The Orangery Tea Room at Arturi's Garden Centre in Eastleigh

I have visited here off and on for many years. Visually this is the most incredible place. It’s my Nirvana! A collection of stunning home accessories and wares, plants and statement feature pieces for the garden. During Covid their inspiration to make separate dining areas ( visually stunning themed areas that have to be seen to be believed to hire and dine as a family/ friends unit) was nothing short of ingenious. I have had some good and mediocre experiences with the restaurant/ cafe. Usually compounded by the popularity and business on the day. I wanted to bring a friend there today because I love this place due to the aforementioned. And it’s a unique and beautiful place. I had intended we’d eat there . But having looked at recent reviews thought we’d go there for the aesthetics and move on somewhere else to eat and chill. Once we’d done our recce ( and we’d both spent an unexpected substantial amount on things we’d fallen in love with!!!) we’d seen the plates of food coming out the kitchen. Despite the many recent negative reviews we thought it worth a try. The food was plentiful, good quality, well cooked and presented. It tasted great. The staff were busy but exhibited exceptional customer service. Our experience today was superb. Both on customer service from our purchases ( some which required delivery) the information from staff regarding products ranging from the garden accessories, plants, the exceptional Blooms body/bath/ scent range was faultless. This is a great place. With great staff.

We visited the Garden Society for lunch, a treat for a close friend. I was informed when ordering that the food could take up to 30 as it was very busy which I was happy to accept. We had a lovely young waitress who could not have done more. Unfortunately the food took almost 50 minutes to arrive, my meal was Disappointing but my friends Fish & Chips had the saddest looking piece of fish I have seen in a long time!!! It was small, and looked like it had been cooked in an oven, the batter was awful and fish really dry!! Very very disappointing as I used to really enjoy the food an ambiance Of the Garden Society. I won’t be back in a hurry.

Had an absolutely amazing afternoon tea at The Garden Society. My daughter took me here for a treat and we had the Parisian Afternoon Tea. A little different from your normal finger sandwiches and scones type of thing - we loved it! I have to say it's one of the most delicious afternoon teas I've had in a very long time - (and I've had afternoon teas in London at places such as Fortnum & Mason, The Wolseley, The Park Lane Sheraton Grand, the Berkeley Hotel in Knightsbridge, and others). The decor and setting inside the restaurant at The Garden Society was beautiful - it really added to the experience. I can't fault the quality of the petit fours, and the lovely little miniature cocoa scones, as well as the savoury items. Each thing was exquisite, it looked and tasted amazing. What an absolute gem The Garden Society is. If you get a chance to go - do. The whole place is wonderful.

Traveled 120 miles for Mother’s Day afternoon tea £60 per person and was a total waste of time and money. Booking was for 1pm, and food served at 2.20pm. Tea was cold, scones were stale. Total rip off.

This establishment should be utterly ashamed of itself. Charging £60 per person for a Mother's Day afternoon tea, a cherished occasion for many, is outrageous. It's an event that people likely saved up for, only to be met with disappointment. We booked for a 1:00 afternoon tea, but nothing arrived except a minuscule portion of cold onion soup, which was inedible, until an hour and twenty minutes later. Understandably, numerous tables were furious and exasperated by this point. There was a blatant lack of communication; management failed to provide any explanation for the delay, instead opting to offer free drinks, which did nothing to improve the situation. To add insult to injury, people's food was being hastily packed up at the end because they were rushing to accommodate the next wave of guests at 3:00 PM, who were already queuing outside. It appears the owners have a hands-off approach, which clearly doesn't serve their customers well. This was, without a doubt, the worst dining experience I've ever had. And I speak not only for myself but for others around me, some of whom have worked in the restaurant industry and were equally appalled and nearly speechless. Attached some photos of timings and food quality. I would have refused to pay but they charge up front so hopefully management will provide some kind of reimbursement for the 'memorable experience'.

I purchased the Afternoon Tea Voucher for 2, priced at £88 for a Birthday Present. Was totally disappointed. They seated my friends in what looked like a walk way with customers constantly walking past. No ambience at all. When i complained, they refused to acknowledge there was a problem. Would not recommend it & think it is well over priced.

I was extremely disappointed to see that a shop was feeding the baby Herman tortoises food that is harmful for them. They need to check The Tortoise Table app to see what foods should be fed to Herman’s. The standard knowledge is no fruit or veg. If it was a treat then next time try Tescos Florette lettuce mix which they can be fed on every day.

I have eaten club sandwiches in many places including The Garden Society (some time ago) and they have always included 3 slices of bread and a small chicken breast. On this occasion, I was served with a small sandwich with a generous salad garnish. My initial thought was I had been served the BLT but when I checked menu saw the chicken breast was now chicken mayo. Please note there were 2 half's of sandwich not just one in photo. That said the food tasted nice and the others were pleased with dishes, especially the oreo shake. On this occasion I was disappointed but would go back.

Ordered 3 steak ale pies,received 2 chicken and leek.Asked for this to be corrected. They sent it back out about 10-15minutes later but obviously with the same mash and veg as it was stone cold. Asked for a refund, the manager was rude, never apologised. Such a shame as we have been before and it was lovely. Will not be going back. I was going to book my 50th get together in the garden but not now. 6th Jan 24

The website looked good, as did the menu. Initial impressions were ok, the shop decor was a little dense / oppressive, but the restaurant offered more space. The food unfortunately fell well below the standard that would be expected for the associated costs. The American pancakes were very average, and served with a tiny portion of maple syrup and only two thin rashers of (albeit good tasting) bacon. The children's macaroni cheese was overcooked, pale and floppy, and served in a sauce that resembled milk. Even at half the price, I would consider these meals expensive for what was provided. With a few minor changes, these issues could be sorted, but until then, I would not choose to visit again for food.

