The Beth Chatto Tearoom in Tendring

A good selection of sandwiches & cakes, & not the cheapest place. A BIG thumbs down as it is CARD only, hence the 1 star rating. We should always have the option of cash!! I will not be returning!!

went in for afternoon Tea and scones -never have I been served the smallest amount of butter in a weeny dish must have been measured ........and the half teaspoon of jam in also a miniscule dish !! come on what about a nice little pot of tiptree jam that everywhere else serves and wrapped butter portions ...........all done obviously as cheaply as possible..........without the cheap price !..........

After wandering round the gardens, we went into their café area for some water, a coffee and a cake each. The cakes here were excellent and the ladies serving were very friendly and efficient. It was so good that we went back a couple of weeks later on our way to visit friends and had our lunch here - ham and cheese toasties and of course cakes to follow - yum.

After a long journey to visit the gardens our first stop was the tearooms. The choice of sandwiches was extremely disappointing. The only sandwiches with any salad in them were on gluten free bread, great if you are celiac, not so great if you’re not. The vast majority of the sandwiches were either vegetarian or vegan, again great if that is your preference but not so good if you’re not but overall nothing looked very appealing. Bland slices of bread trapped behind plastic sheeting. There were a couple of salads that looked very nice but as salad was for dinner we opted not to have those. We opted instead for panini’s- what a mistake! Vile! Ham & cheese - tiny bit of flavourless ham with the texture of rubber paired with some tasteless unknown stringy cheese. Mozzarella, tomato and basil - tasteless mozzarella, bland, anaemic tomato slices with two basil leaves. We also had a sausage roll which was as equally unpleasant to eat. There was a limited number of sauces to go with the food (no brown sauce or mustard). The staff were very helpful and pleasant and the tea was fine. We didn’t complain as there was nothing the staff could do as everything is brought in from a supplier although one has to question why. It’s a shame that the cafe is so awful because the garden is lovely and this lets it down.

We’ve been here before but the relaunch has not improved things. Do yourself a favour and buy a sandwich and a can of coke from a petrol station and have them in the garden. You’ll pay two thirds of the price and the quality will be the same. Also weirdly, the prices marked on the shelves are sometimes *more* then you’ll actually pay.

Visited on Thursday 05th May 2022. Reviewed the gardens separately but found the tearoom, nursery and shop wonderful in themselves and they have the added bonus of being accessible without having to pay the OTT entry fee. Not great options if your on any sort of diet but putting that aside the pre-packed food choices were good. Could benefit from offering Jacket Potatoes. Great indoor and outdoor seating options including covered exterior seating near the nursery. One great thing was the size of the teapots and corresponding milk jugs, really generous and a real plus.

We had a pot of tea for two, and two cakes. First the good. The tea was excellent and a large pot which we were very happy about. And plenty of outdoor tables - half in shade/under cover. But now the not so good - There were several large layer cakes which just seemed much bigger than we wanted so we ordered raspberry/coconut cake gluten free cake and a raspberry/almond bake. Given that it was gluten free the raspberry/coconut cake was quite nice, moist and tasty. But the raspberry/almond bake was inedible - a very nasty and unpleasant flavour. The tearoom gain a point back for the quick response to our email (especially given it was Bank Holiday weekend).

Have not been here since pre-covid so was shocked at the changes. My daughter and I are coeliacs and are used to having a reduced menu wherever we go. We've been happy to have a jacket potato on previous visits, but the only hot food offered today was carrot and coriander soup with bread or a cheese scone at £6.95! I had £1 taken off as there was no gluten free option to have with it. Rather pricey I thought. My daughter is a vegan and there was nothing to buy with a GF/vegan label, so she had nothing to eat at all. They used to have a bowl of fruit but even that has been withdrawn now. I suggest that whoever runs the tearoom has a rethink and get up to date with current trends. Ok you may say being vegan is a personal choice, but being coeliac is a medical condition, and we don't all want to eat just cake for lunch on a day out! We won't stop coming to visit these beautiful gardens, but we will most certainly be bringing our own food with us in future. If all the local garden centre tearooms can cater for us without any problem then why can't this tearoom?

