Poppies Cafe in Test Valley

I am certainly not surprised they are having to close. Family & friends have frequented here on more occasions than I can recall, consequently spending a vast amount of money. As seen in other reviews, we too experienced Roger's totally unjustified anger issues, this was witnessed by many who, after he had reduced us to tears, shared how they too had seen standards drop, staff being treated poorly as well as several having been on the end of his temper. I definitely think retirement is the best thing for all as it will enable Roger time to seek help for his anger issues and maybe his wife will be able to find her smile that left years ago. As is clear from previous comments, he will never accept any responsibility

My daughter and I came for pottery painting and it was great so much choice we like that you can have food and drink and ice cream if you want while your painting or decoupage

I work with an eighty year old disabled man who has a head injury as a result of an rta. He also has early onset dementia. As a result of this at times his behaviour can be a little innaprppriate. He will try to talk to the staff and customers and is often confusing to talk to. On occasion he may make the odd innaprpriate comment but he usually tells all the ladies how lovely they are. I used to take this gentleman and his elderly next door neighbour there weekly. I wore a visible lanyard with his photo on it denoting that he is disabled. Unfortunatley i have found the staff there to be snooty and standoffish. There were times where the staff have swept up around our chairs not long after they had just served us our tea and cakes giving us the impression that they wanted us to hurry up and leave! Whilst i appreciate that staff are busy and have a job to do, i found that compared to other garden centre-tea rooms we visit such as Garsons, Silversprings or Tichfield abby where the staff are not only frienlier and warmer in nature, on many occasions they welcome him by name. There was little to no attempt at engagement with him his elderly neighbour or for that matter me at Poppys cafe. Unfortunately for this gentleman It dosent matter anymore as on arrival at work yesterday i was informed that the manager at Poppies had taken the decision to ban him due to an (incident) after another member of staff had taken him and his neighbour there. It's a shame as this gentleman enjoyed going there despite the staff's attitude and he finds it difficult to understand why he is no longer allowed to go. I for one though am happy as we can now go to places that actually value our custom and are a little more understanding of people with a disability.

My family absolutely loves Poppies! We come here all the time and the kids have so much fun being crafty and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. We have had birthday parties, trips with grandparents and friends here and always had a brilliant time. The cafe always has delicious treats and the garden centre a fantastic verity of plants. 100% recommend

I visited with my mum to do some pottery and we had coffee and cake afterwards. Staff in both were extremely helpful. The pottery was fun and great value. The cake was enormous and delicious and was very reasonably priced. We will be having lunch next time!

Excellent breakfast at Poppies. Staff were friendly and very helpful. Always enjoy our visits here and know a lot of people who love this venue.

We were regularly visitors for over 10 years. Use to call in on our journey to Dorset and we always enjoyed the experience in the cafe. We referred to it in the past tense as after our final visit we shall never ever return again. The cafe was not particular busy although we were told that they had taken ‘pre -orders’ and that the wait would be 30 mins. We didn’t mind however after an hour we didn’t receive our food (just sandwiches) we said we would like a refund as we had to go. After speaking to the owner to make him aware what was going on, he just flew into a rage and was very frightening experience. As an elderly couple we were shaken by the ordeal. This has made us sad as we have had many lovely times there. If you are looking for somewhere to eat there are much calmer venues in Romsey. The owner needs to get some help with whatever issues he has that has triggered this very aggressive outburst.

Always good food very friendly and like the fact that there is the ice cream parlour and pottery painting alongside good prices would recommend

My in-laws take my boys here regularly to do the pottery and must have spent a fair bit over the years. After paying earlier today they got told that "it would be helpful if you could use less paint next time". Charming

Went with some family, had some amazing ice cream which was plum flavoured, very unique and tasty. Give huge slices of cake in the cafe, made with the best ingredients, very good. Staff are very overworked, resulting in a longer waiting time for food. Staff are very competent and deal well with the conditions of a very busy cafe/ crafts area, along with customers who refuse to leave on time. Overall the staff there are great, just need a bit more confidence to stand up for themselves!

Visited with my mum and son on a weekend. We were sadly there at the same time as a large party so feed was a little slow but the staff kept us updated and apologetic. There is a lovely garden center and craft center there too whcih are worth stopping in for. Recommended

Lovely service. Coffee and shortbread was the choice for me today. Arrived quickly and good value for money. Oh, and had an ice cream the day before - even better!!

