The Orchard Room in Mid Suffolk

Why anyone would choose to call a cafe Tickety Boo is beyond me but the food is good and you don't eat the name! Very strange and off-putting style where they take your money before you eat - which meant we didn't order any cake after our meal as we couldn't be bothered to queue and pay all over again. None of the diners I've seen in here look like the type that would run off without paying! Despite this the food really was excellent and I will be back for more.

Oh cielos. Rebautizado, en lugar tremendamente, 'Tickety boo", que parece una cosa rara que hacer cuando una excelente reputación ya ha sido construido como 'La habitación Orchard. '

Nuestra primera visita a Tickety Boo, disfrutamos de un delicioso almuerzo de calabacines, espinacas y tocino Quiché y una bondad increíble Bowl - tanto y abundante! No pude resistir en el despliegue, así tartas seguimos con el cerezo cerezo y tarta y Estuvó Coco bollo! Propietarios encantador y amable.

Este es el nuevo propietario y ha sido rebautizado como Tickety Boo reapertura esta semana! Aparecimos hoy - mi marido tenía un té helado y yo tuvimos un sabroso té tanto también estaban muy bien! El personal es muy amable y el ambiente muy limpio y relajante! También hay mesas con vistas al huerto y viendo las gallinas andan libremente! Este es dar el dueño anterior más tiempo para concentrarse en su negocio de canguro, que tiene una gran variedad de plantas para la venta!

Situated in a rambling garden centre, very rural with an orchard and hens running around. We have been there twice for coffee and cakes which were very nice. We understand the dinners are exceptional but as yet we have not had dinner there.

Encontramos este restaurante en tripadvisor y fui con mi marido para el almuerzo. El bacalao escalfado era magnífica y mi marido estaba muy impresionado con la ensalada césar de pollo que tenía deliciosamente herby.

Este fue un día especial para mi madre y mi padre en el cumpleaños 95 de mi padre, la camarera se aseguró de que tuviéramos una mesa más grande cerca de la puerta para caminar frame de mi padre y la facilidad de acceso por la puerta. El servicio fue inmejorable, la comida maravillosa y papá era capaz de comer la carne asada de suculento y perfectamente cocinado, que él tenía preocupado!!

Excellent roast chicken lunch with great flavours & fresh veg from the garden. Young chef did great, waitresses could've been more attentive.

Lovely quiet place to eat! Really tranquil. Lovely service and beautifully cooked food. The omelettes are to die for. Kids got some free bread to feed the resident chickens!

Comida cara y plantas para la venta parecía también.

Sitting outside nest to an orchard with the countryside and chickens for company. Breakfast of bacon and eggs on a toasted muffin - delicious. Highly recommend.

Three of us went for lunch... Sun was shining and the food was great. Sweet potato quiche... Delicious but quite a small plate of food...Scone clotted cream and jam...wonderful but the scone had been put in microwave which made it soft... Only fault.Will definitely go again.

After a long absence, I went back to the Orchard Room. It is still as I remembered from before. It is so refreshing to have a colourful cloth and wild flowers on the table.Watching the chickens running around in their enclosure and 2 friendly Labrador wanting your attention outside, is a delight.The food is freshly prepared and very tasty,

Summary ..... nothing is too much trouble for the staff at The Orchard Room.I took my son, daughter in law and two of my grandchildren there today for lunch.My son and daughter in law had never been there before and I think they wondered why on earth I felt there was somewhere nice to go in Thurston for lunch! However, they were very very pleasantly surprised and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.We all enjoyed brilliant service from the staff team and fantastic freshly prepared food. We have absolutely nothing negative to say about our experience. The environment is perfect ... lovely views out into the orchard with the chickens, warm, comfortable, calm and relaxing.We enjoyed a very leisurely lunch taking about 2 hours in total which suited us absolutely fine. We were not hurried along and the staff were very happy to go at our speed.We went for a lovely walk in the grounds before and after our lunch, played with the resident dog and my granddaughter was given some bread to feed the chickens which she thoroughly enjoyed.Thank you very much to all the staff at The Orchard Room from us all - a perfect lunch.

My daughter booked a table for Mother's Day brunch. The food was delicious, and it was no trouble to do a 'full English' fried breakfast for my husband and son in law, even though this wasn't on the menu. They brought the children's food first, even though there were colouring pencils to occupy them (sorry, they then scribbled in the notebooks left for our comments!). All the staff were really friendly and my daughter and I were given a clump of snowdrops as a Mother's Day gift, which was a lovely touch. After the meal my grandchildren were given scraps to feed to the chickens, which was the highlight of the day for them!I am in a wheelchair, so it's wonderful to go out to somewhere that is so accessible.Thank you!

A lovely peaceful setting and very pleasant staff. The roast beef was I think the best we have tasted. The only let down was the Yorkshire pudding which was aweful, heavy, stodgy and basically inedible . What a shame as the rest of the meal was superb. Perhaps try using Aunt Bessie's next time!!!

It was perhaps unfortunate - we booked the Valentine's Lunch, but were warned that the menu was not as sent out to their mailing customers. In fact there was no Valentine's menu! We ate off the normal menu and saved money!!! However one couple who had also booked were extremely unhappy and walked out. Considering there were five people in the kitchen or serving there were still service issues one lady who just wanted some soup 7waited in excess of 15 minutes. It was in the end 5 stars for entertainment, but only 2 stars for the food. Further we had two different style of wine glass. In all a bad day in the office.