We enjoyed the Christmas afternoon tea recently and it was amazing! The savoury options were mouth watering, scones were perfect with the orange cues and the cakes were lovely, particularly the pistachio sponge Christmas tree. Service was great despite me getting the time wrong and turning up one hour late! The decors and ambiance were lovey and festive too.

We took our 6&7 year old to see Santa today, we all absolutely loved the experience! Santa was great and the elves really made it! Especially the elf in the bakery he was brilliant!! We were not rushed through we had a good half an hour with decorating a gingerbread snowman as well. Would recommend and re book for next year!

Every time I visit the garden society I leave feeling amazing the displays are awe inspiring and incredible, and the staff are so helpful, kind and genuinely happy to help and that’s really quite rare in my opinion. Thank you so much Emily and Emma for all your help today and for making me feel so comfortable you have made my day.

0* wouldn’t recommend anyone wasting time or money. From the moment we turned up, there was no one around so we had to find out where to sit as we waited 10 mins for a staff member and gave up. As we went for the autumnal afternoon tea, we tried to find our name on the table. Others did the same and you could sense frustrations from others. When someone finally came, they put the afternoon tea bits down on table and we didn’t see them again after that. We wanted to get some tea and drinks but no one was around. We also didn’t get given the full items listed as they said they would bring them and didn’t. We couldn’t even question it as no one was around. I contacted them on Instagram about 5 times and each time they told me a manager would contact me. A month later I heard nothing and they stopped replying. I don’t understand how they can take money from people and not provide the items listed on the menu. We thought someone would bring it out but they didn’t. People were getting frustrated and ended up leaving without it. Surely this is a con that needs to be looked into? If I don’t hear back I’ll certainly be considering.

Had a lovely Autumn afternoon tea, nicely presented, tasted delicious plenty of food. It was brilliant to have savioures instead of sandwiches. Had a lovely afternoon there.

Visited for lunch. Overpriced very average food. Poor selection of garden tools again expensive. Will not return. Nice decor is not a passage to reduce quality and over charge.

We ordered 2 coffee and cakes, told it would be 20 mins, actual over 30 mins and lukewarm. Very disappointing. The restaurant experience was badly let down by the amount of time taken for food and drink to arrive. It was busy but there were...

It was my Mums birthday last week so I took her here for the autumn afternoon tea and wow, it was amazing. By far the best afternoon tea we've had! The staff and very friendly and attentive and attention to detail is 10 out of...

We went here two weeks ago just for a coffee but when we went in and looked at the menu we decided to have brunch , food and ambiance was lovely . Staff friendly, gets busy but it's worth it .we didn't realise the nice...

We visited the Orangery after visiting the Garden Centre, the surroundings are interesting, the staff were all polite and the menu is good, i had Eggs Benedict, my wife a small breakfast, the food was well cooked and warm, the restaurant does get busy so...

Expensive for very poor quality food, ordered a buttermilk chicken burger with chips, was not as expected, tasted as if it was frozen and oven baked something like Bernard Matthews. Furthermore my meal had the chip dish with no chips in, had to ask where...

We enjoyed a magical Midsummer's Afternoon Tea at this wonderful venue. The outside of the building offers no clues to the wonderland that unfolds upon entering, but I digress, this is a review of the afternoon tea. We were greeted by happy, enthisiastic, engaging people...

Tea and cake, both of which were fine. The cutlery however was very disappointing a lot of it with food traces and all of it without a shine, so looking unclean. It doesn’t take long to check items as they come out of the dishwasher...

Staff at the counter were polite and patient. Cooked breakfast was slightly ruined by the cold plate it was served on and the garnish of pointless watercress which had certainly seen better days. A tad pricey but the interior of the place is very quirky...

Popped in for lunch, we found and ordered 2 chicken poke bowls, food arrived quite quickly and looked fine till we started eating, few mouthfuls in we were both looking at each other and asking is your chicken cold, we spoke to a member of...

Absolutely beautiful food in gorgeous surroundings. Highly recommend. Lovely staff also, very friendly and welcoming. Eggs Benedict and hearty breakfast were outstanding.

Went for Spring Afternoon Tea. Waitress was lovely. Setting was pretty. Food was nice and they accommodated allergies

Very disappointing visit to the The Garden Society today. We wondered why the cafe was not busy then found out why. Ordered baguette with sausage and caramelised red onion. First one arrived the bread was rock hard so took it back. They apologised and replaced...

Visited for lunch was a lovely atmosphere. Down side having to queue to order. Drinks arrived very quick lovely pot of tea enough for 2 each. lunch was fabulous I had blt was delicious my friend had sausage baguette which was massive. (My dog was...

The venue is really beautiful with lots of space and many of the staff were really sweet. I actually sent my pancakes back. They came out quicker than the coffee which had me suspicious. All just seemed microwaved and it wasn't even warm. The pancakes...

The food was delightfully presented for the wonderland theme. There were some things missing from the cream tea however, namely the cream and jam for the scones! The best thing about this was the interactive play between the mad hatter and Alice. Quite a fun experience for all ages.

Booked for a surprise 50th birthday. The space had only been opened for two weeks and it is phenomenal! It’s a stunning area with fantastic choice of set menus and cocktails / drinks. Staff couldn’t have been more helpful from initial enquiry through to the actual day. I would thoroughly recommend to anyone (both the new area and all of the Secret Garden rooms). Well done to the entire team for creating such beautiful spaces.