Looking for plants on Sunday, my husband and my granddaughter arrived at the GC to find a great selection of plants to purchase. We were also very impressed with the food. I had the very best coffee cake that I have ever had. My husband was hugely impressed with his breakfast as well. Marvellous. Well done to the cook, gardeners lovely polite servers. A credit to the owner. We will be back and have passed on our experience to friends and family.

I always have a cheese scone at Poppies, but no longer. I have had two recently and they are just not the same. They were always so fresh, large and cheesy. None of this applies now, a great shame.

We regularly visit Poppy’s Cafe as my children love the crafts. We always have such a lovely experience in the crafting room. The staff are so friendly and helpful as well as knowledgeable about the decoupage and ceramic painting. However, the cafe is not as welcoming. The staff are rude and blunt. When mistakes are made, there is no acknowledgement or apology, instead just eye rolling. The last visit I ordered my daughter a ham sandwich with no butter or cheese and was given a cheese sandwich with butter, no ham - not the end of the world, granted, but the drama it caused when I asked them to change it because it wasn’t what I ordered blew my mind. I think the staff don’t want to be there. It’s very sad. Next visit, I just won’t visit the cafe and will stay in the craft room.

Came in with my son for a quick bite while my daughter and niece did some crafts, we ordered the soup of the day and a full english, lovely staff, not bad prices, taken 1 star off for no beans on the full english, we should have asked but didn’t even think until it came out without any and the bread roll with the soup was rock hard, both plates of food apart from the bread rolls were of good quality and made from scratch.

I was really surprised to read a negative review about Poppies cafe. My husband and I love coming here. The staff are really friendly and helpful and the homemade cakes are brilliant. Visiting for lunch is a real treat whether we have a panini, cooked breakfast or the cottage pie or lasagne that are back on the menu. During the first few weeks after lockdown, this was one of the few places we felt safe visiting. Thank you to Roger and all the staff for a lovely welcoming atmosphere!

Called in here with my Dad for lunch, sadly the lovely girl who used to be serving wasn't there. Instead the girl at the counter was not very helpful and it seemed she would rather be somewhere else. We both ordered Jacket potatoes which took ages to arrive and were not cooked, being hard and lumpy and the beans were luke warm. I wanted to call the girl over but my Dad didn't want to cause a scene. There was a man who kept coming in from the kitchen and who was looking for something banging the drawers and cupboard doors. It just wasn't nice. We left most of the food and went. Thankfully we were lucky to get better food else where. . Since then we have heard from others that the place has gone down hill. It is not a restaurant just a cafe.

Quaint little cafe. I would recommend a visit. The teacakes are divine. Very welcome at the end of the daym

Badly organised from a Covid perspective ! No monitoring of number of people entering the cafe vs the tables available.No one monitoring scanning of Covid track and trace. No social distancing in the queue as no floor markings and the queue closely snaking around the tables. Would have expected table service during this time. 1hr 20mins wait on food which we were not made aware of at time of ordering. No jacket potatoes at 12.10 Unfortunately we had no choice not to stay as we had young starving children and had already waited an hour. Perhaps a review of processes is required. Certainly wouldn’t visit again during school hols as I felt unhappy with the level of Covid safety in place given the number of people there.

Used covid q code, still was asked for contact details. One member of staff wore a mask to talk to a friend within the restuaunt then took it off to join other staff back of house!? After ordering waited thirty minutes to be told there was no soup left! All day breakfast took fourty minutes to arrive!

Always a great place for kids. Staff are friendly and very professional and accommodating, they helped us to do baby footprints and pottery painting. Lovely cafe attached with delicious home made cakes. We were very impressed and will be back.

Cafe is re-opened and I am delighted as its one of my favourite places. The usual menu and friendly servie. Only thing missing (hopefully not for long) are the magazines..

Very popular (deservedly) cafe and childrens entertainment destination.Also, very good refreshment venue for cyclists (Good cycle parking thro, the plant sales area), with excellent pots of good tea, lovely homemade cakes & scones, and hot meals/snacks also available.Friendly staff, good car parking, and a family run venue worth a visit !

Came here for coffee on Saturday. Cafe wasn’t full but they did have a huge table of cyclists. It’s a great stop for after cycling (or running as we were). Service was friendly and quick (although we only had drinks). I have been before and their cakes are lovely too!