I have been meaning to visit here for a long time, having previously tried at a lunchtime and found it full. This time we booked for a Sunday morning coffee. Meet two friends following a cycle ride. Great homely service and crockery. Wonderful cakes and breakfast options. The Garden room was a lovely setting, and looking out even in January was very pleasant, seeing hens pecking away as the sun shone in.

Booked a table for 6 one lunchtime recently and found the experience very disappointing. I have visited many times for coffee and/or sandwich's with friends and found it to be OK but on this occasion we had reserved a table for a meal.One of our party ordered the Nurseryman's lunch - run out of scones to go with it had to have bread instead. Three of us ordered risotto with prawns - only enough prawns for 2 so the third person had to have salmon risotto (the risotto was dry and stodgy). One glass of red wine was very chilled, not good..The menu stated on the website does not reflect what is actually on offer - a very limited selection at best.Sorry to be so negative in my review but something has gone wrong here, it is not what it used to be.

I meet here every couple of months with a friend,and the last two visits have been awful but we decided to give the restaurant another go,well it has not improved a very limited menu and the risotto was stodgy and under cooked,such a shame.

Travelling the byways of Norfolk & N Suffolk can be fraught for the caffine addict, two hours and not a cafe in sight. This was a life saver and only a mile from our planned route. The cakes were totally unecessary but delicious all the same - who could resist Bakewell Sponge and strong coffee. Another plus - if you are a keen gardener this is part of Harvey's Nursery which specialises in Hellibores.

I don't feel I can fully review this lovely place as I have only visited for tea and cake, not a full meal. Based on what I have eaten though, its certainly worth a visit. It's a really lovely and unusal location, & the resident dogs are well behaved and adorable. I'm a tiny bit disappointed to note that it seems the management only respond to negative reviews on here - I understand it might be time consuming to respond each and every review, but I think its always nice to see reponses to both positive and negative reviews. Planning on visiting again to try their Sunday Lunch!

Oh dear...what a disappointment. It is a few years since we last had a meal here, and in the interim the standard has changed. The menu would have you believe that there is a good choice of meals available, but, what it doesn't say is that the roast meats are in the fridge and will be flash heated....similarly with the rosated vegetables. The cake selection was still as we remembered....good, as was the service. The area between the car park and the Orchard Room looked sad and in need of attention.

I visited The Orchard Room today with my mum, we were surprised to see how the garden area was all overgrown and just looked a mess! I know it is September but people are still visiting so needs a bit of a tidy up! The breakfast menu is very limited and overpriced for what you get! need to drop the prices a little, Egg and Bacon Muffin about £5.40 and you get one muffin with one slice of bacon and two eggs which they get from their chickens, so they make a good £4.50 profit ! Suffolk Water park get their produce locally and it is always fresh and you can get a full english big breakfast with tea or coffee for £6.50! no contest really !

I had a delightful cake from this idyllic restaurant. So good to have a menu full of seasonal produce, lots of which is apparently locally sourced. The room is tastefully decorated and surrounded by the beautiful plant nursery. The service good and a lovely time was had by all. Definitely will go back again: the sooner the better!

Delicious crab cakes and homemade bread with great service in beautiful surroundings. Do miss the gift selection they used to on sale though, hopefully this will be back soon, as will we!

Like the previous reviewer (localyokel29), we also returned after a short absence. What a shock, no roast beef only roast pork and chicken, which was not even priced on the Menu Board. There were only 10 customers when previously the place was frequently fully booked. When the meal eventually arrived it was bland and flavourless and the vegetables were undercooked. It would appear that the previous reviewer's comments had been completely ignored. We loved the quirkiness of the Orchard Room, the old fashioned tea cups and saucers and milk jug now replaced with standard white stuff. The little note pad and pencil with many customer comments has been removed and I can now understand why. We have been coming to The Orchard room for over six years and the charm of The Orchard Room has now gone and we will not be returning. We did comment to the waitress about the meal when asked and were compensated with a free desert, which incidentally was fine.

I tend to agree with the previous reviewer who began with 'oh dear'. We have been here several times before but not for a while. Remembering how lovely the setting and the food are, particularly in the summer, we were eager to return.The setting remains lovely, the food however lacked the wow factor. Our cutlery and glasses were dirty. We missed the comments on the menu indicating which produce had originated from their nursery and we also missed the wonderful and imaginative ice cream flavours of a prior visit. Like the other reviewer I am in two minds about whether and when to return.Having said that, the cakes looked lovely - although my guest's lemon tart dessert had a a dry pastry case which she felt was too unpalatable to eat.

We enjoyed a relaxed lunch in casual surroundings. Staff were polite. Food was freshly made and nicely presented. The menu was fairly simple but made with locally sourced produce.

Oh dear!Over the past two or three years I've come to rely upon the Orchard Room as a guaranteed excellent Sunday roast - and routinely take friends, family and visitors there in the knowledge the food will be top notch. However, my most recent visit (and to a lesser extent, the occasion before) have been disappointing.We arrived on time having booked a table for two only to discover the room less than half full - the first time in my experience it's been anything other than rammed. So it was with some surprise it seemed to take the waiting staff longer than usual to attend to us. Unfortunately that was nothing compared to the wait for food. And when it came what a let down. My partner and I both had the roast beef, and although the meat was of the usual high standard, nothing else came close. Potatoes were neither crisp nor fluffy, parsnips had barely seen the inside of the roasting tray, carrots and cauliflower were some way towards the raw side of al dente and worst of all the plates hadn't even been warmed.We complained to the waitress who politely informed us "an agency chef is on duty and our grill has broken down". Her recommendation was that we should ask if the staff chef is on duty next time we book. No reparation, either in terms of the sorry food or the bill was offered.Reluctantly we chose a dessert each. My partner the chocolate ganache, myself toffee profiteroles. While the ganache was fine - and by far the highlight of our visit, my £4.50 bought me a mere four profiteroles in a sundae glass smeared with a completely tasteless beige sauce. Although my partner insists we should give the place another chance, I must say I'm dubious about any further visits.

lovely place, great food, friendly staff!!! will definitely come back thank you for a lovely meal!!!

