counters. Good garden centre and herbaceous borders to wander around

They had a lot of locally produced products which were ideal for us as we were looking for gifts for friends. Clean and tidy and very helpful staff.

Comfortable tearoom with friendly staff. Inexpensive tasty sandwiches. The shop is very small and expensive.

The Leckford Farm Shop or the Waitrose farm as we call it, is a regular haunt for a quick coffee and cake fix. We have had breakfast and lunch before but it's the coffee and cake we always go back for - yum.

I'm not really sure this can classed as a 'farm shop'. There's nothing 'farmey' about it (I've been to quite a few in my lifetime). It looks more like a delicatessen - it's also rather small as the eating area takes up most of the space.I had a cup of coffee which felt like it had been expressed from a volcano it was so hot, and my wife had a cup of hot chocolate - again seriously hot stuff and not all that tasty.Wouldn't rush back. In fact unlikely to make the effort to go back again. Lovely scenery though...

We finally found this beautiful shop and farm cafe. We stayed for tea and cake after browsing the grounds and shop and I have to say it was a lovely atmosphere, the staff were wonderful and all the food looked great... The cake was delish!! Just a couple of small points, the cafe / shop didn't smell like a farm shop / cafe, no bread or cake smell just wood, also it is pretty cold in there so wrap up if you go, other than that wonderful and I would deffo recommend

We come to your farm shop cafe each Sunday morning, but find it extremely cold as did most people yesterday morning, as most people kept their coats on! Come on John Lewis Waitrose light that wonderful wood burning stove and put some real logs on, then perhaps some warmth might come out of the stove!! Do you not realise that candles do not give out any warmth placed inside the stove, you need real logs!! And you have plenty of those as people can see when they drive up the driveway!!!

Had a snack lunch last Monday. Excellent food, generous portions and freshly made on the premises. My husband was very impressed with the home made iced coconut cake. Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Wish this was our local garden centre/farm shop. Interesting selection of foods and gifts available, as well as vegetables, fresh bread, meats and wine and frozen COOK ready meals. Run by Waitrose, but do not expect to find a supermarket.

Having read a few of the reviews I would like to correct a couple of things, this shop/cafe is not run by John Lewis but by Waitrose. There were problems at first but this was due to how busy this place became so quickly, very popular but all the problems are now sorted out. Lots of new friendly staff and the kitchen has already had a refit. What I really like are the cakes, each one can be a full size or half size, I always give in and have the big one. Coffee is great. Loads of nice local goods in the shop side and the garden centre is great.

Rather disappointed as we like Waitrose and had expected something a little better than we found. We went for Sunday breakfast and whilst nothing was wrong it was expensive with limited choice and "just another farm shop". There are much better ones in Hampshire and unless you are actually passing the end of the road it is not worth a detour or special visit as the garden centre and shop are again just average

Visited Leckford Farm Shop after a stroll around the nearby nursery. The shop had some beautiful goodies stocked that are not available in normal Waitrose branches, and we made several purchases. There were plenty of ideas for Christmas gifts and obviously more will arrive as the season approaches. The tea room was delightful and all the cakes were labelled with the name of the bakery that made them which was very helpful. The teapots poured wonderfully without drips which is very unusual, so we bought one online when we returned home. Lovely food and friendly staff. Well worth a visit.

If you ever find yourself anywhere in the Stockbridge area make sure that you make a beeline for the Leckford Farm Shop. Excellent food and drink, combined with fantastic customer service, Waitrose food sold in the shop attached, an amazing array of meat on the counter and a garden centre outside. Go for lunch and stay all afternoon. A Hampshire must.

Best cream tea for miles around a bargain at £3.75 per person , nice to have lovely clotted cream and a choice of scone flavours. Nice to not pay extra for coffee. Great value for money, firm favourite :-)

And the nursery is fantastic too. After lunch we relaxed in the Water Gardens which are just idyllic.

Good produce if somewhat limited selection. Vegetables were really fresh - tasted quite different from those bought in the supermarket.

Perfect Sunday morning stop off. Beautiful local produce, eggs, cheeses, vegetables, oils, ciders, jams.

Friendly staff, great food and yummy cakes. What more does one need? And you can shop for your supper on the way out. Great place in tranquil surroundings.