I just don’t know how they can justify charging £9:95 for 1 slice of sour dough bread, with not a lot of avocado spread over, with 2 poached eggs on top. Will not be returning in a hurry, that’s for sure, as there are so many other places local that don’t rip their customers off!

First visit with Bella (puppy Cockapoo)… Initially we sat outside thinking that the restaurant wasn’t dog friendly…. We were approached by Alex the manager who said that it’s far too cold outside & that we should sit inside…she was so warm & caring, which was a delight to see! We sat inside & had a great lunch. THANK YOU Alex & team for the hospitality you showed us. Keep up the great work.

Came here for breakfast mid week weds morning so as you can imagine it wasn’t busy. Ordered at the till and paid to then find out a breakfast wasn’t put through and never came out… then tried to charge me for it even though it ruined the breakfast as my partner had pretty much finished by the time they offered to put one through. Customer service from the manager was appalling, you’d think they would put it through free of charge for the spoiled morning breakfast but no. Very disappointing.

We ordered 3 full english and pancakes & maple syrup. Tasted nice but the food was cold & served on cold plates. Horrible.

My partner and I came in to have a look at the Christmas decorations and grab some lunch, a very helpful manager in a checkered blazer helped us with our order and gave some great service! A true example of leading by doing! Excited to come again.

On a recent Hampshire road trip, a sign at a roundabout for “Arturi Garden Centre” caught our eye and we decided to go for a break to stretch our legs. We were pleasantly surprised to find that they had a restaurant, The Orangery Tea House, and stopped to have late lunch.We were warmly welcomed by the restaurant staff. No reservations are required (although you might consider booking during busy times) and ordering the food was very simple. The menu is diverse: All-Day Breakfast, All-Day Bruch, Lunch, Burgers, Seasonal Salads, Catch of the Day, Deli List, Deli Classics, Lunch for Little People… (menu details on their website). There were options for various dietary requirements.We ordered a Brie & Roasted Vegetables with the Jacket Potato and Fish & Chips. The servings were generous and both choices were delicious. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the space to taste the dessert but we did notice the other diners ordering and enjoying the cakes!The Garden Society Shop was filled with attractive decorations (Christmas during our visit), home furnishings and gifts; as well as a variety of thriving indoor and outdoor plants.It was a very interesting, spur-of-the-moment detour and would recommend a visit to The Garden Society.

Last Sunday we endeavoured to go for breakfast here. We were greeted by a young lad who offered us the table by the entrance with two hard chairs . I explained that my wife who uses a walking stick due to hip problems, would not be comfortable sitting there. The bench seat next to it was empty but he would not let us sit there. His only response was "sorry guys". It's the two uncomfortable chairs or outside. Again not acceptable for someone with hip problems. No other options were offered, he didn't even go to check if there was another seat available. He just explained that one side of the restaurant was reserved which was totally irrelevant to the situation, other than to emphasis their slogan "No need to book just pop in".If I'd known I needed to book a comfortable seat, I would have. We've been a few times before.Food is not bad even if it is a little expensive. Service is rubbish. Long wait for food. We won't be going again.

We popped in for lunch whilst looking around the garden centre. We should have guessed the standards, as the place looked tacky, horrible dust collection plastic flowers etc. No hand sanitiser available anywhere even. No menu’s available, we had to ask someone who looked like they worked there (no uniform or name badges, so lucky we guessed right) if they just served cakes, as it really looked like that was it. We were told sit at a table and a menu would be brought to us. Unfortunately, no drinks menus available. While we were choosing what to had an elderly lady came to our table with 2 plates full of food, and insisted it was what we ordered . Two old ladies at the table across the room from us waved at her and told her it was actually their food. We chose our lunches, then had to queue for ages in front of the cake counter. I asked if they had wine, was told they did, then had to go over to a bar area to choose which wine (totally ridiculous they don’t have a drinks menu). Once I let the lady know, I had to return back to the cake counter to place our food order, unfortunately an old lady hadn’t been paying attention to me needing to go to tabard to order my drink, and was now stood at the counter in my place, she then had to back up, as did the other 8 people patiently waiting behind her! Certainly no social distancing here. More like a lunch club at an OAP’s home.I ordered a root veg curry, and asked for a coronation chicken sandwich, instead of toastie. The lady taking my order said it was no problem, she’d write do not toast, just sandwich requested on my order. Those, a portion of chips, coffee and wine were £30, so definitely not cheap. Even after asking my table number to begin with, before I placed my order, she read back my order and quoted the wrong table number! Fortunately I was able to correct her.We had to pick up our own napkins, salt and pepper from dishes too, rather unhygienic. No cutlers or sauces available.We were sat at our table for 10 minutes, then my friends coffee arrived. I asked where my wine was, the waiter said I had already had it! I assured him I hadn’t, then expected him to get it for me, he didn’t! I flagged down a waitress (my friend had half finished her coffee at this point) asking for my wine. She said she’d get it for me. About 20 minutes just to get a drink after paying for it is ridiculous, having to ask for it three times is bonkers too. Our food arrived. As you can see from the photo, my sandwich was actually toasted! Ridiculous. There was some salad on my plate (not mentioned on the menu), with peppers and tomato on, revolting. It seemed like someone had put just 3 drops of a balsamic dressing on it, incredibly tight. The coronation chicken was very thinly spread, far too many sultanas bulking it out and replacing chicken, no apricot in it whatsoever. The ‘crispy’ bacon mentioned on the menu was actually undercooked streaky fatty flabby bacon, certainly nowhere near being crisp. Really disappointing, I left half of it, at £8 it was worth about £2!The chips were really nice, but I had to ask the elderly lady delivering our food for ketchup. She brought a bowl of tartare sauce! I told her we asked for ketchup, for the chips, she seemed confused, said she thought we would want tartare for the curry! Fortunately she did come back with the ketchup. She brought cutlery and napkins with our food. They must waste a lot of money on unrequited sauces and lots of napkins for no reason.The root curry was horrible, tasted like it came from a tin and had been reheated in a microwave, yuck! All in all, untrained clueless staff, most of which look like they should have retired 5-10 years ago. Awful food, very expensive for such poor quality. Definitely not a customer friendly place. It seemed to have quite a few elderly customers, perhaps they have OAP specials? Definitely not somewhere either of us will waste our time or money again. Garden centre was dreadful too, 80% fake/plastic plants or decorations, lots nothing to do with gardening, handbags etc as well. There’s a couple of decent garden centres, which also serve food, around 10 minutes away from this place, surprising anyone bothers wasting their time or money here.

