Mulberry & Thyme in West Berkshire

I grew up in Chieveley and was back visiting my parents with my partner on 5th Nov. Hearing that the garden centre had had a new extension we thought we’d drop in. My partner said he fancied something savoury so we dropped in at the restaurant in the older part of the garden centre. We ordered and got sat down, I then went off to use the loo and found another lady in there wondering around and she said there was no loo roll in any of the cubicles. She had managed to get some from the disabled loo and shared it with me. I then told one of the members of staff with a trolley that there was no loo roll and she said she wasn’t sure if it was ‘their’ responsibility. And walked off to check. She then came back to our table to tell me that as she thought ‘they’ don’t have access which I assume she meant rosemary and thyme - at this point our hot roof had arrived - she then told me how they don’t have a key for the cupboard and can’t get to the loo rolls and that I would have to go and tell the staff in the new section as it’s their responsibility…. That would have meant me leaving my coffee and hot food - going out in the rain walking across the carpark through the new bit to find someone to tell….And I thought ok maybe you don’t have a key but how ridiculous to expect a paying customer who just sat down with hot food to go and tell another member it staff?!!! The lady should have just gone over and told the other section when I first told her. Also being a morning and for there to be no loo roll in what looked like 4+ cubicles and not checked before opening for business that day when you’re serving food and drink is just not on. Cost of living makes you really question where you spend on food and drink / treats. It’s just so disappointing.

We ordered to large breakfasts for £9.99 each , had a bit of a wait although it was quiet .The eggs were over cooked ,my toast was burnt (turned up side down so I would not notice , very greasy ) . It would have been ok if had been cooked right .

Came here recently with some friends for lunch, tasty food, I had the coronation chicken jacket potato it was very nice would have again. Bit pricy but understandable. Good service too was not waiting very long either.

Had the fish & chips was absolutely lovely, staff are friendly and helpful. Good place to come when eating out for lunch, would recommend.

Had a lovely Lunch at Hillier’s Newbury. Food all serviced in quick time, and the team were so friendly and helpfully. A pleasant place to spend the afternoon.

Very disappointed particularly in menu. In the past I have had some excellent main meals here. Now the menu is very poor leaving me with just the fish and chip option. My wife risked the cottage pie but was not impressed as she felt it was tasteless. At one time they did a first class beefburger and also a macaroni cheese. Alas no more. We will not be in a hurry to go back.

Absolutely dreadful, unattentive staff, cold food served and served a cheese and beans jacket potato with literally a teaspoon of cheese, my mum*s potato was also cold, sent back to receive another cold potato. Staff hanging around in the kitchen talking amongst themselves, will not be going back.

Really disappointed with the quality of food, We ordered a brie and cranberry and a brie and bacon focaccia, Couldn't find the brie apart from some of the edges so it was mainly a warm cranberry sandwich, The bread was so hard we struggled to cut it, The bacon and brie did have the added extra of toasted melted cheddar on one side which im guessing is where the panini press wasnt cleaned after a previous sandwich? This is the first review I've ever left and i do feel bad it being a bad one, But this was my mums birthday lunch and at £7.99 for each sandwich i expected better and left hungry and disappointed.. The staff however were lovely and very polite.

Why do they remove everything from the menu which people enjoy. Used to love the macaroni cheese and original chilli con carne but all now disappeared. Lunched with friends recently who couldn't find anything appealing on the menu so they ended up with scones. I have tried the new chilli jackets and spiced Moroccan cauliflower but both unappetising and poor quality. Focaccia just about OK Restaurant ambiance appealing so just need to get the food right. Prices now similar to local pubs so a better bet is to head to one of those or for a better garden centre lunch head to Yew Tree Garden Centre at Ball Hill.

The Full English is excellent and does not take too long to arrive. The coffee (Latte) is also very nice.

