The Fernery Cafe in Forest of Dean

First visit here, came for a light lunch. Staff were polite and helpful but the food left a lot to be desired. My Chai latte was lovely but my partner's coffee was awful. The cup was full to the brim with no room for the milk. I ordered the beef, mushroom & stilton panini with salad, crisps and home made coleslaw. It was cold in the middle, the cheese hadn't melted and the beef was tough. The coleslaw was weird, no flavour and the salad was just a couple of tomatoes and green leaves, no dressing. My partner's ham and tomato sandwich was very basic with the same salad. The surroundings are nice, with an orange tree by our table but the food was very basic and mine hadn't been toasted for long enough. Really not worth the money and I doubt we'll visit again.

Been here for Sunday lunch twice now. And, we will definitely be returning. There are lots of reasons for our loyalty. 1. The food is lovely. Such a good value Sunday Lunch (we always book in advance). 2. The environment is so restful. I love Leaf Creative. I could just sit there for hours. 3. Angela. This is the most important reason. ALL the staff are terrific, without exception. BUT, the care which Angela takes is extraordinary. We had some quite elderly people in our party, (and a vegan!) Angela makes care and attention to her guests look effortless. And she offers this attention to detail to everyone - without exception. Even the four-legged friends are well looked after. Thank you, Angela. You take service to another level. As long as you are there, we will always come back.

It was just a chance stop for coffee but in future it will be a destination. The warmest welcome, best scones ever and super kindness to our dog.

Beautiful surroundings within Leaf Creative. The staff were helpful and attentive. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunches which were homemade, tasty and fresh. Great to be able to then shop for plants inside and out. Wonderful attention to detail makes it a lovely experience.

Booked a table for Sunday lunch - 1.30pm. Table was dirty, given menus (Sunday roast dinner menu and normal one); when they finally came back to take our order was told, sorry no Sunday lunches. Tried to order a salad... sorry no salads either, just soup, quiche or a sandwich!! Ordered drinks, only brought 3 glasses for 4 people, came back after 10 minutes with the final glass which was the size of a thimble! Soup was OK when it finally came but overall service was abysmal and not what I expected to eat for a Sunday lunch with guests.

The most amazing Sunday lunch ever. Faultless. Staff are lovely even though some were in training so have a little patience it’s worth the wait. Have been to many other places in the area and been bitterly disappointed with the quality and cost. Also a fabulous environment to relax and browse the goods which are clearly carefully chosen. No tat here. We had been to the pumpkin carving with our grandchild and friends earlier and such care was taken to make it a wonderful experience for the kids. Looking forward to other events in the future recommend highly you won’t be disappointed.

You walk in and immediately the first thing you see is a tree in a tub which has a £999 price tag. Then you walk into a massive EGO trip. Nothing to buy. You pick up a candle. £20!? Same thing Home Bargains has for £4. They don’t even try and hide the import boxes from China and India!! Nothing from UK!? Lunch!? Ew. Cold and full of vegan crap. No basic plants either. All round. If you like a good day out at a garden centre Avoid.

Just been to Leaf Creative for lunch. Or at least we tried to. Waited 25mins before our order was taken, and only then because we had to go and ask to be served. Waited another 15mins thought our drinks would arrive. They were serving people that had come in after us. Used to really like going there, but noticed the last couple of times the service has been terrible. We got up and left in the end. Nice set up, but the café lets id doen. Definitely need to organise their café better. We won't be going back in a hurry. We do use the places in Ross, but sometimes fancy a change.

I'm reviewing today because there were different staff who were a joy to be served by especially Jan, I thing her name was. Staff are usually somewhat brusque and you can feel you do not exist you wait so long to be served but not this Thursday (10th Aug). Instant service with a smile and humour. I hope this is a permanent change.

Visited Leaf Creative Garden Centre to buy a few items and decided to stay for lunch. First and foremost, we found the staff to be very helpful - especially Carolyn (I hope I’ve got your name right), who was nothing short of brilliant. Very warm and welcoming with excellent customer service skills! For lunch, my wife chose the Tomato & Mozzarella Meze Platter which she thoroughly enjoyed and I chose the Salmon, New Potato and Water Cress Salad which was absolutely delicious. In particular, the capers in the salad are the best I have ever tasted. I mentioned this to Carolyn and she very kindly provided me with a small tub to take home. It’s a real pleasure to visit a place where the staff are cheerful, helpful and put customers first. Thank you so much Carolyn; well done to you and your team! Finally, it should not go without saying how brilliant the kitchen staff are to in preparing such delicious food! Thank you! We will be back for sure.

Finally made it to Leaf Creative and was not disappointed. Beautiful garden centre with an abundance of imaginative and creative plants in an interesting and most relaxed setting. Overwhelming sense of calm throughout the whole premises. Lunch at The Fernery was wonderful. Lovely choices, delicious food, friendly and professional caring staff. Reasonable prices. Not a single item of the usual garden centre tat in sight - so refreshing. A destination for serious plant/shrub & tree enthusiasts with the addition of a fantastic cafe/restaurant.