Turned up for a late lunch today and really enjoyed our meal. My daughter had Leek & potato soup with homemade bread. I had the asparagus & salmon tart, with new potatoes with a salad. The salad was very pretty and well dressed. All the hot food was piping hot and very tasty. The tables are nicely spaced apart so you feel relaxed and not on top of each other. Very nice spot and I will definitely return.

there were 5 of us who went for a meal. my other half had tomato pasta,her parents had fish cakes and myself and my mum had steak pie.all meals were nice,and hot.the pasta could have been slightly smaller and maybe served with salad.the spicy dip was a bit to hot with the fish cakes. the veg with the steak pie was cooked to perfection.For desert my mum had bread and butter pudding with vanila custard which was lovely.myself and my partner had eton mess yummy my other halfs parents had deserts which were also lovely, a alround pleasent experience.

This is a kind of cafe near Bury St, Edmunds, located in Harveys, the garden plants people. They grow most of their own vegetables and fruit and also have their own produce for sale. The Orchard Room has a view of the orchards and gardens. It is a popular place for people from all over Suffolk. I've only been here once and wish I had visited more often I had a delightful warm beef sandwich and some Darjeeling Tea. Staff were friendly and informative.If you are near here do try this place out. I gather you should reserve if you plan to visit on a Sunday. I can imagine how pretty it must be in spring and summer.

It is. Lovely place for morning snacks, lunch or afternoon tea, went there today for the first time and were greeted by a lovely Labrador dog outside. The whole place is how you imagining a cafe / restaurant in the countryside! Food is delicious and imaginative , not your usual chips with everything, in fact no chips on the menu! I certainly will go back again.

My Partner and I booked for Christmas day lunch - 6 courses for £50 a head all I can say is I still can't believe what an amazing meal it was with a good bottle of wine a soft drink tea and coffee (and mince pies) the bill came to £114.94 we were there 3 hours eating and it was just totally fantastic. When I looked around most places were charging £80- £100 a head for 4 courses, I don't eat meat but the chef had catered for me and another lady changing the second course and cooking a vegetable crumble as the main there was also choice of Turkey or Beef and a choice of desert They are also open New years day so please give them a go.

Twelve of us enjoyed Christmas dinner here today. Beautifully cooked and pleasantly served. the desserts were to die for. My only complaint- the food wasn't piping hot. I am sure we will visit again.

Guided to this restaurant by a relative, our party of four thoroughly enjoyed our visit. There was a Christmas menu available and two of us enjoyed a roast turkey meal, one had parsnip and leek risottos and the other salmon with a clam chowder sauce. Our waitress was willing to explain different aspects of the meal and though it was nearly 30 minutes before our meals arrived all were beautifully presented and hot. We were too full to choose any of the attractive sounding desserts but each enjoyed a lovely coffee to finish. One slight omission was the cranberry sauce was not served with the meal and when this was mentioned (in passing) when paying, the waitress was very apologetic and we were then presented with a mince pie each. An unnecessary but lovely gesture.

We popped in here for a spot of lunch and found there was a good selection of homemade food on offer. We had beef casserole with herby dumplings in wine red with mixed veg. There was not a bit of fat on the beef and it was very tasty.

This is a hidden gem a lovely place to relax always friendly food is excellent, everyone I ever take goes back with more people.The chickens in the Orchard are fantastic to watch The plants are excellent and always people to advise. Hoping to book for Christmas lunch

Had Sunday lunch here today. Roast beef , veg and all the trimmings and thoroughly enjoyed it as a did the apple and blackberry slice. The setting is beautiful and the garden centre just how I remember them as a child. I will be returning.

My wife and I stopped off at The Orchard Room on the way from London to Aylsham after I read such excellent things about it online and we weren't disappointed. Everything about this place is incredible from the setting (our table was in the middle of an orchard with a hammock nearby) to the food. Even the resident Labrador Bertie was delightful and my two year old son fell in love with him - which was surprising as he is normally terrified of dogs. We had a wonderful lunch on the way to Aylsham and such was the quality of the food produced here we took a detour on the way home again a week later to finish our holiday off with the best food I'd eaten all week. The slow cooked pork followed by a cherry and flapjack ice cream sundae were delicious and I can't rate this place highly enough. Long may their success continue.

we had a lovely afternoon tea here, pottering around the perennials... a very enjoyable change to the run of the mill garden centre offerings. Will be back.

I have been here a few times for a pot of tea and slice of homemade cake with friends and have bever been disappointed.The location is lovely and I have always been with small children aged 2 and 3. Staff have always been accomodating providing highchairs and toys and not disturbed by the noise and debris that we have caused. There is a lovely garden at the back and the children love seeing the chickens and having a run around on a nice day.Parking is easy and menu prices are realistic.The open kitchen is a nice touch and the mix matched tablewear is also quirky.Would recommend to all with no hesitation.