Only breakfast listed on blackboard was 'Full English Breakfast ' £6.95.We ordered 1 each of these and a tea each.Breakfast consisted of 1 sausage, 2 bacon, 1 fried egg, 2 grilled tomato halves, mushrooms, a slice of black pudding and 2 slices of toast. I would have expected beans and hash brown and not the black pudding. PositivesVery good sausage, bacon and mushrooms. Negatives I personally do not like black pudding so left it.Egg was overcooked and hard.They forgot to bring the toast. Definitely needed beans.Table for 2 very small, we had big teapot, 2 cups on saucers, milk jug, 2 plates of food, 2 plates of toast and condiments and no room at all.I think they should list the breakfast items and then people could swap items or not have them just to leave and waste.In my view not a 'full' English breakfast.

Popped in for a quick sandwich.... told there was a 10minute wait... ok. We waited over half an hour for our sandwich and panini. When we asked what had happened to our food we were told there was one order before ours, no apology. We were told there was only 1 "chef", but there were 3 people in the kitchen, and anyway the food would not really be described as that which requires "cheffing". They offered us a piece of cake which we thought was a goodwill gesture, until they said they'd refund the difference. The server just kept repeating that it wasn't her fault! Which we acknowledged it wasn't, but there appeared to be no-one taking charge at all! When mine came it was without the promised crisps and there was more surliness as someone went and got some from a store cupboard. We chose this place as we thought it would be quicker than a Sunday roast!.... roast next time! The food itself was fine. The environment is nice for children, but there is a sign telling you to make sure they behave.... which of course would be fine as long as the food comes reasonably quickly. I certainly wouldn't expect my hungry kids to wait patiently for over half an hour! Good selection of magazines to browse. No phone signal or Wi-Fi.

Visited here for lunch on Saturday, been several times before and always had a nice lunch. They took our order just fine but then we waited 50 mins for a jacket potato and a bowl of soup. No explanation was given for the delay and they just didn't seem to care. There was a party of about 8-10 adults and children so I guess they were doing theirs first but there only appeared to be one cook in the kitchen. If they had only said that there would be a wait when we ordered it would have been fine as at least we could have made a decision. As it was we were meeting friends at 3pm and so we ended up rushing the food (when it eventually arrived) and were still late. Was just such a shame as previously its been enjoyable and even someone bothering to come and say sorry, or offer an explanation, or a complimentary cup of tea would have made all the difference. Their utter indifference is whats really put us off going back

I love this craft cafe and normally visit at least once a month. The food is great and reasonably priced but the craft room is the highlight! The choice between painting pottery or decoparpe allows hours to be passed with food being brought to you whilst you craft. What you create is yours to take home, though pottery does take a week or two to be put through the kiln...

One of my favourite places to stop in for lunch on my own (equally nice with the family in tow!). Really nice food, friendly staff, magazines to read whilst waiting and cake or icecream to finish. Bliss.

Convenient to get at, ample parking, home cooked food, very good....average prices..also has an ice cream shop!

My wife & I went here to have lunch, the food was well cooked & fresh, service & atmosphere was great.

Poppies is a great little gem. Popped in with our dogs, although not allowed in the cafe there is a covered seating area outside. We just had a pot of tea for two and a slice of lemon cake and chocolate cake both absolutely delicious. Staff warm and welcoming. There was a children’s party going on in the pottery section and they looked like they were having a great time.

Wet rainy day , decided to try the arts and crafts area. Busy as it was half term , lots of kids and families enjoying themselves. Managed to get a table , great 2 hours building , painting and crafting. Cafe has wide selection of wonderful cakes etc. you can bring your tea/ coffee/ cakes into the craft area. Strongly recommend a visit.

What a gem of a place. We spent a couple of hours in the pottery as part of my daughter's 40th birthday celebrations. Then 15 of us descended on the cafe for lunch at short notice (one of whom was in a wheelchair). The service was absolutely brilliant, nothing was too much trouble for them and they even allowed us to take our own birthday cake and supplied plates, knife, slice and forks at no extra cost. we will certainly go again and shall be recommending it to friends and family. Thanks to everyone and hope all staff enjoy a peaceful Christmas.

I can highly recommend the all day breakfast baguette. Absolutely delicious, it had bacon,egg,tomato and mushrooms; I hope that I haven’t forgotten anything?!

