Wellington’s Cafe & Bistro in South Northamptonshire

Over the years I have frequently had breakfast and lunches in Wellingtons and have always found them to be good, excellent in fact. This time my wife and I decided to go for Sunday Lunch, fully expecting a similar or better experience than before but it was not to be. Arriving at 13:00, we were advised that the only Sunday Roast item they had left was Gammon, they had been busy and sold out of everything else. Surprised as they have been operating for many years and would normally have sufficient supplies to last longer than 13.00. My wife opted for the Chicken and Leek pie and I ventured over to the carvery and waited, waited, waited. Stood looking at a small piece of Gammon and a variety of veg. keeping warm under a heat light whilst staff walked past clearing tables, delivering food etc.. On two occasions I was advised someone would be along to serve me but it must have been all of 10-15 minutes that I was hanging around before someone came out of the kitchen to carve me 3 slices of ham. DIY selection of cauliflower Cheese, roast potatoes, beans, carrots, parsnip and a dry Yorkshire pudding. No gravy visible so had to do with that. Returning to my table, my wife still hadn't received her Chicken pie so I got started on my food. Everything was hard, whether from being over or under cooked it was difficult to say. The roast potatoes were almost solid, as was the parsnip and the Yorkshire - terrible. Only saving grace was the Gammon. Very well cooked, could be sliced easily and tasty. Everything else was as near inedible as you could get. My wifes pie arrived and as she described it, pie good but everything else not so. In short, what has happened to this previously excellent restaurant?

Most of what you get at Wellingtons is ok, but i took my mum for early lunch and i decided to have an all day breakfast, i cant believe it was sent out from the kitchen the way it was cooked. I asked for well done bacon, this was so overcooked and dry it was impossible to cut it or pick it up with a fork. The fried egg was so overcooked it looked like it had sat under a heater for an hour or so. The baked beans were all dried up and turned to mush, the tin tomatoes looked the same as the beans. Toast was rubbery, infact the only thing that was ok was the hash browns. My mum told me to send it back but to be honest i dont like to complain and we had a long wait to begin with. Even though i have eaten other things there that have been ok, i will never eat there again, i should never have been given food in that state. I would have to rate it as the worst breakfast i gave ever eaten and remember its not cheap, overall load of crap.

I arrived with my wife at around 1.40, had run out of fish, so ordered scampy and chips with peas, my wife had jacket potato with coronation chicken, that was apparently OK. The scampi and Chipstead I had had obviously been warmed up several times the chips were dry, not burnt just dry and tastless, not up to normal standard..

The food is very good as is the service, which is also quite quick even when they're busy. The staff are great and the place is spotlessly clean. My only minor criticism- and it really is minor- is that they often run out later in the day and it's usually the same lines that run out.

Not a good experience today. We have been visiting this restaurant for many years with varying experiences in that time. We found the staff disinterested and unfriendly and the food was mediocre and in fact cold. We informed staff that the breakfast was cold and returned it. It was clearly reheated and returned but our original order where we substituted a food item, was not .The returned food was not freshly cooked . Great shame as it can be really good. The high turnover of staff in the Restaurant gives you a clue as to quality of service and food. wont be returning.

I have visited several times and enjoyed every visit. They have lots of choice and often have offers on like Early Bird breakfasts and coffee and cake deals in the afternoon. The setting is pretty and the staff are happy and helpful. Looking forward to going back for the famous carvery on a Sunday!

Such a great spot for lunch, I bring my friends here regularly as it’s a great meeting point for us. And once again they did not disappoint, food was great and the Christmas decorations look amazing keep up the great work Wellingtons

i visited the cafe on saturday and had lunch with my family. the food was lovely, service was fast and the staff were very helpful! i will be visiting again very soon.

I had the full english breakfast and it was perfect the bacon was incredible. My friend had the scampi and said it was perfect.

My husband had the early bird breakfast 5 portions plus g/f toast £5.95, I had Scambled egg just one slice of toast (didn’t want 2 slices as per menu).£5.75. Very disappointed I was lucky if there were 2 eggs scrambled for this breakfast (probably small eggs) had this many times before there. Very disappointed wasn’t worth the money.

This is not a gormet restaurant it is a family friendly restaurant with good variety of food we have been going regularly for Sunday carvery, and now and again we have remarked when something wasn't to our taste and they have very quickly addressed problem. The remark that was made about peas being mushy was totally out of order as PEAS were not even on menu, so that derogatory remark was out of order. We love the atmosphere, food is reasonably priced, staff are fantastic, which is why we return week after week. Give it a try you won't be disappointed.