Its a shame this place didnt meet our expectations as its such a lovely venue. The afternoon tea is £30 pp, which is over double the price of many other nice places. We thought you would atleast get a glass of Prosecco or a cold drink of choice, but these were all an additional cost. Even asking for a hot chocolate was a problem. The coffees were luke warm and not once did anybody come over and ask how our food was. Scones came out later as they apparently were in the oven, but they came out cold. Its evident this type of review is common and people feel it is overpriced so I'm unsure why they havent done anything about this. Would not attend again or recommend this to friends or family.

First off all there was no-one to greet us so waited like lemons in a que for 10 minutes to advise them of our reservation then to be told to wait somewhere else and a waitress will come to seat us. Everything would have been fine it there was clear directions on where to go and a greeter! We was then took to a table but had actually called before hand to ask to sit outside and that it was a special celebration which wasn’t noted down! The waitress sat us down and 5 minutes later came back for drinks but we wasn’t gave a drinks menu, my partners coke tasted like Lidl coke and had no fizz in it and my mock-tail was ridiculously over priced. The afternoon tea didn’t match the menu at all, so for my partner who doesn’t eat strawberry’s, he didn’t touch any of the deserts or jam, I thought they would have stuck to the menu or asked us if we wanted to adjust any items.One of the cakes (blueberry and lemon cake) tasted frozen and hard, the strawberry choux tasted frozen too as for the strawberry macaroons. We barley touched the sandwiches as we would have liked to customise them a bit but again, we wasn’t offered and wasn’t made aware it would be brought out right away. Over £60 for afternoon tea and two drinks - no drinks were included- is absolutely ridiculous, it tasted so bad and there was empty sugar packets left on our table and food under our table, the service was shocking, we weren’t even told about the changes from the menu. I will only come back to try a different menu if compensation is gave, as I have recommended this place to lots of people looking for afternoon tea before I had even tried it myself as they advertise well on social media( oh and they ignored my Instagram messages) They didn’t match our consumer rights at all, I stated that we didn’t enjoy it when paying the bill and was told ‘oh I’m sorry we’ll I’ll give you a box to take away the rest in to eat later’ I will be complaining directly as I’ve had much better afternoon teas for half the price!

Visited for breakfast one day during the summer holidays. The staff were really friendly and helpful. The breakfast itself was OK, but could certainly have been warmer. The bacon was quite fatty and the sausage was chewy (it seemed to be quite coarsely ground), however the poached egg and garlicky mushrooms were really nice, the roll shaped like a mini loaf was cute and I liked that the baked beans were served in a separate ramekin.Having lost track of time talking, we also ended up ordering coffees and a slice of the profiterole torte to share. The coffees were lovely and came quickly. The torte slice was really nicely presented on the plate with a fruit garnish and raspberry coulis. The torte itself was divine and I would go back just for that alone! I thought it might be quite dense, but it was light, moist and packed with profiteroles. Absolute highlight of the visit!

I went with friends for lunch and was surprised at the wonderful choice on the menu, everything looked delicious and it was. I had a lovely cheese burger with chips, the only criticism is perhaps the coleslaw needs mayo served without it's a bit tasteless.We were all spoiled with an enormous slice of cake afterwards, couldn't finish it had to take half of it back home. I would definitely go again and I would highly recommend it too

Sadly really really disappointing. Took 45 minutes to come which was nearly understandable as busy but when the meal came it wasn’t even what was advertised and was clearly not fresh. We both ordered the avocado and bacon which is meant to come on sourdough toast with rocket. The bacon albeit tasty was so so dry and had clearly been sat around for hours. The bread wasn’t toasted and didn’t seem particularly tasty and came with spinach not rocket…! For £9.95 you would expect something considerably better than I could easily do at home. Sadly won’t be back.

We have just got home from having the most amazing food at The Orangery...... this was our second choice of venue but luckily for us the first choice was closed.I am gluten free and the menu accommodated this, staff were fantastic and friendly too.Can't wait to visit again and The Orangery will never be second choice again!!

We came to the orangery tea room for a birthday brunch, I saw the reviews the day prior to coming so was a bit worried however we had such a lovely experience, the staff were so friendly, regularly came back and checked on us and were very attentive. We brought our dog and they were very accommodating of her and left her a bowl of water and finally the brunch was delicious!!! I’ll definitely be coming back again!

Amazing atmosphere, get drinks and food! Would definitely recommend to friends and family had a great time

I booked a table for Afternoon Tea. The food was good but I don’t think I have ever experienced such poor service. We waited 45 minutes for a drink - we couldn’t even ask anyone as there seemed to be two people covering the whole of the outside area. They were running around like crazy. When the food came - after an hour and a half, we were told the scones would follow. After another half an hour we had to ask. The waiter was always very apologetic but they clearly couldn’t cope with the number of people. Overall, the food was good but the staff need some training and if they can’t cope with the number of tables they shouldn’t book that many people in. Such a shame as I would definitely go back for the setting and food, but it was just spoilt.