I was prewarned from reviews on here about the Chatto Tearooms, but the food was much worse than I could have imagined. It ought to be impossible for a tuna baguette to be so disgusting as to be inedible, but it was..... I visited 13/8/21 and the use by date on the pre-packaged baguette was 15/8/21. I pity anybody who buys one of these after it's sat for another 2 days, growing soggier and more off-putting than they were on the 13th. I cannot imagine it would still be safe to eat 2 days later, I was concerned about eating it as it was. The bread was rubbery on the outside, soggy on the inside. I removed the cucumber as it was dissolving. The tuna mix had no flavour at all, apart from the brine water from the tin ... I didn't eat it, just binned it after two bites. My mother had a sausage roll - they offered to heat it, which she said yes to - but they nuked it in a microwave so the pastry turned soggy. Her lemon bake, looked appealing, but was a stodgy flavourless disappointment. She left half (she never leaves cake!). My recommendation - bring your own picnic.

We love coming to the gardens and were looking forward to a lovely lunch, as we’d had previously, overlooking the gravel garden. We were disappointed to find everything had changed. The range of sandwiches was fairly limited and all packaged in plastic so there was a lot of waste. I feel sure Beth Chatto, who pioneered sustainability would not have done this. Cakes were okay. Cup of tea not as good as previously. No hot food any more. On the plus side there is a lot of outdoor seating, but we had my elderly parents with us and they found the benches very difficult. Sorry to write such a poor review but was very sad to see the waste in particular. The falafel french stick was quite tasty, and prices were reasonable, hence 3 stars instead of 2. The gardens were as beautiful as ever.

Great gardens. Amazing vegan cake. Abrupt, unhappy cafe staff. Told to stand aside at till after paying to await hot drinks so next customer could be served. Very inappropriate as this then led to (and encourages) a breach in social distancing. Not a cheerful experience and one which put customers at risk.

OK for drinks and a few cakes, but not much on offer at all, Nothing gluten free. Best to bring your own food to the garden

It’s a while since we last visited this awful cafe unfortunately it has not improved it wasn’t particularly clean, I had a scie which was not fresh . The cafe was not particularly clean . On my next visit to this lovely centre , I will bring my own food and drinks , not returning to this cafe

On a rainy day we dropped into the tearoom at Beth Chatto’s Gardens. We had baked potatoes. A lot of filling but the potato was overcooked and the skin had hardened and the flesh was dry. The accompanying salad was delicious. Not the end of the world and I ate mine but my wife left most of the potato. It won’t put us off though! We will be back.

I enjoy visiting this beautiful garden place in Essex. Even though it was raining it was still a good visit. The tearoom is a good size with large windows to look out. . Nice selection of cakes and savoury dishes. There is a nice shop with ideal gift to buy. Lots of plants to buy here. Highly recommend this place.

The service and care shown by the staff make the experience quite special. The food is all homemade and the savoury elements were very good, especially the sausage rolls. The cakes and parties were also very good with the elderflower scones a highlight.This is the best afternoon tea in the area.

BIG HUGE THANK YOU ,to all the staff at the tea room , we took our sister to celebrate her 80th Birthday with an afternoon tea , food was delicious ,chef personally came out to see us ,and explain what everything was bless her and staff were attentive without being intrusive and were so kind ,made my sister's birthday all the more special,BIRTHDAY cake was gorgeous too ,can't praise everyone enough , highly recommend a visit x hope in to your hats though because WE will definitely be back xx

Had lunch there during a recent visit to the gardens. Simple food but well done. Nice tabel for the four of us withe lovely views into the gardens.

This afternoon we had the most delicious afternoon tea in the Tea room at Beth Chatto’s garden , the scones were the best we have ever tasted and the homemade macaroons, sausage rolls , quiche , sandwiches etc were perfect, also the sponge cake they made especially for us as a WI group was the icing on the cake ! Thank you Tanya and team

As a follow on from viewing the gardens we chose to have lunch in tbe café as neither of us fancied a picnic in the car park as picnics are not allowed in the gardens.We felt the menu was overpriced. We chose a quiche and a meat platter (minus the pickled onion? ). We were not overwhelmed by the presentation, quantity or taste of the food. As we did not know the area we felt like a captive audience when it came to the food and drink.

At mid-day the choice of sandwiches on offer was very poor, no ham, cheese etcOnly left with Tuna. Handed a sandwich in a cardboard box which remined me of a Motorway service station.I was expecting a sandwich freshly made on site and not in some outsouced factory.There was no label on the packaging to show it was a Beth Chatto product.On opening there was so much Tuna inside it was oozing out of all sides.When I took my first mouthfull it dripped onto the table, getting a plate would have been to much to ask, It was absolutely Disgusting and Nauseating I was so hungry I removed the filling and just ate the breadI seem to recall the menu mention side Crips but they didnt materialiseThe queue to get served snaked around the seating area, chaoticI wont be paying £3.99 for a sandwich at Beth Chatto anymore, for this type of Petrol Station sandwich !