Absolutely rude staff in the restaurant and it wasn't even busy. We were regular customers and have seen this place deteriorate since thatcham garden centre got revamped We won't bother again until something positive happens

Quality seems to go up and down here. Get used to some tasty dishes and then they disappear off the menu. Current summer menu very average and the fish n chips are definitely of much poorer quality than they used to be. Price also similar to some local pubs so deciding whether or not to visit is now a difficult decision. Café has nice ambience and alfresco dining a nice option

Paninis almost cremated and our favourite macaroni cheese disappeared from menu choices Previous to today’s meal I wholly recommended this cafe but this food should not have left the kitchen

Went here for lunch and was looking forward to the Festive Cob, which in previous years was great! Not sure what has happened, but it was nothing like previous years. The cob roll itself was nice, but the turkey was a huge chunky slice of reconstituted meat (if you can call it that). It was inedible and I had to remove it from the cob. The sausages were anaemic and not something I would even feed to my dog , if I had one! The only redeeming feature was the stuffing and cranberry sauce. Complete waste of £25, with coffee. Normally I would have complained, but due to time constraints I did not. It’s a shame, as the restaurant is in a nice setting and the staff are lovely. Definitely will not be returning anytime soon.

If you want to go out to eat and are a bit worried about safety from coronavirus then this is your answer. A member of staff waits at the entrance of the garden centre with sanitiser. there is a one way system thoughout the centre and even when you get to the cafe. more hand sanitising and a roped off queuing system. there are huge screens which protect you from the serving staff who take your order. PLUS they wear masks and gloves. you pay contactless and the cashier moves away as you pay. they bring your food to a table but put it down on a tray at a nearby unused table and you pick it up from there. This was my first time out and i felt completely safe. Lovely friendly people too. Nice outdoor seating area. We had bacon sandwiches which were generously filled and had coffee and cake too! the cake selection is terrific. I have since been to 2 "proper" restaurants" and walked out of one because its procedures were non existant. the other was at a pub. in neither did the staff take any safety precautions. they should visit this restaurant to learn how to do it properly

We had a Hillier's great British breakfast, sorry to say that we will not be eating at the Hermitage restaurant again. The plates were stone cold as was the bacon, the tomato and the fried eggs were virtually uncooked and uneatable and the mushrooms burnt. We left most of it and left quickly in order to prevent making a scene. Come on Hillier's you can do much better than this !!!

My friends and I frequently go here for Sunday lunch and always find the food very good and the staff friendly and welcoming.

I was hoping for a late lunch (2.45). On requesting a menu I was given two options the rotating screen or 'they are down there' at the front of the queue by the till. The rotating screen takes ages to get back to what caught my eye amd pushing across the queue would be annoying. Food a bit pricy.So we went for scones. Slow to serve and queues. The tiny jam was 80p.which we thought pushed it giving the cakes weren't cheap.It appeared about ten tables were uncleared so as mum couldn't walk far we were forced to sit near the loos and look at it the dirty tables the entire visit.

Called in here on a whim and were pleased to get a table on a Sunday. We didn't want a full roast dinner, although other people's looked very nice with huge portions and fresh, steaming vegetables. Two of our group had the 'soup of the day' (carrot and coriander) - this was delicious and beautifully presented with a tasty, warm soda-bread roll. We paid over £2 extra for cheese and pickle which was a piece of cheese and a tiny pot of Branston pickle so we were a little disappointed. Another member of our group had a toasted sandwich - 'real' bread with thick sliced ham, tasty cheese and a generous dressed salad garnish. We also had coffees which were hot and hit the spot. Prices were rather high overall but comparable to similar cafes. Our only critisicism would be the long wait for our food (over 25 minutes).

A birthday breakfast trip on a lovely summer's day. Having eaten here before I was looking forward to a nice breakfast treat. The experience was somewhat disappointing sadly. The breakfast menu is somewhat vague. A couple of options are available but no list of items included for each.Not feeling in the mood to try and decide exactly what items we wanted we opted for a simple choice of egg on toast and a sausage sandwich. The service was polite and prompt. The food on the other hand not so nice. Sausages reheated in a microwave have a tendancy to dry out and I was soon to discover tough dried out ends on every one of them in my sandwich. I wont be in a hurry to come back here I'm afraid.

This review relates to the quality of the fish and chips at Mulberry & Thyme. The best I've tasted in the surrounding area and now the feature of a regular visit. Great fish, great batter and perfect chips.Only downside is I usually run out of tartare sauce !!!! My wife's ham egg and chips looked equally as good.