Worst carvery to date. I have left previous reviews about the carvery and haven’t returned for a while. My wife decided she wanted a Sunday lunch and we ended up here, reluctantly! Honestly is the best policy as they say, so here we go. Obviously the ‘chef’ does not taste any of the food he is serving. Meat - tasteless! beef or turkey on offer today, and to be truthful you wouldn’t be able to tell what they have served you as they were both completely tasteless and unseasoned. Veg - mashed swede - had the consistency of runny baby food and the about as much taste. Roast potatoes - soggy and lifeless and you might as well drop the ‘roasted’ from the description. Parsnips - Almost so soggy they had started to turn into mush. Cauliflower cheese - completely watery and almost a slop in consistency, with some cheese just melted into your vegetable water. Peas - completely over cooked you might as well sell them to a chippy as mushy peas. Broccoli and cauliflower - again tasteless, no seasoning, and just about holding onto their consistency. Yorkshire pudding - about the only part of the whole meal that’s edible, well the middle part anyway, make sure you pack your dentures to eat the outside. It really baffles that none of the staff has stopped and said to themselves that none of this tastes good, unless there is another reason why they choose not to try it.

Where do I start. It felt a little dark as you enter this cafe, but we chose a table by the window and found it so cosy inside. The menu looked great and I can definitely recommend the Steak and Ale pie, and the Fish and chips. Portion size was very impressive, and all tasted fantastic. The staff were so friendly, and even recommended some desserts if we had room after our lunch. Sadly we didn't on this occasion but will definitely be returning soon.

Wonderful Sunday lunch. A few missing choices cannot be complained about by anybody if they don't understand the industry... will definitely come back, Thanks guys!

We arrived at 1pm for a Sunday carvery, we visit about every 6 weeks or so. The car park was quiet and the cafe wasn't as busy as it is sometimes. On ordering we were told there was no carvery available, it was finished for the day because they had run out of vegetables. On trying to reorder, two cottage pies with carrots and peas and a sausage and mash we discovered there was only one portion of cottage pie left. When the cottage pie arrived it was a small sliver on the plate with a spoonful of peas and a piece of garlic bread. I took it back, the girl removed the garlic bread and gave me a bowl of thick lumpy gravy instead, there weren't any carrots. I was offered a piece of cake as an apology, which I didn't take. The pie was pretty tasteless, though slightly improved with adding mustard. I ate it all because I was hungry. I will not be going again as I am really disappointed by the poor management of the cafe as a whole, how can a carvery run out of vegetables at 1pm on a Sunday?

Waited for 20 minutes for my food and the restaurant was pretty empty all I ordered was a panini and chips the bacon was practically raw and the chips were soggy and undercooked (with barely any chips as it is) the salad was dry (even with the singular drop of dressing) would not recommend coming here

I had the Smoked Haddock fishcakes peas and chips on the menu it stated a Senior had a discount on this item when i asked point of order for it i was told "no it should not be on there i don't know why they put it on " and had to pay full price

Met my parents here for breakfast as they have recently moved to Towcester. The ladies at the counter were helpful, the food was served promptly. Overall a great place to meet for breakfast, will be back to try lunch. Keep up the good work

After our bad Lunchtime experience we were still hungry, so Mother suggested Coffee & Cake here. Well I'm always dubious on garden centre restaurants, but this 1 has won me over. The place was so different to the last 1 my Mother took us to. The choice of Cakes was excellent, as were the Cakes, & the Coffee, & the Service. The place was so clean & comfortable as well. The menu look very good, so next time we eat here.

We’re had promised our Autistic daughter an all day breakfast, I had been to Wellington’s previously so took her her, she has some food issues regarding textures etc so needed to make some changes to her breakfast, the first was the removal of the hash browns and replacing it with tomato, this was no issue, then when asking for the fried egg to be scrambled this COULD NOT be done as it was after 11.30am? I explained the sensory issues of my disabled daughter but NO, I asked if they could ask the chef, was happy if it was just microwaved NO they would not do it. So if you have a sensory food issue with your autism, I would avoid Wellingtons. They are not disabled friendly or inclusive in terms of something so simple. Unfortunately her expectation is to have egg, so could replace it.

We used to visit this place every couple of weeks and sadly we won’t be returning. For the last couple of visits the food have been tasteless, drinks lukewarm and expensive! Cake size is half the size and dry. Staff look sad and don’t want...