Nice openplan garden centre cafe/tea room fab toasted sandwich followed by scone my only complaint was how heavy the tea pot was Would definitely visit again and have ploughmans (looked yum) or maybe girls afternoon tea treat

We stopped off here during a bike ride for cake and a drink. There were some very nice cakes and scones displayed. I asked what was available for somebody who doesn't eat gluten and told they didn't have anything. I did point out that one of the cakes could possibly have been suitable if it had been displayed and served correctly, to which I was told 'we won't guarantee anything is gluten free'. Does that mean that if you are vegetarian they won't guarantee your food isn't contaminated by meat either? Despite the 5 stars on the door for food hygiene makes me think they haven't got the basics right. Avoid unless you enjoy going hungry whilst others around you eat.

Recently we went to the Farm Shop at Leckford for a light lunch with our grandsons. When we arrived we were greeted by a sign apologising that they were unable to take credit cards. After a quick check that we had enough money or a cheque book between us (I rarely carry a cheque book these days) we went to the counter to order. The choice was reasonable if not great.The food came after a perfectly reasonable delay and was of perfectly acceptable quality. Overall, it was a pleasant experience but one felt that with a little more effort they could really do a lot better. Having said that I would be happy to go back.

We visited the Leckford Farm shop on Sunday as we wanted to see the garden centre as well.We chose the ploughmans platter which at £7.95 represented amazing value for the size and varied ingredients and sheer quality of the dish. This was the best ploughmans I have ever had.

I am a great Waitrose fan. and as this is on the Leckford Estate which was founded by John Lewis and owned by the John Lewis partnership I expected better.Farm shops are not about buying in a Waitrose...the goods for sale were not as local as they should be,and were all too perfect and the range was quite limited.Now eating there was also chaotic. They attempted to give us the wrong order twice and we had to be firm about it as they were very accusatory about it. In fact what our order receipt showed was not what they tried to give us and was actually not what we had in fact ordered in one case. We wouldn't eat there again which is a shame.Come on John Lewis Partnership have a major rethink about what you are trying to do in your Farm Shop. You really haven't gotten it right yet!

From Andover, head out on the Winchester Road and turn right just over the humpback bridge before the Mayfly. Bear left for Longstock, and follow the signs once you enter the Leckford Estate. Plan your trip alongside a visit to the tranquil Longstock Water Gardens for a really nice day out.There's a limited but very well executed menu. It is a self service cafe, simply get a table number then go and order. Between four of us we had cappuccinos, milkshakes, prawn avocado rolls, a toasted sandwich, cherry scone with butter and jam, a chocolate brownie slice, and an almond slice. It was all delicious, reasonably priced, and efficiently served with attention to detail by the friendly staff.Very clean tables, crockery and cutlery. We've visited twice in the last year, and it has been a pleasure both times.The shop is well stocked. Yes it is not the cheapest place to do your grocery shop. The surroundings are lovely.

My son and I called in there for lunch the other day and were very impressed. The shop is well stocked with excellent produce and our lunch was delicious. Service was fast and the Staff extremely pleasant and friendly and we shall certainly go again.

Took family for a breakfast expecting good things after some good visits a few months back.Very disappointed, poor service, mediocre food, everything except ordering is self service. Nothing except sugar on the table and coffee and tea in paper cups. Expectation is that you clear your table using trays but the trolleys for depositing the tray was already so full , and there was nowhere to leave the trays from a large group of 9. Staff just looked at us struggling -no offer of help. Nothing more than a fancy Mac Donald's ! Only positive thing is the very attractive location. Save your fuel and go elsewhere!

Very interesting shop and garden centre with well priced, and some unusual, plants. Labelling could be improved. Staff were knowledgeable and helpful. The herbaceous borders were stunning and worth a visit just to see them. Shop was well stocked with largely quality produce.

Stumbled across this place, stunning setting, good tea and cakes. Clean tidy and pleasant surroundings. Nice nursery to look round too.