Had a very tasty light lunch here. The food was good, and there was a lot of seating inside and out.

Nice amount of seating inside and out, decent variety of food, and tasty cheese scone. Friendly staff.

My wife and I had a great lunch in the sun. We both chose the Veg platter. This included quiche, cheese, falafel, carrot, lettuce and chutney, radish and beet. Served with a large chunk of granary bread. Simply delicious. We also shared a rhubarb and lemon scone to die for. Coffee and tea as well. Served efficiently with a short wait for the food. We returned after visiting the gardens for a cup of tea. Really impressed with the menu selection and food quality. Will be back

Popped in for refreshments after 2 hour tour of gardens. Very good coffee and cakes. Excellent seating either inside under cover or out in sun. 10/10.

After receiving the friendliest of welcomes, our beautifully presented afternoon tea arrived. The sandwiches were so fresh and stuffed with quality, tasty fillings. The sausage rolls (with specially made sausage meat from the local butcher) were still warm as was the juicy quiche and scones. The cakes were fabulous and decorated with edible flowers. The tea kept flowing. We didn't manage to work our way through all the cakes and took home a doggy bag

We were visiting the Beth Chatto gardens..and stopped for an afternoon break..this is a nice tearoom..with plenty of things for the hungry.and not so hungry..good value

Tasty coffees, delicious homemade breakfasts with eggs and bacon cooked to perfection... friendly staff too in a cosy environment! A great way to start the day before a wonderful stroll around Beth’s glorious gardens! Thanks so much P.S. The cakes looked fabulous too... next time

After a lovely walk around the grounds myself and my mum went into the tea rooms - the restaurant was fully booked because it was Mother’s Day eve, which we fully anticipated . As this was our first visit we had not booked so we went to the tea room side and queued up . There were 6 people in front of us and it took 20 mins before were served . The tea rooms are a very delightful setting and my mother went outside to get us a table . I gave our order . 2x chicken salad with mango and avacado . No avacado left, fair enough . More than happy without it . Now the chicken was delicious I can’t lie and it worked well with the 2 small slices of mango. However it was just all on a bed of rocket with 2 small slices of tomato and a couple of chunks of cucumber . There was no mustard dressing (as advertised) . It was all very tasty but certainly not worth £8:95 . I also had a very small bottle of prosseco with a bottle of water and 2 small bottles of lemonade . I was quite shocked when I was asked for £38 . All in all it was very pleasant and we enjoyed what we had but I felt that it was vastly overpriced for what we had . I will be visiting Beth Chatto gardens again but I certainly would not use the tea room again .

The best afternoon tea I've EVER had!! Wonderful selection of sandwiches and the scones were light and fluffy and warm. Beautifully presented by attentive staff who were friendly and knowelagble about the gardens. One of our party is vegan and she was served with a separate tray with vegan sandwiches cakes and gluten free scones.

Wonderful 'Afternoon Tea' at Beth Chatto tea room which included warm sausage rolls n mini quiche n savoury sandwiches. Great selection of delicious homemade cakes n cream tea. As many hot drinks as required. Staff attention was so friendly n excellent. An absolute 'must' to enjoy all the above plus the beautiful outlook over the dry garden. Visit the gardens n plant nursery n unique shop.

As always the service here is friendly and fast, we had cheese and apple pickle sandwiches, really good and the slaw served with it the best I have had, no soggy mayonnaise and lumps of cabbage here, the coffee was excellent, the tearoom warm and welcoming, well worth visiting if you are not a gardener.

ヘルシーな軽食やスイーツがそろっています。ガーデン見学の後、テラス席で気持ちよく休憩できました。ホームページを参考にコルチェスター駅からタクシーで訪ねました。片道11〜12ポンドです。帰路は売店でタクシーを呼んでいただきました。

We decided to stop at the Beth Chatto Garden tearoom for lunch after picking up a new car nearby.

The cafe was bright and clean; the staff were friendly and we had no trouble getting a table (might be different in the summer months!)

We go to the tearoom nearly every week. The food is delicious whether it is breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea. Everything is sourced locally if possible and baked on the premises. That aside, the roasts are very tasty with all the trimmings and there are plenty of vegetarian dishes (not sure about vegan). Soups are imaginative and delicious with excellent bread, the scones are perfect and the sausage rolls are to die for!

We had a salmon and cream cheese sandwich and soup for lunch which was very nice and fresh. The service was fast and friendly and the tea room is wheelchair accessible. Will definitely come again.