Poppies is a popular place for people of all ages. I organise a coffee morning here, on a fairly regular basis. Some staff are more pleasant than others and they often run out of basics such as their amazing cheese scones!!) But, it's a great place for groups, couples and families.

Stopped bye on a recce to see if our grandchilren would like a visit to the studio , and yes we believe they would. Also visited the cafe. Nice friendly smill & greeting. Good coffee and cake. Will be back soon

I come here often to do some pottery painting and treat myself to a slice of the cafes delicious homemade cakes, but on this occasion I decided to have lunch too!

We went for a couple of hours on one of her school closure days. She painted a pottery figure and I did a decoupage letter E for her sister. The room is very well organised, the staff friendly and helpful with no pressure to decide what to do. We had a great morning ending up with a delicious ice cream for my granddaughter.

Don’t get me wrong it’s a nice cafe for its size but it’s also old. The followers in the wall make it seem like it’s to childish. There’s no service at the place of location so it would be advised to have WiFi here. I have spoken to the staff about this 2 years ago and nothing. This cafe will be closing soon unless it has a revamp. The staff are amazing and I wouldn’t want them to go out of business.

Excellent food for a cafe, variety and well

A black man served me was great. Please bring him back. WIll return soon with more money and i want to request more food on your great menu.

We have visited Poppies a few times now. We have painted various items at the craft centre and the kids always have had a great time. We have also eaten in the cafe a number of times and food is lovely.

Really had a wonderful morning here - we completely lost 3 hours deco patching and painting pottery. Would highly recommend and we will definitely be returning soon!

I discovered this cafe very recently- and now I can’t keep away!! The cakes are homemade and absolutely lovely. Fresh, moist and tasty.

Visited with my 8 year old daughter who wanted to do some ‘deco patching’.

Whether it's for a light lunch or coffee and cake, this is a simply splendid tea room, well worth a visit.

I have been going to this cafe for a few years. The food is fairly good, the scones are excellent. I like the way the staff are prepared to tell off the occasional child who is running around and its mother is trying her best to pretend it isn't happening. Not safe, ladies, in a room where staff are carrying trays of food!

We decided to go here yesterday as trips here before seemed always were very enjoyable. Lots of bits to create to do with Christmas here (decopatch and pottery). A range of colours and papers and also painting tools. There's lovely shop next door with lovely...

We have not stopped here for bfast or lunch before as we usually go to romsey for shopping and food . We will be stopping again as the food was really lovely and fresh. Nice clean restaurant and a lovely ice cream parlour selling homemade ice cream as well.

Visited an independent Choice plants garden centre just outside of Romsey on the way to Andover only to discover Poppies cafe too + a homemade ice cream parlour on the side !

Really disappointed by the attitude of the staff here. The lady with the Grey hair (wasn't made aware of her name) couldn't have been more rude if she tried! Very short when explaining things (especially to the children) there is being direct & then there is being rude! Who tells a child off in front of their mother? Not impressed, not a please or thank you when asking for our details. Manners cost nothing, this lady is clearly in the wrong job.

Me and my family went to do arts and crafts at poppies today (30.08.17) Immediately on arrival we had the pleasure of dealing with a very misrable lady (Wearing glasses a peach jumper and beige trousers with chin length grey/brown hair) unfortunately I did not get her name! Firstly my mother was speaking to my cousin about the paper she could use for her model and this woman said "If you let me finish, I will explain!" (She hadn't even started..) 1st strike.

Me pasó por aquí para un desayuno tarde mientras matando el tiempo. El restaurante cafetería/está contiguo al centro del jardín, y era bastante atareado antes del almuerzo. El interior es luminoso, limpio y acogedor, y el personal amable.

A menudo nos visita para un almuerzo ligero y, lo más importante, los fabulosos pasteles esponja suaves. Textura y sabor perfecto. El limón o naranja es la mejor. Se recomienda baguettes y sopa. Los alrededores son sin pretensiones, pero agradable.