Every couple of months my friend and I meet up at The Orchard Room for lunch,but this time it was not so good,the service was fine,but as it is an open kitchen much is on view,what really was a little concerning the staff handling money and not washing their hands,also the chefs cloths were very mucky.I think they all try to do too much without enough staff.

We met friends at this beautiful nursery and stayed for a coffee and a cake to catch up. The Orchard room is situated in a conservatory building with views of the surrounding gardens and the cakes, and snacks are homemade and very good quality. I had a flapjack, with an elderflower cordial, which was generously portioned and really tasty. Great location, and great quality. We'll be back!

Having heard good things about this place we decided to aOogive it a try. We were shown to a table which was littered with the previous occupants dirty dishes which the waitress proceeded to clearer while we were seated-she managed to clear some of the debris but the rest was left until we placed our order. We ordered a ham salad to be told there might not be any ham left so were asked for a second choice. We also ordered a Nurserymans salad which should have come with coleslaw. When it arrived it had 2 portions of beetroot salad which I was expecting but no coleslaw-that was replaced by another portion of beetroot salad! When I asked about the coleslaw I was told that they had run out. I suggested that it would have been nice to have told me that before my meal was delivered. No apology was received & no offer of an alternative. During our visit I commented to my husband that all the staff looked stressed & nobody was smiling. The other thing that concerned me was that staff were going from handling money to.handling food without washing hands, wearing gloves or using tongs and the chefs "whites" were filthy. We paid for our drinks & left without eating.

Tasty food in a relaxing atmosphere. Free range chickens roam just outside. The perfect place to find some new plants for the garden and then enjoy a gorgeous meal.

The contradiction comes from reading some of the other traveller reviews and my take on the same place. The place is warm, comfortable and has exceptionally friendly staff. The coffee is quite superb. Now that's a good hit, but - and it's a big but - the food is just nothing like the rave reviews I am reading. In my opinion it is the kind of food that a good amateur would provide, someone like your Mum or Dad in the kitchen at home, but the professionalism of good cheffing is lacking. The cakes and scones just look like some contribution which may be seen at the WI or a local fete or gala. Probably it would have been alright if the prices had not been London based, quite unforgiveable. On a positive note, the restaurant/cafe stands in the middle of Harvey's plant nursery, the plants are quite magnificent, well worth the visit showing high professionalism, expensive but well worth paying for.

We decided to go because of the Orchard Rooms's good reviews, and its location midway between us and some friends in Essex. We all found that the restaurant fully deserved the praise. The food was lovely and sensibly priced. The 'special' of beef cheeks was beautifully tender and with a delightful sauce. Service was excellent and the ambience on a sunny January day perfect. The fact that it was full on a weekday in January is testament to its overall calibre. This is a small business that deserves to do very well. Thanks and congratulations.

Just had a 'Christmas' meal with 25 friends - excellent (pre-booked) choice of food beautifully cooked and well presented. Friendly staff and pleasant surroundings.

We have eaten several times here but today went badly wrong.I don't like writing negative reviews but hopefully the owners will take it as constructive criticism!We fancied lunch here so rang at 11 and got a table for 1330.On arrival, it was packed probably around 50 diners, a lot of which appeared to be waiting for food. After a while we were seated, we waited and waited eventually a very lovely waitress arrived she apologised, took our food and drink orders stating we would expect a wait!We waited 20 minutes for a drink, not acceptable.People all around were waiting but just getting apologies " sorry we were unexpectedly busy"After 40 minutes the lovely waitress again apologised and stated our food would be in 4 minutes.10 minutes later our food arrived !!!!!! 50 minutes is to long .Hubbies duck was ok, my nurserymans lunch was a car crash , to wait 50 minutes for a simple dish that was very poor is wrong.The scone had been nuked in the microwave making it very stodgy, the salad had no dressing, it was also minus the coleslaw, not sure what the big burnt bits were either I kept finding. I asked for the coleslaw and dressing which did come, but the dish remained very unpleasant so I didn't /couldn't eat it.I asked for it to be taken off the bill, before this could happen the waitress had to consult with the chef.It was very clear that the chef who was bright red and rushing about the kitchen was struggling to cope with the large amount of orders.My observations areAny Saturday is busy let alone Xmas market weekend in BSE so staff accordingly.There was no obvious person in charge, it all lacked front of house direction.The chef needed an assistant Specials had run out but not removed from the board, the ten pound menu had run out and main course not replaced, so tell people when they sit down.Not enough waitresses, our one dealt really well with the complaints but she shouldn't have been put in that position Don't take bookings or walk ins if you can't cope with what you have already got.I had to come home and have soup at 3pm !!!!I'm sorry but we will be leaving the Orchard Rooms off our eating list for a while.Have you become the victims of your own success.

Great place to come with a family - especially if more than 1 generation. The portions are generous with a good choice of menu items (could do a bit more for Vegetarians as there is generally only 1 option). Service great and lots of really good home made cakes & puddings.

have now been twice about 11ish in morning brilliant staff lovely atmosphere food to die for the smoked salmon bagels with honey mustard salad dressing i can still taste the cheese and chutneys homemade are excellent and you can see the food being prepared in open kitchen

I regularly call in for a coffee and cake on my way home from work and find the cakes extremely moreish. This month was our ruby wedding anniversary and we were looking for somewhere to celebrate and decided on the Orchard Room. Theresa and Roger did us proud and we and our guests had a most enjoyable evening. The majority of our guests say they are going to revisit as they were impressed by the setup, due to being out of town and in the quiet where the road noise and bustle were noticed by their absence. The staff are very pleasant and helpful, and the food that Scott turns out is delicious and also very fresh as the vegetables and salads mostly if not all come from the gardens that surround the restaurant. This place needs to be visited by all at least once.