After taking part in the pumpkin hunt which was fun and took us around the beautiful gardens we went to the tearoom for lunch. I didn't find the range great. The menu is very inflexible and couldn't or wouldn't adapt sandwiches...for example I asked for the chicken and bacon sandwich without the mayo a d was told it is impossible to do. By 1pm they had all but run out of sausage rolls. I purchased the last 2. When asked if there were more I was told that there is no room in the oven for more.

Beth Chatto Gardens Tearoom offers a wide range of tea, coffee and cakes; an ideal place to go for morning coffee or afternoon tea. My wife and I recommend the cakes, they are delicious! Lunchtime meals are also available. Situated outside the gardens you can visit the tearoom and adjacent nursery without paying the garden entrance fee, although the gardens themselves are well worth a visit.

Stopped for a sandwich and coffee before visiting the gardens, will make sandwiches fresh with a nice garnish, worth paying the extra for, decent coffee also. Nice surroundings and friendly staff. Prices average for this type of venue, worth a visit, hot food dishes available and sounded nice.

A walk around to look at the plants and then a coffee and tasty cake good atmosphere .The garden centre was not too commercialised

We had morning tea here before viewed the garden. Great cakes and lovely setting for a tearoom. Very organised service and large seating area to accommodate the numbers they must get. Beautiful garden as well :).

If you are visiting the gardens, then tearoom provides an excellent choice of hot and cold foods throughout the day.

good food and pleasant surroundings with very friendly staff, what more can you ask for. Menu is interesting with a good choice. A display of photographs in the tea room are beautiful and unexpected.

I was treated by my friend to a delicious lunch in the sunshine surrounded by flowers and plants. The quality of the food was very good, especially the gluten free lemon drizzle cake.

I had to go to Clacton on Sea for work and asked if there was anywhere nice for lunch and Beth Chatto tearoom was recommended and so glad it was.

After a lovely walk round the beautiful gardens, a snack or luncheon is really good here. Becoming a member or friend of the gardens is also beneficial .. You get discounts on plants and are able to take a guest for free. Good value all round.

I included this in my review of the Gardens, but just to be clear, this is a super place to visit even if you only want lunch or afternoon tea and don't want to go round the gardens as well. The food is delicious, and home made. You can get a full breakfast or lunch or just a cup of tea and cake. A good and wide choice. There is outside seating, some under cover, as well as inside. Even after they had had 2 coach parties in, there was still plenty of choice of food left late afternoon. Their sausage rolls are spectacular, my husband loved his! A lovely tearoom in a beautiful setting. Also accessible, without going round the gardens, the nursery and the shop.

This is a lovely café for general refreshments but was most impressed with the "Beth Chatto Lunch Platter" which comes with sausage roll and gammon ham - there is an alternative vegetarian option. Like a ploughman's but more sophisticated. The warm bread was definitely out of the ordinary and the sausage roll home made and generously filled with sausage meat. Nice chunk of cheese with homemade pickles and salad leaves with cherry tomatoes and garlic pesto. A very generous lunch.

Lovely food!!! Helpful staff will return for food again. Not yet been in the paid part of the garden but will next time

Visited here on A Saturday afternoon with my wife. The coffee and cakes were very nice and the staff friendly. The restaurant is bright and clean and overall very good. recommended if you are passing or visiting the gardens and looking for a quick break.

If you fancy a nice break after visiting this lovely garden, why not visit their tearooms. They can provide you with hot & cold drinks & snacks or something more substantial if you wish, all for a very reasonable price.

Been here so many times, from the Christmas fair to the height of summer. Love it and there's plenty for my kids too!

After wandering around the gardens t was great to sit down and have a coffee and to be able talk about the gardens.

We had lunch here and were very happy with the food,drinks and the choice. I had a very nice vegetarian salad with lots of interesting ingredients and not too much lettuce which is how I like it. A little pricey at £7.95 but it was very tasty and felt like good quality fresh ingredients. My husband enjoyed his sausage roll (£3.15) very much.

The restaurant is friendly, comfortable with highly skilled staff. We had steak and ale pie which was absolutely delicious.

This is a really nice place to meet with friends and family. Its light, pleasant, there is a good range of cakes available and the staff are helpful, so its a good way to round off a visit.

As a birthday treat, we celebrated with a scrumptious afternoon tea- home-made sausage rolls, delicate sandwiches, incredible sponges, brownies and Erin mess, and cream scones! The service was fantastic too.