Very rarely do I write negative reviews but I see that many have beaten me to one on Leckford Farm shop.We have visited the plant centre for years and the walled garden is a real pleasure, so we were really impressed when the magnificent new structure went up to house the new cafe. A wasted resource, someone really needs to up their game. Menus reads " ok - ish " but that's about it. The food is shipped in and not made on the premises. Anyone can open a packet ! They have sandwiches on the menu with avocado and others with tomato listed as one of the ingredients. We asked if it was possible to have a tomato and avocado sandwich......... NO ! We don't have the ingredients, all food is pre made, was the reply. The last time we had a reaction like that was in the seventies when a chain restaurant said that if it wasn't on the photo, they can't make it ! Here the customer is a very low second and it's such a shame as the venue is great but the food and the general experience is sadly lacking.

Not a wide range of vegetables and what were on sale looked average at high prices. Judes Ice Cream on sale is the only saving grace. Too many push chairs within the service area and a shortage of seats. Screaming children ran everywhere and the place could do with a clean up. The staff tried hard to be friendly but it's a struggle.

as the cafe,a great location, but needs more thought and input...the range is very poor! too many jars and prepacked foods...not much evidence that it is actually supposed to be a farm shop.

We have eaten at the Leckford Farm Shop cafe quite a few times and have found that the service is consistently slow. Also, on more than one occasion, the dish we chose from the display board was unavailable. Come on, John Lewis, you can do better than this.We like the improved layout and relocation of toilet facilities and had hoped there would be some improvement in food service too, but our recent visit has proved this not to be the case. Having said that, we like the opportunity to shop for grocery items and to buy at the garden centre so I expect we'll continue to patronise the cafe.

We organised a vintage car event to finish at the cafe for cream tea with Neil, the manager and we couldn't be more delighted with how well we were received. We had ample parking for our old cars and the staff rallied round to set up tables so we could all sit together with all the cream teas waiting for us to enjoy. Nothing was too much trouble and we all agreed that the welcome we received was outstanding. Thank you to all the staff who made the day perfect.

3 of us had the delicious salad with hummus today, however one of us asked for a differnet bread, and paid extra for it. It only arrived after she already finished her salad, due to the fact that the waiter didn`t understand her complaint.The building is light and spacious, with lots of outdoor seatings.Driving through the estate is lovely, plenty of snowdrops at the moment, ample of daffodils blooming soon.

Read the reviews and thought"oh well let's give it a go". We went for a light lunch. The service was good food speedily brought to the table. Nice fresh salad with balsamic vinegar, bacon brie and chilli toasted sandwich, very tasty. Excellent coffee. It was a Monday so who knows but we could not find fault. Clean tables and surroundings.Worked for us

Garden Centre Waitress (mini) and Restaurant all in one. Food was good and plentiful and we bought trees and food too!

As other reviews suggest, this is a beautiful, rustic building in a stunning setting. I've now visited for lunch on three occasions and joined the short but very slow moving queue whilst eyeing the menu board. Whatever choice I have made has always run out so there appears to be a supply and demand issue here. On a recent chilly visit I thought I'd have a warming bowl of French onion soup but had to settle for what was left - a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich - nicely garnished with a small colourful salad, but nothing special. The coffee is okay but not of the best quality (not much of a crema layer) and not quite the perfect temperature. The Le Creuset crockery provides a farmhouse touch and various items such as coffee cups are for sale in the shop.It is a grand, airy building with exposed beams and large windows, so very difficult to heat. My goodness, I felt cold and noticed that most guests had not removed coats and jackets while they were eating. I guess that if you can scoop the sofas in front of the wood burning stove you might be able to keep warm but these had already been taken. Our bill was over £20 for three toasties and three coffees.The shop is stocked with a good meat counter and a fair selection of cheeses. They also sell a range of tempting goodies including a selection of luxury nibbles, chutneys, preserves, locally sourced seasonal fruit and veg plus local beers, wines and cider. However, you will be able to buy most of the products in your nearest Waitrose store. I've bought several good quality, reasonably priced plants in the nursery in the past.To summarise, the surroundings are great, the service is courteous but slow and if you want a choice for lunch, arrive early before it disappears. It has the potential to be so much better so let's hope for some fine tuning in the future.