I came here with my family only to pay a disgraceful 7 pounds for a bacon Brie and cranberry toasty. The portion size was small enough to leave a poor ant hungry, To say I’m disgusted is an understatement, I am in distraught and quite frankly will be not coming back here ever again, I would highly advise you come here if you want to waste your time and eat a microwaved dish washer. Period….

This garden centre is very up market very good everything so well presented the displays are like a top department store The gardens and plants are of a very good standard well stocked plus reasonably priced Everything about this garden centre is amazing so impressed

There's not enough filling in the Orangery Club Stack, very little chicken or mayo, made it dry to eat.

Took a visit to the Orangery today with my grandparents to celebrate their anniversary and I’m very pleased we journeyed up from Portsmouth to sample this cute little nook.My nana loved all the twinkle lights and the garden centre staging and we were equally impressed by the little café at the back which seemed to go on for ever. I have read some reviews on here about bad service but can honestly say, even though they seemed really busy, the staff couldn’t do enough for us. The lady on the till had problems with the technology but couldn’t have been more apologetic and the young waiter with the top knot serving couldn’t do enough to make sure everything was perfect.Only complaint, it did get very hot inside as was quite close today and they could benefit from a bit of air conditioning.Took some lovely cake home and there were smiles all round. Shall definitely be visiting again.

Planned a lovely catch up and lunch in what promised to be a lovely setting. Seated indoors which worked for us but it rapidly went downhill when we went to the counter to order. Staff were, at best, disinterested in offering exceptional customer service. They had no cold drinks and no ice - this was at 12pm on the hottest day of the year! No explanation as to whether this was due to mechanical failure or just poor planning... Tried to view the cake selection with a member of the team stood in front of the counter gossiping to her colleague, staff clearly not aware of social distancing as they continued to barge past you as you tried to move around.The food didn’t live up to expectation either, didn’t think you could go wrong with a Cesar salad but seeming a bowl of little gem lettuce leaves dripping in dressing passes as satisfactory.Based on this visit we won’t be returning. This is a garden centre cafe trying to be something they are not.

Disappointing visit today on one of the hottest days of the year so far, were offered a table indoors by a very abrupt and unhelpful young man - indoors was very stuffy and not inviting, requested a table for 4 outside, only had 2 tables of appropriate size both in full sun and no sun umbrellas on offer, this was despite there being tables under the shade but set up for afternoon tea, during our lunch, 3 of these tables were unused, our request to have one of the tables but would leave before the afternoon tea reservation, was very rudely denied. We won’t go back and will revert back to Haskins.

Just had coffee and a scone. The scone was minuscule, microwaved within inch of it’s life so gone very hard. Huge dollop ( bigger than the scone !) of nasty cheap jam. Had to go snd ask for some butter to make it edible, had assumed would come with butter! Service generally seemed bit disorganised. Everything seemed expensive too, so went on to a cheaper garden centre to get what we wanted. Shame as the place itself attractively set out. Doubt if bother again.

My friend I decided to drive to the garden centre after lunch last week,6th May as we both wanted to purchase plants,pots and compost.We arrived about 3.30 and thought we would enjoy a cuppa before going in to the garden centre.There was only two outside tables occupied when we arrived but we were informed that we could only purchase a coffee to take off the site or choose something off the of three menus outside but none of these was just for coffee.It seemed to make no difference that the place was almost empty so we left and went to another welcoming garden centre where we enjoyed superb coffee in the outside seating area before spending a considerable amount of money in the garden centre.We will never return again.I am led to believe that the owner of the Orangery Tea Rooms also owns the one at Garsons Garden Centre Titchfield.If so he and his staff would learn a valuable lesson by visiting there to see how a welcoming,friendly tea room is run,even just for a coffee.

Very disappointed with our visit to your nursery today We checked if the outside coffee facility was indeed open on your website. It said YES so we drove over to enjoy your shop and to indulge in a coffee and cake. Only to be told that the facility was on booking only basis. Not mentioned on the website. I commented on the 12 tables that were empty only to be told the entire area both under cover and not was completely booked Not a sign of a soul at any table. We walked away very disillusioned my friend went to purchase the plant that she had chosen two ladies at the hill who neither said hello, Thank you or goodbye. RUDE I have been going to the garden society for a few years. Won’t be returning ever due to Rude and unhelpful staff.

Myself and 2 friends visited as a birthday treat. Upon arrival we were unsure of procedure as it said you had to book. We said we wanted cake and coffee and were told by a girl that she would have to check if there was a spare table! No one else there as 2 ladies had already walked out after the girl was abrupt with them. Told couldnt have cake and coffee only brunch at £20 pp. The place was empty so as the girl was so unhelpful abrupt and rude we left. They lost the business of 5 people in as so many minutes. Very disappointed so will not be returning.!!!