Like visiting the gardens..looking at all the plants..my garden is full of plants I have bought from here..back to the tearooms..always nice and friendly..good selection of food ..drinks..cakes..snacks etc.,

We came to visit the gardens but couldn't resist enjoying an afternoon tea. Tea is served in individual teapots and the cakes were delicious. I had a really nice bakewell cherry cake. It wasn't too busy and was able to sit outside at the back of the tearoom on the veranda overlooking the nursery. If you are sitting outside the back of the tearoom is the best place.

Came here with a friend on the spur of the moment for lunch. I ordered the Mushroom Soup and as a Coeliac was delighted to have a gluten free bread roll with it! Brilliant! It was delicious. After a quick mooch around the plant sales and shop, we popped back to the tea room and had another cuppa and a slice of gluten free cake. There was a choice of 3 which is unheard of in other cafes - there's usually one GF option and that's it! Really pleased - will definitely be back.

We visited Beth Chattos for a quick look around the nursery (we did not visit the gardens). The wonderful aromas emanating from the cafe drew us in and we were not disappointed. Lovely tasty quiche and sandwich lunch beautifully presented, cheerfully served. Clearly the cafe is run with exacting standards

We go here often as we live fairly locally. Staff are friendly and always happy to help. They have a nice selection of meals, drinks, sandwiches and snacks and they have always gone out of their way to make sure I can get a vegan meal.

The fish or meat platter is highly recommended. Presented on a wooden board with Beth Chatto's signature engraved, the food and presentation was of high quality. The accompanying salad was inventive (not just the iceberg lettuce and tomato/cucumber) but came with spring onions, celery a sprinkling of nuts, sweet pepper, pickled cucumber to name a few. Portions were exactly right for lunch, not too much that you had to leave some on your plate.

Came here on the spur of the moment for lunch. It was Bank Holiday and although busy there were some tables free and we were able to sit outside. Service was pleasant and swift. My sister had the vegetarian platter £8.95 and I had the fish platter £9.95. Both were well presented with chutney in a little jar and mackerel pate piped into a little jar too. Bread that came with it was fresh chunky and delicious. All very filling but we managed to squeeze in a slice of cake each!

My friend and I finished our visit to the gardens with a stop for lunch in the tearoom. Staff so helpful, my friend phoned ahead to reserve a table as lunch was a birthday treat for me and the table was ready and waiting with a 'happy birthday' note and a jug of water with fresh fruit. Lunch was delicious,excellent portion sizes and tasty cakes. My friend enjoyed the chocolate and beetroot cake! Really good way to finish a lovely day out.

Well worth a visit, a very poplar tea room. Seating both inside and outside. Great cakes. Good value for money. You can use the tea room without visiting the gardens

Keith and his team welcomed us like old friends coming to lunch. What is on offer is pretty much what you would expect in a open gardens tearoom but the quality of it is exceptional; sandwiches stuffed full of smoked salmon and cream cream, Yum!!

We had homemade pea soup - lovely and hot. Visited whilst there were stalls there. Not too expensive and plenty of places to sit

We live locally and love the setting of the gardens and the different plants. We were however horrified by the excessive prices being charged on food and drink. A filled baked potato from £6.50 and cappuccino at over £3.00. It's a pity as we had hoped this could become a regular coffee stop, but not at these prices.

ベス・チャットー・ガーデンに併設されているカフェです。小さな小屋ですが天井が高く、開放的な雰囲気です。小屋自体はそれほど広くはありませんが、隣接しているグラスハウスにもテーブルや椅子が並べてあり、そちらでゆっくりすることもできるので、座れないほど混むことはないと思います。

I met two friends for lunch, I had a lovely egg and dress sandwich with a small side salad and coleslaw. Lovely soft bread.

Visited as soon as we arrived at the gardens to enjoy a coffee and cheese scone. Both were excellent with the coffee at £2.35 for a mug but I consider the cheese scone quite expensive at £2.75 even though it was tasty and a good size.

Thoroughly enjoyed our lunch at this beautiful and relaxing venue. Extremely clean and welcoming. A lovely experience in such exquisite and idyllic gardens on a beautiful sunny day. I must say that all the staff were so helpful and friendly. Special mention for a young lady named Bethany who took the extra trouble to bring us out a tray of tea for two because we'd forgotten to pick it up at the check out. Nothing seemed too much for her. It's those little things that make one want to return. Excellent service coupled with excellent quality food has encouraged us to definitely return. Delighful!

The gardens and nursery are the main event for me, but the tea rooms are a fine wxperience too. I went with my 8 year old daughter and we had a light lunch.

You don't have to pay an entrance fee to visit the tearoom. There is plenty of seating outside and also under a cover.