My first visit to The Fernery (it was recommended by friends) and now I absolutey love this place. An excellent menu with a great choice of freshly prepared dishes. Three of us had the stilton, walnut and broccoli quiche with salad which was delicious. Great coffee too. We had a long leisurely lunch and noticed the table opposite was being served with afternoon tea, which looked amazing. I spoke to the ladies on this table as we left and they said it was 'the best afternoon tea ever'. The restaurant is in a beautiful setting, surrounded by plants. We sat outside, under cover, so the light rain didn't spoil anything. The staff were just brilliant. All so friendly, helpful and efficient - the definition of 'service with a smile'! Thank you all for looking after us so well. We will definitely be back again soon.

I'm loathed to leave a negative review as the waiting staff service is always so good. We've been dozens of times. Previous to this reviews trip was April and the experience was poor then. We gave the benefit of the doubt but really feel on this recent visit a review was necessary in the hope management take note. It's such a wonderful setting but what on earth is happening I'm your kitchen, constantly not having chefs. Arrived today to be told 'We've no chef for today, we've beeb unable to find them we can make you a bacon bap. At 8 pound that's Pricey for what you're offering. It feels really disorganised, we had to repeatedly ask where our hot drinks were that were intended to be consumed with the breakfast. Usually you are full to capacity. This morning, just us and another couple. I really hope the kitchen can regain its popularity and secure a chef!

The setting for this fabulous little lunch spot is very special. Set amongst a lovely leafy garden centre with both shade and sunshine, the feeling is relaxed and friendly. I visited on a Tuesday lunchtime after a morning shopping with a friend. I chose from the specials menu and the salmon salad that arrived was delightful. A good portion size and beautifully presented, I was impressed by the edible pansy flower which set the greenery off to great effect.Sadly I had eaten half of it before it occurred to me to take a photo! It was delicious. Service efficient and friendly - well worth a visit.

Booked a Sunday lunch here for the first time and absolutely not disappointed. Husband and I had roast beef and it was faultless, thick slices of meat and excellent cauliflower cheese! It is so rare these days to be presented with quality ingredients at a reasonable price - this was top notch! The staff were very accommodating, friendly and efficient, we look forward to visiting again soon.

Where do I start, we entered the cafe to read a sign instructing us to wait to be seated and an order would be taken at the table. We weren’t acknowledged by any staff that we could see even the one directly in front of...

A simple lunch of sandwiches was very disappointing due to stale bread and minimal filling. The young waiter was very accommodating and helpful however.

We arrived on a Sunday bang on opening time. We were sat and were the second table to do so. The coffee was nice, but sadly this was where the good stopped. We then waited 45 minutes for the food to arrive whilst the whole...

After a long day's shopping in Gloucester we stopped by here on a recommendation of a friend. We were blown away by the beautiful plants and setting this garden centre was in. The fernery serves nice coffee with a good selection of food and friendly...

Just visited here with my daughter on her recommendation. The surroundings are very nice and the attached garden centre is lovely. We were put in a cramped spot with our pushchair and eventually decided to move seats. It took ages to get a high chair....

I came with a friend to have some coffee and cake, arrived at 10am to construction work of them making what looked like some sort of bar table (in a garden centre?), there was someone hoovering, dust flying everywhere, another person sawing. Not to mention...

What has happened to this place, in January I gave this a raving review, but today was an absolute disaster. We were promptly given a table, but went downhill from there. After waiting 10 mins, I had to ask for a menu. We ordered drinks...

I will start by saying that the garden centre itself is lovely. Sadly, the cafe lets it down. The service is non existent and the staff disinterested verging on rude. We stood for a few minutes waiting to be seated and were frequently passed by...

Popped in for Sunday lunch and we were probably the last people to be seated. Had 2 x pork and 2 x veggie option of cheese and onion pie. Pork was great, massive portion and chef brought us crackling out as he'd forgotten to put...

What a shame, this cafe lets down an otherwise stunning Garden Centre. I appreciate they have staffing issues but this isn’t helped by the ones they have being rude! We were told we couldn’t have a menu, were questioned as to why we sat ourselves...

Have been here for breakfast many times before - the 'Big Fern' breakfasts were lovely. Popped in on Sunday 7th Aug, again for breakfast. Waited more than quarter of an hour for the waitress to attend us (although people seated after us had been served)....

We waited 1 hour for our meal. We ordered a soup and two sandwiches Firstly after the long wait, sandwiches arrived but were not what we ordered. Subsequently they were changed but really were thrown together and my goats cheese was literally 2 lumps in...

Pleasant surroundings and staff. Chicken and mango salad very overpriced at £12.95 for what you get. It was basically a plate full of lettuce with a smattering of chicken and I would guess one thin slice of mango chopped into 0.5cm pieces. Felt totally ripped...