Lovely setting within a very busy independent garden centre.Friendly service - reasonable prices - home cooked & worth waiting for.Clean , tidy & lots of choice

We had been here beforre for coffee and cake, but decided to call in for breakfast. Wish we had stuck to a scone and coffee. Service was good, the young staff were polite and efficient as usual. Shame couldn't be said for the chef. The 2 cooked breakfasts we had were nearly £7 each so average cost, but were Of poor quality, the egg was all white and a tiny bit of dried up yolk. Bacon, sausage, poor quality black pudding, 2 halves of cooked tomato, and so many greasy mushrooms thrown on top completed the dish. Not the best quality ever - won't go back for breakfast

This was my first visit to Poppies as I wanted to get my babies footprints done. On arrival I was told there was nobody available to do them as they were out at a toddler group. Might be handy if this information was advertised on the website to avoid people with young children having to make a wasted journey. To top it off the attitude of the staff member who dealt with me made me feel as if I was an inconvenience being there in the first place - not particularly friendly and seemingly not interested in my custom. Shame really as the place has great potential but I won't be returning unfortunately.

Have visited Poppies a couple of times if you pick the right time you can hear your self speak and eat food which is home made and not of the plastic variety. Food is served so you do not have to stand waiting for it, person who served us was good but could do with a smile which is a minor point. Its on the list for taking grandchildren.

Daddy & daughter day with my 7 year old, Poppies was ideal. Craft room has a great selection of pottery to select and decorate in a perfect environment for kids. The selected rabbit was painted whilst we had drinks and shortbread from the cafe and one my daughter was happy with her work, she handed it over to be fired and collected in a few days. All that concentration built up an appetite for lunch, so off to the cafe. Kids baked potato and bacon & Brie toasted were served by very friendly young staff and very tasty, so polished off quickly. Great place to kill a couple of hours with kids, so much fun that she even passed on the ice cream (I'm sure that won't happen when bunny is collected)!

I come to do crafts here but the cafe has been great the last few visits. I've had baguettes, toasted sandwiches and paninis, the full English and baked potatoes they have all been tasty and service has been good. They also serve a range of homemade cakes that go down nicely with the tea or coffee.

Poppies can be very busy at popular times but the food is home cooked and portions are usually large. There is a craft centre which can be booked for children's parties and a garden centre on the site. Poppies serves homely favourites, such as shepherd's pie, soups, sandwiches, baked potatoes, salad, as well as cakes, tea, coffee etc. High chairs are available.

Poppies a lovely cafe. An ice cream parlour and craft studio are also on the site together with an excellent garden centre.

I went with a friend (Poppies was recommended to her by a friend) and our babies to make Christmas decorations for our babies' first Christmas. My son is undergoing chemotherapy and it was our first trip out in a while so we were really looking forward to it. We were made to feel welcome when we first came in and we were impressed with the choice of items and reasonable prices. When the member of staff came to help us it became pretty clear very quickly that we were, or at least made to feel, a burden to her. When doing the handprints of one of the babies she made noises of exasperation making us feel uncomfortable and that we/the babies were doing something wrong. She made it very obvious that she is fed up with Christmas and helping with projects like the one we were doing. I understood her point completely about it being difficult to do handprints with babies but it was the manner with which we were treated that made us feel uncomfortable and that we were a burden. It was a real shame as I'd really been looking forward to it. Perhaps if we'd gone in to do something not related to the babies we may have received different treatment and enjoyed our experience more. Looking round the room others seem to be having a great time so I'm sure our experience is not always the case. I, personally found the service at the Crockery Barn in Eastleigh much better and will be going there in future.

A fantastic place to rest and relax. Pick your craft, staff so helpful to advise you, nothing is too hard. We certainly were not disappointed in any way, and we have been going there for years.

I have been visiting Poppies for many years. It's a place that always makes me feel welcome. The staff are very helpful and polite. The service is great! Some times you may have to wait a little longer when it is really busy but it is worth it. The food is always good and the ice cream is fantastic.I have also spent many a happy hour in the craft room. It is a haven of creativity and the staff are always happy to advise and help where needed.I am very sorry that the last reviewer was so negative. This is a great place to take your family and friends. Try it and see you won't be disappointed.

We have used the Poppies Craft Center nearly 4.5 years and you ask what was the draw?? It was the amazing customer service by two members of the craft team, Emily and her daughter Beccy. Always very smiley, helpfull, and a with huge amount of artistic flair. A really wonderful place to take your family. Emily gave 10 years to Poppies Crafts and now she has left. Poppies has lost its magic and attraction. No staff to help, We are left waiting for upto 30 minutes for service in the ice-cream parlour and the owners are less than interested in Craft side of their Garden Centre business . Such a huge disappointment.