Fantastic place to eat drink and chill extra special on a Sunday afternoon in the summer to chill out sitting in the orchard watching the chickens wandering about. The menu is changed weekly and uses their own home grown seasonal fruit and veg which can also be purchased. The restaurant is run along side the nursery where advice and numerous plants are on offer. The owners and staff are all really friendly and will do what ever they can to ensure you enjoy your visit.

We stopped off for breakfast, having travelled up from Bedfordshire to visit other attractions in the area. We found the atmosphere very relaxing with discreet background music, fresh flowers on the tables, and other artistic touches such as suspended, sparkly alium seedheads. The food was of good quality - I enjoyed my smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel. We had taken a book and papers to read and the atmosphere was certainly conducive to taking time over a leisurely breakfast. Afterwards we walked round the nursery to look at the plants and were given helpful information about a particular plant we were interested in. We also enjoyed throwing a ball for the friendly golden retriever who cleverly engaged us almost without us knowing!

I had visited previously and not been very impressed with quality of food but decided to visit again as overall establishment had good reviews. My experience was very different second time around we had the same meal and the portion sizes were larger and very tasty. The restaurant was quiet when we arrived but got busier. We were not rushed and before we knew it 2 hours had passed. We would definitely return again as the overall atmosphere is very relaxed and the food very good and fresh.

It was our first visit to this tea room - before we set out on a circular walk which started a couple of miles away. A lovely tea room, with home made cakes. We sat inside but on a warmer day there are seats outdoors. Sat overlooking the orchard and chickens. The nursery is interesting - specialising in herbaceous plants.

We had heard good reviews about the Orchard Room, and whilst we live local it was difficult to find !! We have a great lunch , a terrine of rabbit & pistachio , home made bread & pickles . This was followed by a fruit scone with jam & cream . All excellent - All rounded off with a great cup of coffee . The Orchard room was busy ( always a good sign) and the staff were very courteous .We look forward to returning

I have been to The Orchard Room three times before over the last couple of years and always found it a charming place serving good food with attention to detail.So today I took my GF there for breakfast but felt let down.A small breakfast menu to chose from. I went for a bacon sandwich on brown bread with salad?? and a coffee, my GF chose a bacon and egg sandwich on white (refused the salad) and a cup of tea.£14.95I expected nice fresh bread with thick local bacon but what I was served was sliced bread from a supermarket and I think the bacon probably came from the same place. The salad was nice but not really what I would expect with a bacon sandwich.The tea and coffee were fine.It was the waitress's first day and it was obvious that she had been given little or no instruction and she was not familiar with the menu. Not her fault at all, but management and we felt sorry for her.The Orchard Room won awards in the past, unfortunately not likely to win any in the near future.As with all meals out, if I am paying rather a lot of money for what I'm being served then I expect it to be better than what I could easily have rustled up in my own kitchen for a fraction of the price.

Spent a lovely late morning coffee and cake at the Orchard Room for a surprise birthday for one of our good friends. The Orchard Room was a really bright, clean and friendly venue with lovely latte and good range of scones and cakes for all tastes. Set in their beautiful gardens I would highly recommend it the service was wonderful and has those added touches you want whether for a birthday or just an ad hoc visit. Delicious food and great hospitality, well worth a visit any time of year

I was travelling around the Cambridge area when a friend I met there recommended the Orchard Room for afternoon tea. Not only was I presented with a delicious array of sandwiches, scones and cakes which were topped with home-grown berries. The surroundings, delicious food, endless cups of tea and warm hospitality made this the real British experience for an American traveler who has always wondered what afternoon tea really was.

We lost our mother recently and after arranging the funeral service my family and I searched tirelessly for the right venue to hold the wake. we wanted somewhere that meant something to our mother, We chose the Orchard Room because it was somewhere my mother had visited and enjoyed a meal and she also loved looking around their eclectic array of cottage garden plants for sale. From the initial meeting with the owner Teresa Harvey, her husband Roger and their manager, Louise, we felt confident that the venue would surpass our expectations. Nothing was too much, they catered for our every wish in order to ensure that our mother had the best send off and that all of our guests enjoyed the celebration of our mothers life. The food was superb, a sumptuous table laden with delicious sandwiches, quiches, sausage rolls, picnic eggs, victoria sandwich, flapjacks, scones, fruit and plain, brownies and carrot cake. I cannot stress how every effort to detail was taken care of; endless cups of teas and coffees in pretty bone china cups and saucers, pretty vases of cottage flowers adorning each table, I could go on and on and never be able to do the whole experience justice. I can only stress to anyone considering an event that is catered to the highest standard, at very competitive cost, look no further than the Orchard Room. In fact, don't take my word for it, go and have a look for yourself, go for Sunday lunch, or afternoon tea, but please go. You won't be disappointed I assure you. Thank you again to all of the staff at the Orchard Room in Thurston, you have given us the best possible 'send off celebration' for our mother. I would recommend you again and again as would all of our very contented guests.