Three of us went for breakfast on Saturday. Decided not to be put off by negative feed back on Trip. Huge mistake..... There was no breakfast as they were having a Christmas Bash/thing. Nothing on website to let people know. Choices were Rolls or very poor sandwiches... How can they get it so wrong. When I spoke to the manager(only been there a week speaks volumes the week before Christmas)he just appeared very despondent agreed with me the quality was shocking returned my money and assured me he would be sorting it!Fingers crossed, it would be a shame to see it fail as the setting is beautiful. Will watch this space to see when to chance another visit!!

What a find!Fabulous food and provisions as well as beautiful surroundings and ambience.The selection of food and drinks to enjoy in the café/restaurant is fabulous along with the wonderful range of high quality provisions and crafts/arts that are sold in the adjoining shop.The nursery also has a wonderful selection of high quality plants and the expertise of the staff was appreciated.Highly recommend going for a weekend Breakfast!

You cannot use your Waitrose or John Lewis loyalty card for a free coffee, but the excellent and café adjoining the farm shop is one of the most reasonably priced places to eat during the day, seven days a week. The choice of cakes, slices, and scones make make you wish you had the appetite of more than one person; generous servings compensate to some extent. It's therefore no surprise that the café has become a favourite destination of Hampshire cyclists and walkers. There's always a gluten-free polenta cake available; a variety of lunchtime offerings caters for all diets, too.As food must be ordered at the counter, a queue can build up at busy times, particularly at weekends. This is usually the fault not of the staff, who are unfailingly courteous, but of some customers who, being spoiled for choice, take a long time making up their minds what to have.In addition to a wide selection of fresh, bottled and packaged produce in the farm shop, there's also an extensive garden centre on the premises.

Visited for Sunday lunch , nearly gave up before we got there as the signage is so bad, and that was just from Leckford village. Looked lovely from the outside lovely oak framed building with a nice patio area. Suprized there was not many people there as it was a lovely sunny day. Menu is very limited for lunch it was a choice of quiche, ploughman, soup or pre filled rolls. Placed our order , and decided to have banana milk shakes , our favs, but was very disappointed when the girl just got a plastic bottle of a pre made shake , didn't even get a full glass each as not enough left in the bottle! Had to wait 20 mins for our order, and watched a young waitress wander around several times with orders looking lost, before having to take it back to another member of staff who took it straight to the correct table. Hubby said toastie was lovely, quiche was okay, but to be honest it was more like a cheese & bacon pizza. Salad it came with was a few leaves and a couple of cherry tomato's cut in half, not very extensive. We had purchased a couple of slices of cake, which looked lovely but they proved that looks can be deceiving. They were quite dry and tasteless, and the filling had too much icing sugar and little butter, making a dry inedible paste. We had decided to get another drink , but twice we went up and there was an enormous queue. Eventually managed to get served and had a hot chocolate , which looked great with cream & marshmallows, but once you got underneath the drink was so hot it scalded your mouth and was little more than watered down milk with hardly any chocolate flavouring. So disappointing, it is such a lovely location , a beautiful building but maybe needs someone to look at what service it is providing, especially as it is not cheap our meal came to over £25

Travelled to the Waitrose Farm Shop at Longstock for coffee and to buy a joint of beef. Stood at counter for a while then told by man behind other counter that he could not serve me due to cross contamination! Why could he not have 1) washed his hands 2) put on some food handling gloves or 3) stuck a fork in the joint I wanted to put in bag?As I was leaving he was behind checkout by door so is that not cross contamination? No wonder it's scores badly in reviews!

Lovely relaxing restaurant, in a great oak framed building, set in a beautiful location. I had coffee with a wonderful freshly made coffee cake. Lovely farm shop too, with lots of local produce.

It is a quiet location for those like me with hearing aids where traffic noise normally disrupts all conversation, so it was a joy to savour a light lunch sitting outside the cafe/shop in the warmth of the autumn sun.The menu is limited but the quality is good. We enjoy a ploughman's cheese board between us sometimes but the soup is always special and the brown crusty bread is the best! Food prices are reasonable, but the offerings in the farms shop are way above what you would spend in a Waitrose but the range is not what you find in Waitrose.

The management have done nothing to alleviate the waiting time for people to get served. Staff seem to run round getting nothing done. The cakes and coffee were reasonable and good, but 20 mins of my personal time was wasted.Therefore you should avoid and go into Stockbridge, plenty of places there.