We have visited poppies for years and have seen it improve massively.The food in the cafe is faultless something for everyone, range from scones, brownies, shortbread to cakes. There is also an ice cream parlour which I have not yet used but looks lovely.The toilets are clean but only one for each gender.The arts and crafts are great the parents can sit in the cafe while the kids paint or decopatch . There is such a range of arts and craft items you could paint or decopatch ! Overall great trip that could entertain for hours!

My 8yr old son and I visited the cafe after doing crafts, it is well laid out and clean. I ordered a decaf cappucino for me and my son had a chocolate milkshake, we shared a slice of lemon cake too.The Cappuccino was very strong I could not drink it all, I didn't see the menu before ordering that it says to mention if you would like it weaker however this should be offered on ordering as when having just drinks you don't always look at the menu.My son had chocolate milkshake which was more expensive than my drink at £2.80 I would of hoped it would of had ice cream in it but it was just chocolate powder and milk. I also ordered a slice of lemon cake for us to share those three items cost £7.80 as the cappuccino was £2.40 which means for one slice of cake it was £2.60 and although it was nice and light it is too highly priced. On this occasion it was meant to be a treat for us after being in the craft hut which by the way was brilliant. However we will not be returning again to the cafe as is it is too much and I feel they have priced themselves out of the market as I was there around lunchtime and it was oddly quiet. I don't mind paying more for quality items but I don't feel these reflected the price tag. Shame really as it could be so nice if they would lower the price.

A cafe attached to a garden centre and craft room, three destinations on one site.I came for the food and was well pleased.Basic food from a varied menu in pleasant clean surroundings located in Timsbury mid way between Romsey and Stockbridge.As an added benefit they also make their own ice cream which I can also recommend.The location is ideal for any one touring the Test Valley, superb countryside and the famous river Test nearby.

I had a ice cream lots of flavours ,you might pay a little bit more but is is special. Great little site inside a garden centre well worth the visit . Good parking safe for children

Wonderful selection of pots and plants , cafe was brilliant . Family had a lovely time . Looking forward to next time when we are back in the area . Ice cream was also v good !!

My wife and i always when in the area for work meet here for lunch, always good service and food. Plants are very healthy too.

A friend and I had nice a morning printing at poppies. The lady that greeted us was very friendly and we told her we had not been before and she helped set up after we had picked what we wanted to print. When we were done a young girl took our items and just let us know where to pay. Didn't have anything from the cafe but we will be back so maybe some coffee and cake shall be had next time.

This little gem of a cafe situated inside Choice Plants. Its a great spot to grab lunch whilst the kids are entertained in the creative centre in the next room. They serve fantastic icecreams, toasted sandwiches paninis and jacket potatoes and so on.... nice price too

Recent visit with family (2 adults & 2 well behaved children). Things didn't get off to a good start when I read a sign admonishing parents for bringing in children and then not supervising them. Fair enough - however if an establishment has an issue simply ask those involved to leave - do not patronise other parents with well behaved children. Quality of cake and coffee very good - nothing stunning but good quality. I found the service in the café brusque and offhand. I think the staff were having more fun chatting amongst themselves than engaging in customer service. One of the things I cannot personally stand is staff continuing their own conversation whilst serving a customer. However that is a personal view. I would revisit however and hope we have a different experience next time.

We stopped on the way home to look at the plants and went into Poppies for a cup of tea and cake. The service was good, we sat outside and it was very pleasant

Very good cake. Tastes like homemade stuff. Food quite expensive for the location. There is a pottery painting place on the same site so it makes for a nice afternoon outting.

We visit Poppies for lunch at least once, sometimes more, each month. The food is always very well cooked and presented and tastes delicious, always hot.The waitresses are friendly and efficient.The cakes and scones are highly recommended!!! (If we don't have sufficient room for a dessert, it's always good to talk a piece of cake home to have at teatime!)

My wife and I have eaten lunch here several times over the last few months and every time the food and service has been quite excellent. There is a very decent selection of food available considering the comparatively small size of the dining area. There is space for approximately 30 diners inside plus a very small outside terrace with a further 10 seats in good weather. All the food that we have had has been of a very high quality, freshly prepared and served by very polite and attentive staff. The place is part of a garden centre just north of Romsey in Hampshire and really is a lovely place to stop either just for refreshment and/or to browse the plants and flowers for sale.