I use this restaurant more regularly than I really want to because the Garden Centre is quite local to me. However I always come away with something that has irritated me. It is almost impossible to get a HOT coffee. The ‘Barrister’ will argue that his coffees are hot enough but they are not, and when I order an extra hot coffee that is what I expect, not one that is so tepid I can down it in one! The service is slow. The cakes are great but it must be the only place I know that still does not do fresh Gluten Free cakes. Their excuse is that their cakes are on display for self service. So what? What is to stop them making some GF cakes that have to be served instead of the pathetic tumbler of pre-packed cakes they provide.This is a large Restaurant which does not seem to be able to handle the volume and that is where their problems lie. It really lets the GC down. Still, one consolation, it doesn’t appear to be as bad as Hilliers, Bath!!

Not suitable for any one with walking difficulties as ythe entrance to cafe is right through garden centre only exit from cafe is near car park. Breakfast was not cheap for what you got

Good choice of snacks freshly prepared. Good quality and price. I had the ploughman's lunch and couldn't finish it.

We stopped by for a sandwich before Christmas we ordered 2 cheese & pickle sandwiches, the cost £6 each, what a rip-off. Processed bread, paper thin slices of tasteless processed cheese and far to much pickle, the side salad was a joke a small lettuce leaf, a cherry tomato cut in half and a slice of cucumber with a drizzle of dressing.I won’t be eating there again, service not great.

Very disappointed with the breakfast and service. Visited today to have breakfast before I started work. I have many allergies and they were unable to cater for any of them. The breakfast is too expensive for what it is. My sister ordered the traditional breakfast which consists of toast, a single rasher of bacon, 2 sausages that taste and look like they are out of a tin and an over cooked egg. I ordered the sausage and egg sandwich. Being allergic to dairy and eggs, I asked whether I could swap the egg for more bacon or a sausage. However, was rudely told that I’d have to pay more to do this because they wouldn’t swap an egg for meat. After ordering, one of the waiters came over and told me that all there bread had dairy in which I find hard to believe. The one thing a coffee shop should do right is the coffee, unfortunately that was a no from me too. It was watery and lukewarm. All in all, worst breakfast I have ever had. Waiters were rude, breakfast was overpriced and the food was disgusting. I’d go elsewhere and you’d probably get better quality food and pay less!!

A friend took me there for lunch last week. The food was good and the prices were reasonable - some cafeterias in garden centres can be quite expensive. The service was quick. I was impressed and will go back there.

Smart cafe with lovely indoor and outdoor seating. Rattan tables with parasols outside. Urban chic inside. Lots of seating so it must get busy at weekends. Ate breakfast here while waiting for my car to be cleaned. Delicious egg and bacon roll in sour dough. If you are a cake fan then there was an extensive range of delicious cakes pastries on offer . (Good to see them covered over for a change ) A lovely way to spend some time after looking/buying some plants. Recommended

Had a very good quality breakfast if a little pricey. Good quality ingrediants cooked well in pleasant surroundings. Very much enjoyed it.

Our last two visits have been OK here, very pleasant cafe ambience and good for a coffee or lunchtime sandwich. although on the pricy side.

Waited in a long queue for food whilst staff involved in drinks - after 15 minutes it was my time to be served and i found the staff very short probably very stressed - the whole experience felt like a conveyor belt. Food finally arrived - baked potatoes cold and burning hot - each mouthful different. Taste was ok until a hair was found in the food - that was the finish! Thought kitchen staff had to wear protective clothes to prevent this - left the meal half eaten - won't be returning!

Agree with some comments in other posts.

Nice decor and comfortable seating but a half hour wait for two toasted sandwiches is unacceptable.

This is just around the corner from us and would provide sanctuary from people yelling into mobile phones and staring at smart phones as i falls into a reception free zone for all networks! My wife has since found the wifi so normal service has resumed :)

The company that own it call this a restaurant, but sionce it doesn't open in the evenings that's a bit of a misnomer. It's a good cafe, though, with nice cakes to go with coffees after you've been routed through the entire garden centre.