We visited the farm shop and cafe for breakfast and really enjoyed it. The building and grounds were beautiful, the staff polite and helpful with a sense of humour, and the food was delicious. Most of the food on my plate had been grown on the estate, and was a reasonable price. We will definitely be returning!

we went to Leckford farm shop last week, we had a lovely coffee and light lunch, food was good, staff were very friendly and garden looks lovely at the moment. would go again.

Dear oh dear this place could be amazing but its just so bad. Miserable staff who almost throw the food at you. The food choices are plain boring and just so ridiculously expensive. Pre-made up Ham roll over £4. No mustard or butter.Asked for a cheese & onion toastie was replied "no you cant have that " although the two choices of toastie were chicken and mozzarella or tomato and mozzarella on the menu. My wife had the tomato toastie ,it was awful so she left it. Noisy tea room , long queues , all in all very poor. Its a shame because this place is in a great setting but its just a pretentious example of what a rip off tea room is. Poor service poor food massively over priced . NEVER AGAIN !

Ok, we give up.. We have been here 5 or 6 times now and, although we love the settings, the experience has been terrible. For top end prices they just can't seem to get it right. There only seems to be one coffee... Ask for a cappuccino, late, flat white they're all the same, bar the cup.. They really do need to learn how to make a cappuccino if they are going to charge top whack. Messy tables, long queues... Never again..

Exact same comments re. comments about queuing etc, shame, as we didn't expect, what seemed, total confusion.....nice decent staff though. Not their fault, back to lack of direction and management. Before you go, do check carefully the exact location, else you could get a bit frustrated. It is not in Leckford, but over the River Test in Longstock....trust me, it is not at all clear. Approaching on the quiet road leading towards the place, we came across a lot of parked cars and a man in the road pointing to the entrance. When we walked the short way to the entrance it turned out that this was not the farm shop at all, but the Water Gardens, (£6 each!) All owned by Waitrose but not at all well signposted. ....fair do's, you can walk up to the farm shop, but it is not their '10 minutes!'. Just carry on driving up the road, and with luck, with your glasses on, you should find it ! Would we go again ? Definitely.

The food is good, although slightly on the expensive side but not enough to put you off. However, what will put you off is their grossly inefficient system at the till. The queues are always long and your patience will be tested too the limit as you wonder why the service behind the counter is so slow.It's a real shame because the place is nice and the unbelievably long wait to be served is totally unnecessary. They really need to take advice on this as their reputation for slow service is growing.

We visited for afternoon tea after enjoying the Longstock Water Gardens. You can walk there from the Gardens' car park, but we drove. Since a previous visit, the restaurant and farm shop has been built and the car parking situation has been improved tremendously. It's possible now to picnic by your car in the grassy area of the car park, but we didn't know this and parked in the shade under the trees by the long drive to the garden centre as we had done in the past.After we'd had a look round the garden centre, I popped into the farm shop for a bottle of water to take around the Water Gardens. Being a "Farm Shop", they only had posh really heavy glass bottles of water. I bought an expensive plastic bottle of flavoured fruit drink, loaded with sugar. They should get real.It was a very hot day and we couldn't find a table outside - but there were no sun shades anyway. All the doors were open, but it was still stifling inside. It was ultra busy. The staff looked hot and tired and the queue was long. My husband almost lost the will to live, just wanting a cup of tea. The le Creuset teapots and cups are very classy when the tea finally comes.I think that the restaurant is a victim of its own popularity on Water Garden opening days and should rethink to accomodate the number of visitors more comfortably, perhaps installing some ceiling fans for hot days. It's also very noisy.Just a note about the garden centre - many of the plants looked tired and pot bound, some full of weeds.

We stopped off here for a coffee only whilst visiting the Leckford garden centre. We enjoyed the best latte! We resisted cakes, scones, etc.only because we had not long eaten breakfast but we will return! The Farm Shop has a fantastic array of fine foods, many local and organic. Super barn building, light and airy with lots of seating.

If you like Waitrose, you will love this farm shop. The staff are very helpful and friendly. The plant nursery is also a lovely place to look around, in picturesque surroundings. Whether you have a lunch or afternoon tea, the Farm Shop is a good place to meet friends and family.