Just popped in for a drink but lots of people in and out all the time. So must be popular food looked good . What we liked was that it was a good level from car park to area, plants ice cream and cafe so if you were not as mobile as you would like it was very easy .

Delightful setting with poppy table clothes and bright wall paintings. Set in a garden nursery so lots of gorgeous plants to choose from, really good for choice for making a hanging basket of flowers. Food menu delicious and yummy choice of cakes and selection of hot drinks using fair trade.The cafe also offers ice cream in a separate section which is soft serve with brilliant choice of fruity and traditional flavors.A craft section is fab for overcast days and wanting an idea to keep kids amused or even for your self a bit of therapeutic creativeness which you can take away.There really is a lot to see and do at poppies cafe, highly recommend to make it a stop, 5 mins from romsey.

Love this place. Great for the kids, amazing ice cream parlour next door. Pottery was ready in 3 days. Might be helpful if they offered postage service as its a long way to go back and collect. But will continue to visit here and recommend a visit.

Lovely place for all ages. Situated next to the plant/flower shop & the yummy ice-cream shop. I would definitely recommend popping in for a visit when you are around Romsey!

been to Poppies many times for tea and cakes and have never been disappointed, would happily give it 5/5, lunch was okay, the food is oddly priced, expensive for jackets and panini's inexpensive for the mains. we had a problem with one dish and to be fair they couldnt have been more helpful. we will be back for the lovely cakes but we all agreed its not a place to visit for lunch with so much choice locally.

We called in yesterday to look at some plants and decided to have a drink in the bright cafe. Having placed an order for a coffee , pot of tea and two toasted teacake we sat at a table....We then had to wait 20 mins for anything to arrive , the adjacent table had already gone to ask about the delay. A very nice young lady eventually brought the orders and apologized saying that 4 staff members had not turned in. Whilst I appreciate that can cause problems the act of serving hot drinks and toasting teacakes should not take long - it doen'st need a cook. As an observation 3 lads on another table had ordered the full breakfast which did look very tasty, but we noticed that not one of them had a properly fried egg - they looked very poor - burnt - splattered - none actually looked like a fried egg. Hopefully just an off day for the cook

This place does not look much from the road, and even from the car park it looks like just another garden centre but it is brilliant! It has a craft room full of pottery and decorative decoupage (?) to make. Anything from baby's 1st footprints to money boxes to glaze to decorative animals to decorate your mantel! While away many an hour getting crafty in this light and airy space brilliant for releasing your artistic flare! There also appears to be a room dedicated to children's parties and a lovely café which is very busy selling tasty fare. I tried some of their selection of home made cakes whilst gluing and sticking a decoupage elephant with my 2 year old boy and catching up with friends. Absolutely fantastic way to spend a few hours in the Hampshire countryside when the weather is not brilliant and you just want to natter over art! Highly recommend and can't wait to go back! :)

If your passing through Romsey take a detour to Choice Plants garden centre on the Stockbridge Rd north of the centre .....here you will find a small family run home produced cafe area that sparkles with care & offers a pleasant range of menu items suitable for most palates - mainly lunch time snacks & homemade specialsTo compliment the cafe they also have a seperate trading area that offers homemade ice creams that are gorgeous & can be ordered in the cafe too !Well worth a visit as this garden centre is different to the chain operations & offers different activities / product choices from the norm'

Popped in on Mothers day for a snack but wish we didn't. Waited ages for a few sandwiches and a salad which was supposed to have crisps with it as per the menu and everyone else's I could see on other tables. When I asked a teenager politely if they came with crisps he said "i dont know" and just walked off. A couple of minutes later he emerged from the kitchen with a small bowl and just slammed it down on the table and walked away without even a grunt. Sort the kids out with some people skills and I might return but there are better value places around.

Rude and unhelpful, arrived with baby for handprints and told should have booked, when website says no need to book. Felt very uncomfortable. Shame, should have been a nice experience.

Popped by with the family. We Had a lovely cup of proper tea with a lovely choc brownie. Kids had ice creams which are always lovely here - very good overall. Staff can be slow to bring food to table & would be nice to offer some cream with the brownies or cakes. Otherwise consistently good.