I really like how The Orangery has adapted to offer takeaway service via its deli. Popped in to get some cakes whilst at the Garden Society and wasn't disappointed! There was a decent selection different cakes and treats, as well as homemade sausage rolls, scones and more! I ordered a few slices of cakes and some sausage rolls - all were really good! My only piece of feedback would be that I hope that as things eventually re-open, the takeaway options remain, or at the very least distancing measures are actually enforced this time around when customers can eat in again. I was admittedly disappointed last year as COVID numbers crept back up, and I visited (hoping for a takeaway cake on the back of being impressed with the deli in prior lockdowns), to find a packed cafe, queue system without people actually spacing (despite staff being there) and crammed full of those having to go from tables to order at a counter. We've been visiting for years and I've been really impressed throughout the lockdowns, but honestly less so in the aftermath. Hoping third time is the charm and re-opening (when it eventually comes!) is in good spirit of the community.Other than that, I do think it's a good location. Food can be on the expensive side, depending on what you order, but it's great value if you're looking to pop in and have a nice cake / scone / snack and a decent hot drink!

My husband and I visited today to enjoy a festive afternoon tea in the Palm Room.Firstly whilst there was a cracker and some faux decorations (with the price still on) there was not much 'festive cheer or atmosphere'...The savory selection was nicely presented but the portion of beef and salmon on the sandwhiches/rolls was minuscule. My husband is a vegetarian and on his substitute salmon roll he had a strand, yes 1 strand of cucumber...really! There was a cheese plate with again very tiny pieces of cheese but a very large bowl of chutney.The pastry selection was nice but the scones were so rock hard and bland we had to leave them after a few mouthfuls.The black tea selection is very limited it was breakfast tea or nothing. The service was ok our server was very pleasant but we had to wait over 10 mins for someone to come along and bring more tea. They clearly sont have enough staff.Overall at almost £50 for 2 and no bubbles as they cant serve alcohol presently. I would say I wont be hurrying back and going by the other reviews and the people.on the table next to us also complained, it would appear they need to take a good look at the service and standards they are charging premium price but offering sub standard food, portions and service. Not impressed.

I adore this garden centre but was so disappointed at the choice for vegans and how expensive it was! £8.95 for 2 pieces of sour dough bread, scraping of humus, some vine tomatoes and some spinach leaves - you can get a fullEnglish on there for meat eaters for a similar price! They have a brilliant concept and design but are way off what people want for their breakfast especially if you do not eat meat-dairy. Such a shame as it’s a wonderful garden centre to visit

Regarding the cafe, this is worth a read. Staff were so rude to me as I complained about my coffee. I left in tears and 3 tables worth of customers around me left to ask if I was okay. I approached the manager and received a verbal apology. Furthermore, his response was far from staggered. Not only did the staff make me cry, they humiliated me in front of all of the customers by shouting at me a close proximity, not even socially distanced. After this happened I have friends and family that shared a similar experience. I wouldn’t be surprised if the garden society has not lost a large volume of customers. I’m far too intimidated to ever return.

I’ve been a regular here (taking my mum and dad for a breakfast) on and off since they opened years ago. I don’t know what’s happened recently but the ‘standards’ on the menu, such as egg and bacon, which were always good sized and filling are now more style over substance.We all ordered egg and bacon. This comprised two fried eggs and two, what I could only describe as half size, rashers of streaky bacon (which were limp not crisp as described on the menu). These were served on two thin, small slices of rye bread that would barely make up a normal slice of bread. Previously there have been generous thick slices of granary bread.It was all ok, pleasant enough, ok to eat but no where near worth the £7.95 charge. Really poor value for money. Service was lovely and friendly but alas after many years of custom we won’t be returning again.

Brunch with friends - I had my favourite smashed avocado on toast with bacon - and a poached egg as extra. This time the portion size was about two thirds of the one I had in September when I last visited. As I love it here and it’s local and handy, (service is great in these odd times) I’ll give them a “Best of Three” chance and come back again. My friend who had scrambled eggs with smoked salmon said the same about her plate - maybe an off day?

Waited over an hour for 2 ploughmans. The mini bread loaf was really mini and rock hard. I asked the waitress for some more bread and she came back and said NO. I then demonstrated how hard the bread was by banging it on the table as no knife could break into it, the other ploughmans was exactly the same.She returned with one slice of white bread between the two of us! Was also expecting balsamic picked onion as described on the menu but this was also missing. I complained to another member of staff who said all the managers were in a meeting and would contact me later, of course this never happened. Very poor customer service and could all have been resolved with a nice bit of bread !! Will not be returning.

Over the past few weeks, I have been a regular visitor here as it’s a great central place to meet colleagues whilst working for a few hours. Last week, the woman that hands out menus as you arrive manhandled another woman in the queue, forcing her to stand very close behind me whilst completely ignoring the 2m rule. I arrived just after 9am this morning and ordered two breakfasts and two drinks. At around 11.30am we ordered a further two drinks and we planned to get some cake for lunch. The queue gets incredibly long at 12pm (sometimes a 30+ minute wait, which is inexcusable) so we decided to wait until the queue died down. One of the waitresses approached the table shortly after and asked whether we were planning to order anything else, basically indicating that we should leave if we weren’t. It was uncomfortable and embarrassing, so we left without ordering any more. It felt incredibly greedy, like customer service was not at the forefront of their minds - they just wanted the extra cash. It’s disappointing as I would have been a long-time customer had this not happened. The food and drinks are great and relatively good value for money, especially on eat out to help out days. I won’t be returning after today and will be discouraging colleagues, friends and family that I have recommended this place to.

The food was delicious and I loved the environment and decorations. I had the cypriot salad and the halloumi and salad were delicious. With the COVID restrictions right now I found it strange that the staff weren't wearing masks, I would've thought that if they were in quite a high-risk environment they would want to keep themselves and others safe. I think it's unfair that the customers have to wear masks to keep the staff safe but the staff come very close when giving the food without any masks or gloves. There was a lady coughing all the time as well. They were rude to my mum because she went over a rope which she wasn't supposed to do but no one was social distancing and they had no way to reinforce distancing really. I don't know if I'd visit again any time soon because most of the staff were mediocre. Having said that the waitress and waiter were really helpful and kind. I liked the shop and the plants that they sell as well.