We had not booked but were quickly fitted in and the service was good. I ordered mushroom soup and it was without doubt the worst soup I have ever had. It consisted of a mushroom sludge, with no stock base or any sort of flavouring....

This little cafe promised so much. The surroundings are great and staff friendly. However we ordered wild mushrooms on sourdough with paoched eggs. We were informed no sourdough although this was replaced by a basic supermarket quality bread so just a thin slice of toast....

Obviously the surroundings are lovely. The menu is quite good but I'm afraid the reality isn't quite there. The pies are lid only with an awful lot of carbs on the plate. I had a ploughman's lunch. The bread was average but the cheese was...

This is the first time we have tried Breakfast here & it will certainly not be the last. From the moment we arrived to the time we left we cannot fault anything from our visit. The staff were friendly warm & welcoming throughout. The breakfasts...

popped in with my brother for a quick bite and loved it. great food in a lovely garden what more can you ask for?

Nice afternoon so called in for a sandwich. Genuinely taken a back at price £7.95 for any sandwich. But did not want to pass judgement until tried. Extremely disappointed. Bread just normal thick sliced and not overly fresh. Minute portion of salad and a teaspoon...

Brilliant turkey roast. Veggies were special (didn't take a picture of those). Also a very nice cup of tea too.

Great Christmas dinner. Friday and Saturday evenings in December and some of January. Five courses of delicious food. Easy pace with plenty of time to enjoy food and company. Welcoming and lovely staff. A great evening out.

Don't go here with children, they don't provide a children's menu!! People do venture out to garden centres with little ones, so do suggest that they keep up with the times! Very pretty trees - especially Acers, so very colourful display. Service very slow -...

Food is gorgeous. Atmosphere very relaxing. Very helpful staff. Good parking. Easy to book table. Covid-19 arrangements felt good.

Extensive arrangement of trees and shrubs of all sizes in a lovely setting. Excellent cafe serving a range of freshly cooked meals, sandwiches and cakes. All tables are in attractive locations around the garden. Well worth a visit

The Fenery at Leaf Creative is a fabulous place to eat whether you want coffee n cake or something a bit more substantial. Today we had the roast beef which was cooked to perfection and the veggies were just right. Seating is available undercover but...

We visited for the first time today. Beautiful garden centre and the cake was delicious but unfortunately the coffee and service we received wasn’t. The coffee was bitter and the chap who served us (wearing the bandana) was very rude! Such a shame!

Amazing pizza and garlic bread sat outside on beautiful terrace with our dogs during lockdown! Farm shop just brilliant. Hygiene standards very high. Great staff - really friendly. Beautiful plants - great location for lunch and just what we needed a trip out on our...

What a fab prize, homemade beef burgers, plus a beautiful cake box filled with an afternoon tea for 2. All very much enjoyed, thank you . The garden centre is one of my favourites in the area. The array of the most wonderful Acer trees...

Fabulous lunch again - really good quality reasonably priced food at our favourite plant centre. Dog friendly with treats provided! Lovely friendly staff.

Ate here yesterday and was so disappointed. The set up and the garden centre is excellent but The Fernery yesterday failed on all accounts. Went to order and was told there would be a 15 minute delay for food as busy. The person taking the...

Wonderful lunch today at The Fernery. Dog friendly and very welcoming. Tasty, hot good quality food.

We decided on stopping off at leaf creative garden centre and having a spot of lunch, upon recommendation of colleagues. On arrival the garden centre seemed lovely, nice displays and gifts ( albeit somewhat pricey!) At first glance the fernery seemed inviting with a warm atmosphere. Then we were greeted by a rude and miserable looking server. It would appear the young ladies customer service skills need reviewing! She clearly has not learnt of service with a smile attitude at all. She had an accent perhaps NZ, but still understood her clearly. The food was pleasant and freshly cooked, and arrived promptly. Unfortunately the general cleanliness of the cafe lacked too, large cobwebs with dead bugs to windows and above doors, windows were very dirty too! Overall nice food but unpleasant service in grubby surroundings. Will not be returning.

Fantastic Sunday lunch... roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and veg how it should be - sat amongst houseplants inside a wonderful plant centre.

This cafe / kitchen is part of the Leaf Creative Garden Centre, which is a delight to walk around before you have your eat. Full of amazing trees and unusual plants with very knowledgeable staff. We had breakfast here - delicious coffee and we enjoyed smashed avocado on toast with salmon and free range scrambled eggs on toast. Lovely friendly staff and atmosphere. We had our eyes on the home-made cakes but had to resist sadly! Highly recommended!

Stopped here for a quick lunch. Even though they were undergoing extensive renovations and had limited kitchen facilities (and a limited menu) we were still served with a smile. The food was reasonably priced, freshly prepared and tasty. Coffees were all hot and made with care. It felt as though the staff actually wanted to serve you and we were made to feel very welcome.