We eat at Poppies at least twice every month and are always well satisfied. It is such a friendly place - great staff, lovely, honest-to-goodness food and a wonderful selection of cakes made on the premises. Always very tempting. We wouldn't hesitate to recommend it. We don't have young children to cater for these days, but children are made very welcome there, and a toy box is available to keep them occupied if wanted. I mustn't forget to mention the ice cream parlour also. A very pleasant and welcoming place all round.6

My step-Mum and I have lunch here every week or fortnight. There is a good choice of soup, snacks, light meals and sandwiches on the regular menu, together with a 'specials' board. Today one of the selections on the board was fish pie with roasted vegetables or salad. The pie was tasty and filled with a selection of white fish and salmon and was piping hot. The jacket potatoe I had today was filled with garlic mushrooms and cheddar cheese and served with salad and coleslaw. The potatoes are traditionally cooked and have the traditional flavour.Service is fast and, usually, friendly.Occasionally the tea-room can be a little noisy, especially if there is a children's group in the adjoining art and crafts room and they go into the cafe for lunch.Would recommend for a reasonably priced, tasty lunch in spotlessly clean surroundings.

After having an unsatisfactory meal at The Malthouse further up the road, friends and I decided we'd have pudding at a little garden centre just down the road. Poppies cafe is a lovely little place and caters for all tastes. It's clean and welcoming, the staff are absolutely lovely even though I've been there at different times on different days and probably haven't seen the same shift working. The cakes are amazing and baked on the premises, you can even see them being made, Very generous portions so we sometimes have to bring part of it home for later. Everything is priced perfectly and served to you at your table. If you go in the summer, expect to have to wait a little while - not too long though as it's such a popular place. The wait is worth it. Definitely worth a visit at any time of the year even if you don't want to buy anything from the garden centre. Ample parking around the back if the front is full.

This was the second time in a month we had had a party here. Both were decopatch parties and were great fun. The staff running the party were relaxed and created a wonderful atmosphere which all the children loved. They gave instructions clearly but left each child to create their own work of art and when we needed help the were on hand.The food was perfect and ice cream delicious, all in all both of our 12 year olds had an amazing time here. I would thoroughly recommend to anyone.

We came here with friends for an 8th Birthday party and its fab. Painting, pottery, decorating model animals, hand and feet print for babies. Etc etc. Suitable for all ages. If its a wet day this place is great to come too. You can get refreshments too! You can also book an evening party for adults and bring your own drinks and nibbles and decorate plates etc.

Children love it here! Great atmosphere all in all food was good abit pricey but we enjoyed it. Clean and tidy my own issue where the milkshakes they where just made of milk no icecream?

The holidays and weekends are busy because poppies crafts/cafe is a great little spot for eating homemade cake (brownie perfection) doing some deco patch or painting... The cafe menu is extensive and always freshly made. But poppies crafts is the real gem here... Run by a lady called Emily (I believe) she was most welcoming. Other reviews I've read have been a little negative and I appreciate everyone has a different experience. One staff member was much very less friendly (I didn't catch her name) but thank goodness for Emily. Service with a smile and although she was busy (the place was packed when we went), she was happy to help when asked.This craft centre is not pretentious, it's fun, open to everyone of all ages/ability and time is no object here. You can come all day long, be fed and watered whilst losing yourself in craft heaven. The baby footprints service is also wonderful for keepsakes and present ideas.The food/drinks can be served in the cafe or brought to you in the craft centre. It's a lovely relaxed environment. They also do craft evenings which I've been too- great way to spend an evening with friends.If you're looking for an affordable morning/afternoon trip out, this is a little gem that shouldn't be missed.

Been taking my children to Poppies for 8 years and it never fails us. Sure they can get busy but this is a reflection of how great the whole concept is - unique in our area. Huge pottery painting, Deco patch and crafts room that's always humming, can-do approach by staff, lovely Ice Cream parlour next door to crafts room where my daughter had a lovely ice cream Birthday Party this year. She's probably been to 10+ crafts parties for various birthdays there - always a huge hit. The Cafe is fab, light bright and airy, clean loos and It's a challenge to get a better more home cooked decently priced meal anywhere in Romsey and the cakes are sublime and all cooked on the premises. Very generous portions. Roger who runs it is an amazing family man extremely committed to the business, knows many of the regulars by name, never forgets a friendly hello. Great place, and on the eve of my children starting senior school we are off to Poppies for a trip down memory lane and I know we all be smiling when we leave. If it sometimes gets busy and staff are stretched its a really never a big deal - RELAX, order another cup of tea and slow down yourself..