Well. My husband and I love to drop in the cafe here and looking round the garden centre . Today my husband decided to treat me to lunch here. For the first time I was quite shocked at the size of the jacket potato I...

Had all day breakfast. Very poor. Cheap sausages, very poor quality bacon and is so thin that when cooked is brittle. Margarine on toast. Yuk yuk yuk. Tinned tomatoes. They gave black pudding for free. I figure there must be an art to cutting anything...

Nice friendly environment with helpful staff. Molly was very attentive. Our drinks and cakes were enjoyed over a chat.

The three ladies behind the bar were really helpful and lovely to speak to and worked well as a team! But the people on the floor looked like they didn’t want to work there which was a shame. The young lady from behind the bar...

Well cooked breakfast. Service at the counter was very slow and wait for food was quite long. Having children with us they were getting impatient.

During a visit to the garden centre with my nan, we decided to go for some food in the cafe (our first time eating here). The cafe itself was busy which we saw as a good sign. We found a table and I went up...

I visited wellingtons with a friend for the Sunday carvery, before service I was informed that unfortunately they were short staffed and there was a reduced menu. Nevertheless we both ordered the carvery. Very impressed. The food was lovely- special thanks to the chefs! and...

We came in for lunch today with family as it’s a great meeting point for us to catch up. We were greeted with a warm welcome and a smile from the staff. We were informed straight away about a reduced menu due to staffing issues...

We visited today (Sunday), a family of 5, the cafe, was to say the least extremely busy. 3 of our party had the carvery whilst the other 2 ordered dishes from the menu The carvery was delicious, beautiful cooked vegetables and roast potatoes, lovely fresh...

Thought we would give the carvery last one try before we give up altogether with it, and I don’t think we will be coming back after todays efforts. So where do we start… the meat is ok, but due to staff shortages there was a...

Arrived at about 11:40, ordered 3 burgers, 2 arrived after half an hour, had to wait over 5 minutes for the other. There had been no queue in front of us. No coleslaw on any of them, also missing onion rings on the late one,...

Really nice place happy with the food, kids loved it just think there should be cold food options eg. Sandwiches. Cake selection is great gf and vegan options. Always a win !!! Mum loves it and so do the kids. Staff are lovely couldn’t ask...

I usually come here for breakfast but came here for some lunch with a friend. They’ve added these lovely salads to the menu and thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Service was swift and friendly, the place was buzzing with lots of people and was clean.

Recently popped in for a coffee and ended up staying for the pie of the day. My partner was very impressed with the pie and has been wanting to go back ever since. The restaurant could use a bit of brightening up but the food,...

Recently visited for breakfast with the family and was extremely pleased. The food was all delicious even the little one finished her plate. Had a lovely smoothie and pot of tea on the side as well. Thank you so much to the girls who served...

Great food, really friendly staff and very nice atmosphere as well. 100% recommend a visit here to enjoy a good choice of food and drinks

I think this facility has changed hands because the menu has reduced and the overall appearance of the place seems less inviting. We ordered our food, which was pretty basic, but took more than half an hour to arrive. When it did arrive, my Full...

Visited today with my husband we were only after a drink and a light snack, on looking round there was a selection of cakes no sign of scones or any of the other items the online menu states, we asked if they did sausage rolls...

Friendly and welcoming staff, clean and comfortable surroundings, free WiFi, perfect cappuccino, delicious cakes. The perfect pit stop or end to a garden centre visit.

After eating lunch here (meal costing £40 odd for 3) we then asked for cake to take home. We were given a £4~ piece of victoria sponge in a broken box which the lid did not close. When we asked for a different box the...

Hubby and I visited Sunday, for lovely roast dinner fantastic service and really good selection of meat and vegetables, would recommend.

Came to Wellingtons cafe for lunch today after being recommended it by a friend.The coffee was excellent and our jacket potatoes were lovely.Will definitely come again.

Ordered a quiche from the chiller cabinet but turned up as a hot fat omelette, the wife ordered a bacon and Brie panini, the bacon was nearly raw and the Brie was very fatty and liquid. We will not be back.

Visited yesterday , not that busy , stood in queue for ages with only two people in front of us . Got served eventually . Then told food would be 30 - 40 mins , we got our coffee as we thought , just sit...

Been coming here for years. The last 2 visits have been bad. This time very overcooked rubbery food. Staff opening doors for ventilation which made it so cold it wasn't comfortable. menu is far worse than it used to be, not much choice. Ridiculous screens...