Living locally we were ashamed not to have visited the Orchard Room before, given its reputation. Lunch there with our weekend guests today was lovely and we will certainly be returning with others. The fresh produce, much of it sourced from the nursery itself, was imaginatively combined and very tasty. The sea trout was beautifully cooked, as was the sausage pie, which had a rich sauce.Make sure you leave room for dessert! The cheesecake was lovely, but the homemade ice-creams are the real star - we tasted a variety, including cardamom, peanut and rose geranium and the strawberry sorbet was gorgeous.Thoroughly recommended - but do book to be sure of a table, especially in the summer.

We had high hopes for this small café located in a plant nursery outside Bury and whilst the food was passable the two following issues overshadowed our experience.As previous TA reviews have mentioned, there is a large brown lab dog which appears to roam free outside the café. It appears to spend most of its time on the patio where you can sit and enjoy lunch. However, this dog has now become a real pest by sitting (smelling) next to your table and walking under and around you while you try and enjoy your lunch. the dog in our opinion has also seen better days and by the look of it's cracked nose - it should really be seen by a vet !! We also saw it licking one of our plates and also another tables plates when our son and the other people had left their seats....Which brings us onto the second point - which is about staffing. They are currently advertising for "experienced front of house staff" and we agree this is defo required - in that the tables were not getting cleared away promptly and the food was beating the drinks to the tables...Whilst the current young staff are doing a fine job they need support by getting rid of the dog and getting more staff in. Stock rotation and monitoring cake eat-by dates should also be a key issue as our date flapjack was dry and old...Shame as it was a nice watching the chickens roaming around the orchard...

We visited the Orchard Room for the first time today. I can only say it was excellent. When we arrived, the table was set for us with a range of little sandwiches, tea and cakes using seasonal fruit, made specially by the chef. The date cake and lemon and chocolate tarts were particularly good. The atmosphere and setting were lovely, being located within the orchard, particularly on a sunny summer's evening. I would definitely recommend the Orchard Room for anyone looking for fantastic, English, locally sourced food. I'll definitely be returning in the near future!

We chose this place for a lunch time birthday meal. The food was excellent with creative vegetarian options, a really delicious home made lemonade and a cheesecake to die for for dessert. The venue was like a summerhouse in an orchard. Perfect.

I was lucky enough to get married here and I worked closely with Theresa and the chef to create the perfect wedding. We had a wonderful day with delicious afternoon tea. Theresa and Roger were incredibly accommodating to any requests we had. Many of my guests commented on what an amazing and different wedding we had and I can't thank The Orchard Room enough for an unforgettable day.

The Orchard Room was unexpectedly idyllic and tranquil on a hot summer's day (most customers were at home watching tennis on the television!) We sat outside on the terrace, the gorgeous dogs besides us, enjoying good English wine, the "Nurseryman's Lunch" and a Stilton and bean bake. A family arrived on cycles and sat at a long table under the trees - indeed the father relaxed in the hammock while waiting for his sandwiches to be served!Two ladies at the next table did complain that their Rarebits were undercooked - I can't comment but this may be a matter of personal preference. In any case, the comments were handled speedily and without fuss.

I had lunch here with a friend, we ordered our food and were told we might have a long wait as they were busy. We both had a ham salad served with homemade bread which was very tasty. My only criticism would be that I only had 2 very small slices of ham on my plate and felt that the £8.50 we were charged was a bit excessive and would have expected more meat for this price. There were a couple of dogs outside with us and one took some left over food from a plate that had been left on a table (not very hygienic). The staff were very friendly.

I came here on the 14/06 with my little girl and i really enjoyed our lunch. I asked for the rarebit to share with my little girl but was advised it may be abit too strong mustard wise for my little one. I appreciated that so i opted for an egg and mayo sarnie and my daughter and i had the gluten free orange cake which was light and moist. The only down side was trying to get my daughters disability buggy past all the chairs to the table. I felt abit silly when i arrived crashing into everything. I was so impressed with the Orchard Room i asked if they had spaces for Fathers Day lunch and tried to score a table by happening to mention its our anniversary aswell :-)

I feel so lucky living close to such a fabulous place. We discovered The Orchard Room some years ago and I fell in love with its quirky setting, the eclectic tableware and the fantastic fresh-baked scones, a world away from the usual stodgy offerings. The menu is always very imaginative and tempting and it really is like being in a paradise garden, It's not surprising that the Harvey'sare Chelsea Gold Medallists. They are Gold Medallist in the restaurant world too and long may they continue.

Saw reviews and decided to have Sunday lunch. Delicious! Very generous portions, helpful and friendly staff, lovely setting, highly recommend.

We had a fantastic experience here in every respect- I'd definitely recommend. The mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto was particularly good.

Simple yet clean cut. Food was delicious. Appetizers a little over priced. The chicken coop near the patio was interesting. It had different breeds of chickens and it felt like when a restaurant has an aquarium that you just can't keep your eyes off of, except with chickens. A chickquarium. There was even a hammock near by to nap the meal away. I felt right at home.

There's little really to add to what others have said. We had lunch here (the first time for a year) and found that standards have been maintained. The menu is short but uses lots of home-grown and home-made ingredients. Both our dishes, the "Nurseryman's Lunch" and the vegetarian pizza, were excellent. The latter in particular is rather different to an ordinary pizza and full of vegetables.We were pleased to see that some excellent local wine was included on the winelist. The service was very friendly and the view of the chickens in the orchard was charming. The coffee too was good and strong.A tip if coming from the A14: follow the signs to "Norton" and in the village look for the brown sign to the left that points to "Harvey's Garden plants". Follow this road for about a mile (it's quite wiggly) and you'll suddenly see it on the left.By the way my wife insisted on going into the greenhouse and we ended up buying two plants!