Who doesn't love a club sandwich? These guys do it very well! Would most definitely recommend. Not much has changed with Covid. Would probably suggest that the staff could wear some sort of face covering. Both indoor and outdoor seating is available so with the beautiful weather no reason not to visit!

Have tried the food here a few times now and always leave disappointed. I decided to give it another shot now that it had reopened and go for brunch. First impressions I was shocked as there was no sort of directions or signage when trying to enter the restaurant, we got the attention of a staff member who gave us a menu and told us to take a seat. Then we noticed that no members of staff were wearing face masks or gloves which isn't ideal when they will be handling your food, also no screens between the tables although they are spaced a metre apart. Then the food I ordered the American pancakes and my partner ordered the full English but wanted to swap the mushrooms and tomatoes for avocado but was told this was not possible. The presentation of the food is always lovely probably to distract you from how little food you are getting. I received 3 tiny and completely flat pancakes that tasted like they had been microwaved from frozen, with hard stale edges. Served with paper thin and tasteless cut up pieces of bacon, I honestly doubt they used one whole strip of bacon but make it look like more by cutting it into bite size pieces. Then the full English comes with 1 small egg, 1 ration of bacon and 1 sausage. Pretty appalling for the price. I also fancied an iced coffee but the only iced coffee they have is the new trend of whipped coffee which then allows them to charge £4 per cup. Safe to say I don't think we will be trying the food here again, there are many other independent cafés with better food.

First time I have felt any type of normality for weeks. Orangery Tea Rooms open for take-away lunch. Choose chicken Caesar Salad, Greek salad New potatoes and Fruity Couscous enough for two and some left over. Beautiful Cappuccino and Mango cheesecake. Heavenly!!! Topped it off with a wander through the shop and plant selection bought a great driftwood piece with articulated seagulls. Happy Days,

My visit the Orangery Tea Room are a regular event. Not only can we enjoy a few hours out in beautiful surroundings but we can also take our dogs with us as well and they also don’t expect you to sit outside. They are also happy to provide sausages etc for your pets.When you go their expect it to be busy and that your halve to wait for your food to be cooked fresh. The food is always served up beautifully. They have a great range of baguettes etc and beautiful yummy cakes and pastries.

Was regular visitor to this place, and it was always very good, however, recently visited and had to wait 1 hour for a baguette! Several people walked out. This has happened regularly lately and is unacceptable! On different occasions, my nicoise salad arrived without tuna, potato AND egg. Roast potatoes were obviously kept warm for ages, as they were hard, dry and inedible! Have waited 1 hour on more than one occasion and am not willing to visit again. Shame because the staff are always friendly and apologetic, and it’s not their fault. This has gone downhill since new owners have taken over. Take a tip and get a chef who can cope

On the first sunny day in a very long time, this place was understandably busy. Even though we arrived early for lunch there were no tables available so we decided to wait. I asked a member of staff if he could alert people in the queue if tables were becoming available - he stared blankly at me, then said no and walked away! We eventually found a free table but covered in dirty plates. It took 20 minutes of waiting and then having to ask staff to clear the table before someone eventually did this.Food - we ordered Sunday lunch. A vegetarian nut roast was the same price as a beef roast. And there was no Yorkshire pudding with the veggie option (and when asked if one came with the veggie meal, I was told quite bluntly, “No”). I’m guessing it was cooked in non-veggie fat but this could have been explained. Or, to keep everyone happy, could quite easily have been cooked as a vegetarian accompaniment.We waited a long time for our food and when it arrived it was quite a small portion and had clearly been microwaved. The nut roast was soggy, my gravy was almost solid, the roast potatoes were chewy and my husband’s beef was tough. We had ordered a coffee and a smoothie with our meals which turned up half an hour after our food (and only when we had asked for the drinks three times).The whole experience was so disappointing; the service was awful (most of the staff we encountered were incredibly rude), the food was dreadful, the tables were dirty, we had to borrow a salt cellar from another table (this salt was well travelled around multiple tables), no glasses for drinks...you get the picture.

Fantastic food. Loved the peacock blue/moss green decor. The aviary kept us amused until the food arrived.

We had the most beautiful Afternoon Tea at The Garden Society this past weekend. The Palm Room where we were seated is amazing. The Afternoon Tea currently served (the Spring Menu) is delightlful and very generous! The Rasberry and Rose Victoria Sponge was the best I have every had and it was so nice to have an menu with a twist with the Arabian mezze and salmon and broccoli tart. The staff were very friendly and attentive and we had a wonderful time. Great value for money.

This place has gone down hill! I came here as I love the shop here and like to see what they have for the home and interiors. In the cafe however, things are not good. The soup only tasted of pepper and the bread with it was nasty cheap bread that stuck to the roof of my mouth! Staff are bitter middle aged women who are grumpy and tired, it seems. I remember when this restaurant was trying to build up its clientele and nothing was too much trouble. It is now very different and it feels like the staff would be happier if we could all go home!

I always enjoyed coming for coffee and cake and hadn't been for a while. The comfy armchairs have disappeared and the walls are covered in pictures of bugs. It made me feel uncomfortable. What a pity!The service was slow too and the soup too peppery. The birds are still a delight though.