I have been here on several occasions for breakfast and coffee and cake. I do think it is a pretty building but I don't like the cafeteria style queuing, paying and then find a seat. I know this is standard for John Lewis but I do think they are missing a trick here. I personally don't want to queue up each time I want another drink. There are several lovely places in the area to have tea and cake which offer waitress service and I do think John Lewis should consider this here.My other bug bears are dirty tables and centrally collected knives and forks. I want my cutlery bought to the table with my food and I also want to sit at a table which is not littered with other peoples left over plates! The staff here are lovely (but more are needed) and this review is not aimed at them but I think the restaurant just needs a bit of an tweak to get the service and experience bit right.

Friendly atmosphere, delicious cream tea, fresh food. High Waitrose standard. They also serve lunch & attached to the restaurant Waitrose food can be bought. Set next to a working nursery & abundance of trees, shrubs etc for sale.

Been here a few times,loads of parking.Staff in the farm shop are great and know what they're selling.The staff in the coffee shop need a little more training,but they are helpful and a happy bunch.Good tea and great coffee,also wonderful cakes.

Mouth watering scones straight from the oven! Delicious!It was very busy on MayDay Bank Holiday Monday, but the staff were doing a fabulous job keeping the queue moving as fast as possible and clearing the tables. I had taken my mother to the Garden Centre, and we decided to stop for a light bite - so pleased that we did.

I have probably eaten here about eight times since it opened. The success of it visit has just depended on the length of the queue. Sometimes we have been extremely fortunate and there has been no queue, other times we have been less fortunate. I do agree with the previous reviewers regarding the tables which are not cleared quickly - really the staff have to start addressing this as it is very off-putting. I like the menu - ploughmans, toasted sandwiches, soup, roasted vegetable salad etc and wonderful cakes and scones. Prices are very reasonable. However I would like the afternoon tea to begin earlier than 3.30pm. Usually we are driving out of Stockbridge between 2.30pm and 3pm and it would be very nice if afternoon tea started around that time. It is particularly irritating to have to join the main queue if you are only wanting another cup of tea or coffee - it would be super if something could be arranged for those people only wanting another drink. Since it opened last year, I believe that it only has 2-3 highchairs. The manager told me last year that they were waiting for more highchairs to arrive. These do not seem to have arrived and so it is very unfortunate for the people who arrive with children and the 2-3 chairs have already been taken. Please do get this sorted. Overall, I like the food here, the spacious building and the atmosphere, and plan to return regularly.

I have to agree, I have been here several times and although the premises are wonderful the cafe itself needs management. Service is slow, tables are not cleared and nobody is running the show. This could be a great facility but at the moment it is not.

This facility is relatively new, a farm shop selling local produce and a restaurant/cafe adjoining. The establishment is owned and operated by the John Lewis Partnership. With the latter in mind one could expect better from this lovely facility, however on arrival you immediately spot the tables full of dirty crockery and hunt for a clean table to sit at. You join the small que at the servery where the service is both slow and of the standard offered at a motorway service station.The staff appear to have been trained at a layby van type operation working at a pace that would not look out of place at an old peoples nursing home or the hospital tea trolly run type of establishment.The lovely sponge cakes whilst looking very inviting were uncovered , not great. The coffee was made and presented by someone who was clearly trained to be a cement mixer operative and not a barista!.This is a great facility but is totally lacking any day to day management, the staff clearly need constant direction for example when not serving clear some tables! I have used this establishment on a number of occasions now and have suffered the same experience each time. What confuses me is that often there is a member of the management team to be seen on the premises either in a meeting or showing someone around the facility, why on earth can they not see what is in front of their eyes!! I would be so embarrased to show someone around such a shambles of an establishment. I do so love to praise a well run establishment but oh dear this place appears beyond repair.A quick look around the shop you see that most fresh items (bread etc) always appear to be on offer at half price, this is probably a good indicator that the shop is as well managed as the cafe!!!.Come on John Lewis surely you are able to do better than this for goodness sake! I have given up on you now my blood pressure just cannot stand another experice of this great facility that provides awful levels of service.