I came here with family for afternoon tea on Sunday for my Mum's birthday. We'd never been before, so was putting my trust in the TripAdvisor reviews and was not disappointed. You could choose which tea you wanted and then the goodies came out served on pretty cake stands. One was two tiers of sandwiches with fillings such as cheese and chutney and smoked salmon pate. Then the three-tiered cake selection was to die for! My Mum actually said 'wow' when it came to the table. Treats on this stand included mini scones with jam and cream, florentines and a rhubarb cake. There was a really good selection of foods, and indeed teas. I couldn't manage it all so had to take 2 cakes home with me! It was a really relaxing atmosphere with classical music playing in the background. The menu for lunch was on the table too and all looked very appetising and imaginative. I like it that they change the menu on a weekly basis.Writing this from my desk on a Monday morning, I wish I was back in those tranquil surroundings! Hope to return one day.

What a hidden gem......on the first sunny day this April we ventured out to find The Orchard Room. So glad we did..... lovely restaurant, friendly staff and best of all, delicious lunch! We'll spread the word although tempted to keep it quiet so we can get a table !! Well done Orchard Room it's good to see a well run family business.

A wonderfully relaxing place to go to with friends. The food is out of this world. The service is delightful. There even some nice crafts, cards and paintings to buy if you are looking for a treat for someone. Then when you leave - the plant nursery is so very tempting, you wont go home empty handed! A place I will return to again and again!

Lovely family run restaurant with good selection of fresh, home cooked food, presented beautifully at reasonable prices, they deserve to be busier. Friendly staff, interesting menu, we had a light lunch, but will be coming back for the brunch. My daughter's both loved it, and we shall be back !

I love this place. I've visited 3 or 4 times now and have really enjoyed the food every time. The focus here is definitely on good quality, freshly prepared meals. You won't find anything processed here! It's a lovely place to be on a cold day when the sun is shining. I hope it stays open for many years to come and keeps doing things the same way.

We visited the Orchard rooms for the 1st time on Mothers day, 10th March 2013. We will be back. The starter that all 3 of us had, (myself, my wife and mother in law) was fantastic, a Brie and leek tartlet with balsamic glaze babyleaf salad and dressing. Mains, again we all had the same, Locally sourced roast beef, Yorkshire pud and on site home grown vegetables with gravy. For Dessert the Goosebury and gingernut cheesecake seemed too nice to miss, I wasn't disappointed especially as it was a bit too much for my Mother in law so I had hers as well. My wife went for the chocolate brownies and homemade peanut butter icecream and that was also an inspired choice, although I don't suppose it would matter what you had as it would bound to be top notch. add to this the nice relaxed atmosphere and you couldn't have wished for a better dining experience. Value for money? Most definately.

We visited the Orchard Rooms for Mothers day and we were delighted with our experience. This is a local place for my mum and dad, as they live in the area, but was my first visit. It was a relaxing setting and a great ambience - nicely busy (ever table was full) but not so noisy that you could not enjoy yourself chatting, plus the tables are not too close together so you don't feel like you are on top of others - there were 4 of us but we had a table for 6 so plenty of room and the building is glass sided so nice and bright but still had the feeling of being cosy on a wintery day. I would say that the food is excellent value for money - set prices for 2 or 3 courses with coffee included and the portions are a very good size. The food is mainly sourced locally or grown on site and Theresa told us this when we ordered which was nice (my dad really enjoyed his pate for starters and she mentioned that she had made it herself which I thought was nice!) The roast dinner was one of the best I have had, succulent beef and plenty of it plus delicious fresh vegetables, potatoes and yummy gravy. i did not have a yorkshire but my dad did and to say it was big is an understatement! For pudding I had the most amazing chocolate brownie with peanut butter icecream - there were 2 peices of brownie and I was so full after the first that I ended up having one piece packaged up to take home and eat later. Even the coffee came in huge mugs and was piping hot (which is usually one of my issues at most places, luke warm coffee). To top it off, each mum was given a pretty little pot plant to take home as a mothers day gift, and we ended our day out with a strill round the nursery (despite the freezing weather). Obviously this would more suited to summer but nice to be able to do a any time. All in all, this was a fantastic lunch in an enjoyable setting and you can really tell that the staff (especially Theresa) take pride in the food and the service, and want their customers to have an enjoyable experience. We will definitely be back again soon : )

I have visited The Orchard Room for both afternoon tea and for a Sunday roast for Mothers day, and each time I had a perfect experience. The food is gorgeous, the staff friendly, the atmosphere perfect and relaxing and the prices very reasonable. Would highly recommend a visit and would definitely visit again myself.

We recently visited The Orchard Room for lunch with our one year old baby. Never having been beforeand knowing nothing about the restaurant until we opened the door I was initially concerned that we might spoil the hushed, civilised environment but the staff were hugely welcoming and very friendly. The food was lovely and fresh and there was a high chair and selection of toys for our son, although he was more interested in looking around and watching the chickens. We will definitely be back and would recommend this place whole heartedly.