I took my grandparents for lunch at this garden centre and was denied a child's portion of food for my grandmother who has terminal cancer. This was even after explaining her needing it due barley being able to eat because of her Leukaemia treatment. Was just told by the teenager on the till it's 'out of their hands' after conferring with what seemed to be a more senior member of staff. Their reasoning was because I had expressed that it was not for a child. I was clearly upset but tried to keep my cool and told the girl it was not her fault. Meanwhile the other four members of senior staff around her did not bother to help at all whilst clearly hearing every word of the conversation.Extremely infuriating as large portions of food to a cancer patient is too much for them and nauseating. Their attitude toward me was basically that they didn't care one bit. It's a garden centre with 'strict' policies.... I mean get a grip. The food was brought to the table by a waitress about 30-40 years old. My grandfather was extremely upset and reminded the waitress that my grandmother has terminal cancer and large portions of food are extremely off-putting due to nausea from treatment. To which she replied with a rude impatient attitude and absolutely no compassion 'do you want a side plate to push some food off her plate'. To further rub salt into the wound, a waitress then said 'next time just don't say who it's for when ordering' which completely contradicts their whole enforcement of their supposed rule of child portion food, making the entire ordeal pointless. The entire staff seem to be a bunch of bitter, mean spirited women who then made it very apparent that they had awful attitudes toward us for the remainder of the time we were there eating. I never write reviews for restaurants or anywhere in general but I have gone out of my way to write this as I have never experienced such disrespect and down right pathetic behaviour. Their portion sizes are massive and have a 'strict' portion size policy, how is this catering as a garden centre to their main demographic of elderly people? I mean how incompetent can you be as a business and as human beings. I've never experienced such awful behaviour in my life. Just actually imagine having a grandmother with terminal cancer being denied a smaller portion of food at a garden centre.... then being given attitude and disrespect after by the staff.... actually unbelievable. If I could give 0 stars I would. The place deserves to be shut down.

Went between Christmas and new year. Quite busy but still good service, food is good but It is not cheap.

Not happy. We had high expectations for this place but unfortunately it was horrible. Firstly they had run out of quite a few things when I went to order so chose some other bits. My 4 year old had the ham sandwich, when it arrived I notice the huge amount of butter on a small kids sandwich. Disgusting, they also got the bread wrong. My eggs and avo was really not good. Hard avocado is never good! Disappointed and will not be returning

Went with my daughter and husband to do the Elf Society and was very disappointed. It was almost £50 for all of us and was the worst of 12 Santa experiences this year...

What a lovely visit we had to the Elf society the elf’s where just amazing, as was mother Christmas and Father Christmas, just blew me away.

Come here a few times a year and the food never disappoints. Yes you have to wait a while, bit it is worth it. Reading other reviews I think people just need a little patience in life. Will definitely return. The coronation chicken and milkshakes are definitely a must try.

Bloody cold in here and the service is so SLOW! Waited half an hour for a cup of tea and piece of cake! The food is nice though but you have to wait for it. Been here a few times and it's always like this

Slow service is standard in here...

I enjoyed a tasty, well cooked brunch here in very entertaining surroundings. Apart from the slightly annoying number calling from the roaming staff trying to hunt down where the diners were sitting, I enjoyed this venue and am looking forward to returning. (Perhaps table numbers would be a better idea?) The afternoon tea looked particularly worth investigating.

Unfortunately it was so cold, kept our coats on but didn't bring gloves and hat,so drank our coffee and left before we caught hypothermia

Visited twice this week, lunch with a friend on Friday, the service was very slow the table not cleared from the people before (we cleared it ourselves) and the food was cold.

It took calling up on four occasions to make a booking for the Garden Society after seeing good reviews online and a friend’s recommendation.

We’ve been coming here for a few years visiting every few months on average. Yes there can sometimes be a bit of a delay for food but it’s usually worth the wait. I don’t think we’ve had a bad meal and it all seems freshly prepared/home made. (Not sure about the frozen lasagne comment, I’ve had it before and thought it felt home made/fresh).

Popped in Sunday afternoon for coffee and cake. Asked if they served syrups for the coffees as could not see this

So whilst the decor and food look nice here I was absolutely disappointed to find out they charge £2.25 for a can of San pellegrino soft drink.

Ultra dog friendly so great to visit with our pooch. Excellent value lunch, fresh and for a club sandwich authentic which makes a change. Cakes look superb and although I don’t eat them people I have visited with have said how great they are.

If I could give it 0 stars I would. Very disappointed and definitely won't recommend or return. We booked afternoon tea for 3 people for my friends 30th. We were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrived they kept constantly telling us we had booked the wrong date but still allowed us to have the afternoon tea which was great. Later on when we were eating our cakes she came over again still mentioning we booked the wrong date, it wasn't possible as all of us were not able to attend the date she insisted we booked and we had confirmation for Saturday. I'm unsure why she kept mentioning it as they were really quiet, one other couple there in the whole room and it made us feel really awkward. The lady which served us was rude, never smiled once and made us feel unwelcome. I've never experienced this service before which was unfortunate. I also thought 20pp for afternoon tea was expensive for the service and food we received.

My order was wrong when it arrived so was sent back. When it came back a minute later I asked if the items had just been picked off which the waiter said it had.

What a lovely place to eat, not rushed and very good food. Lovely staff nothing is to much trouble for the. The £5 Tuesday deal a meal and hot drink is great value.

First visit with a friend who is a regular and had been raving about the place.

I’ve written a review about this on every site and social media. This incompetent woman refused me a refund after bringing me out a frozen, watery lasagne which came out 1 minuet after I had ordered it. Refused to give me a refund even tho I hadn’t touched it and she just liked to be difficult.

Came on a sunday for brunch, tea came out quickly but food took 55 mins so we had cold tea left at that time. Food was nice but a bit greasy. If they cant cope with the capacity they need more staff in the kitchen