I recently went to The Orchard Room for Sunday lunch. I wanted the roast from the menu but I am vegetarian so I spoke to the Chef and he offered to substitute the beef and gravy for some extra vegetables and a leek sauce. The food was well presented, cooked well and very tasty. I was very impressed with the standard of the food and the willingness to accommodate alternative diets. My sister had the beef roast and said that it was one of the best roasts she'd ever had! There were three of us at lunch and the total price was very reasonable. Overall, very impressed! Will visit again!

always good, whether just for coffee, delicious scone and lemon curd or for Sunday Lunch or weekday breakfast. Love this place. the setting is so peaceful and great sitting watching the chickens run round in the orchard. outside seating in the summer. Advise reserve a table if you want lunch on fri/sat/sun

Our fourth visit to the Orchard Room for an informal lunch within two years, each time with a different couple of friends. A beautiful setting in the middle of an award winning plants mans nursery, with mature apple trees, chickens pecking under the trees, no road in sight, and food prepared with care and thought, often grown on the premises. Usually a two course plus tea/coffee bargain on offer, and the ice-cream is to die for! (Definitely not somewhere for those who live on burgers and chips only!)

Part of Harvey's Nursery/Garden Centre it is not your usual Garden Centre eating house. With a frequently changing menu the food here is first class and not over priced. The chef exhibits a tremendous amount of passion in what he does. More and more of the vegetable produce he uses is now grown on site. One of the best places to eat in the area much better than some of the so called class restuarants.

We are frequent visitors to two restaurants and thought we would try something new. The Orchard Room was the new place and it was WONDERFUL. Very thankful for Tripadvisor and everyone's reviews. The food was wonderful, had the fish pie and chocolate and peppermint tart for dessert. Will definitely go back again! Highly recommend for any change of pace. Recommend making reservations for it gets very busy, obvious for one reason the WONDERFUL food.

This restaurant is basically the cafe of a garden centre, located in a very out of the way place in the countryside. Make sure you have a good map or satnav. At night it turns into a restaurant, which we booked for a works Christmas outing. With a lot of glass wall it was a bit chilly, but there was a warm welcome. The kitchen area is right behind the small counter, so you can watch the chef at work - or even chat with him about any special dietary requirements. We were the only customers that night.At my table we were all agreed that whichever our menu choice, we were very happy with the taste and presentation. We were also provided with a rather odd little quiz, which the chef gave the answers for at the end. One downside was the extreme darkness outside - given that the toilets are out there in the dark - and the invisible plants that attack you on the entrance path. I thought the price was way over the top, and I wouldn't go back.

No matter which bar, pub, restaurant or hotel that you visit, this place beats thrm all. The food is.sublime, well priced and thr chef.is.a.genius, how no top flight place hasnt pinched him is a mystery. Although only attached to a garden centre, I rate it nbetter than all the rest and I have eaten at them all...

Great friendly setting in the spring and summer you can sit outside and relax, I only live a couple of miles away but drop in for coffee and a bit to eat all the time.

We chose this restaurant based on the positive comments on Trip Advisor. We found the food very good but were disappointed with the setting. We should have make our first visit in the spring or summer.

Been here several times. The food is all home cooked and absolutely delicious. Very good value for money as well. There is a lovely view outside of lots of free range chickens roaming about.

We spotted this restaurant on trip advisor. We live a few miles away and did not know it was there. So we were delighted to spend a lovely lazy Saturday lunch there. The food was traditional and very tasty. Nice wine and very good service. All within a very reasonable price. We will be visiting again soon!

I have copied the previous reviewer's title as it says it all ! I'll go to the Orchard Room again and I'll tell other people to go there as well. I had a lovely Sunday lunch there today and the other people who went there with me all agree with me. We all drove nearly forty miles / 1 hour to get there (from three different directions) and the journey was well worthwhile.

I called in here for lunch with a friend after seeing TA reviews and local praise. What a lovely surprise it was too. Nearly full on a damp Thursday afternoon, patrons mostly older members of our community. Small but perfectly formed menu with a selection which should suit any taste, but please bear in mind this is not part of a large chain which churns out 50 choices of microwaved or deep fried main course. If that's what you are after then this delightful little restaurant is not for you. In fact I fancied everything on the menu which included a specials board. We both had a lovely fresh salad with choice of protein element. I was expecting the usual selection and was very pleased with thefresh, tasty, imaginative selection of ingredients, generous portion of smoked salmon and wonderful fresh bread. Service was quick without being rushed, the cakes looked amazing although I was full after my main so declined on this occasion. It was such a relaxing environment, watching the chickens in the orchard peck their way contentedly through a few hours until the drizzle sent them dashing, fluffy bloomers bouncing, for their coops. There are some tables outside which I imagine are lovely in the summer, but not suitable for our visit. I would try and book if you have a larger party or are set on a particular time to dine. I will certainly return for another wonderful meal!

The restaurant appeared from the outside to be a glorified garden shed, but inside the attention to detail was exquisite. Each table was decorated with flowers, fruit and vegetables as well as being provided with a customer comment book. We had lunch and had an unexpected and thoroughly good time on account of the good food much of which was grown and prepared on site. The clientele generally consisted of older people who were probably very discerning in taste and appreciated the excellent service provided here. This is a place worth visiting when the sun is shinning so that a meal may be followed by an efficacious relaxing but short walk around about the grounds. We spent half an hour sitting and watching the various breed of fowl scratching amongst the orchard. For the food provided, the relaxing atmosphere and top notch service I felt we had an excellent lunch time experience which represented good value. If you eat here you will feel obliged to complete a page in the table comment book with fair and complimentary remarks. It is good to see an individual, independent establishment taking such pride in its good ability.