Friendly staff, clean & lovely atmosphere. Me and friends all had a meal and drinks, food was served hot and quickly. Will def be back again soon!

I work in a residential Care home for adults with autism, on this occasion, we decided to take a couple of the people we support to Wellingtons for a drink and cake. Upon arrival, the atmosphere was calm and welcoming, and the staff were patient...

Love this garden centre it has a lot to offer... But the restaurant on the other hand is another matter.. We were served mediocre food without much taste.. The salad garnish that accompanied it was dressed with a horrible dribble of sour off tasting dressing....

I have been a regular visitor to Wellingtons and over the years have observed lots of customers with a wide range of dogs (big and small, well behaved and some not!!) that have been allowed access. As a surprise for my wife I wanted to...

So pleased you reopened after Covid. Good covid precautions in place and well organised, feeling safe place to take the wait off your feet and enjoy the ambience. Food selection ranges from breakfast til 11.30am, Lunch - light to fullfilling, or settle for naughty but...

Food is always good here, staff are friendly and polite. One of our favourite local cafes to visit. :-)

Me, my husband and 7 month old daughter went here for an early lunch before going round the garden centre. When we first got there my husband was told we need to sit and someone will be over, 10 minutes later no one came, so...

Food is always good here but we will not be returning. Most of staff very nice but the one who cleaned our table was rude and very abrupt. She pointed out that they had not cleaned the table so we should not have sat Down,...

staff were polite, cafe was clean and set up for covid 19. we ordered 2 coffees a cake and some toast. our coffees and cake came easily and were informed the toast was just coming, it did not appear ,so we asked when it would...

Great food delivered quickly and friendly, happy staff, always pleased to welcome you ... good menu at reasonable prices, ideal for lunch, worth a try ...

Very disappointing after waiting over 25 minutes and being overcharged for items we had not ordered. We will not be returning.

Maybe you need to think hard before eating here .......... simple breakfast but how can they get it so wrong ....... but more importantly how can they make cold food ??? 3rd attempt at getting it right this morning ....... waited 25 minutes to start...

Food has gone downhill, we used to eat there regularly but not any more, shame really as it used to be really good.

Good food at reasonable prices, have popped in many times. Always bustling. Panini and salad followed by great coffee. Friendly staff, pleasant atmosphere

Well we visited the Wellington restaurant today for lunch we ordered our meals and drinks from till .so we went and sat down and waited waited after a 37 min the food came up .my husband order a beef chill and I had fish and...

We come here for late breakfasts or late lunches. We find the staff pleasant and very efficient and there are plenty of them; the food of a very acceptable standard and not over-priced. The only criticism is that the decor in the main part of...

Frequently visit the cafe & staff are very friendly and always smiling! Music in background could be louder it’s like whitenoise. Coffee and food extremely lovely! Tall lad behind bar makes the best coffee! Highly recommend!

Don't normally eat at garden centres but rainy day so called in had ham nd leek pie and must say it was very good great portion stuffed with ham nd leek pastry very lite chips were crispy as well price very reasonable

We visit here a couple of times a month. This really is a nice food place for breakfast / snack / lunch. Food is always pleasant. It is not wow, but it is certainly tasty and not expensive. Our young son likes it here as...

My daughter took us for mid snack it was so bad

Me and my friend payed a visit to the cafe.. We ordered together but payed separate.. My food came but not my friends.. We had to ask a member of staff where it was.. They seemed to not know what they where doing.. Then came back and said my order had got to the kitchen but my friends ticket had just got there.. I had eaten half my meal (which my friend had said to start without her as it would have gone cold) by the time hers came.. Staff just stood about chatting.. I work in a cafe so know how things should be run.. More training needs to be give.. When we first got there a table that was free had not been cleared from the last customers.. A waitress came as I took a seat.. She cleared one tray then came back to clean the table.. Where she took a set in front of me.. Where my friend was just sat but she had to get up to get a menu.. She sat there cleaning the table.. While my friend had to stand there waiting for the waitresses to get up.. Never seen that before.. Was not happy with are visit..

Came here for breakfast before going to the garden centre. Ordered a large breakfast and a tuna, mozzarella panini and two Americanos. Cost was over 18 quid. 35 minutes later no sign of our breakfasts. Ordered two more coffees and asked when our breakfasts would be served. Was told two minutes which turned out to 15 minutes. Panini was of a reasonable quality, however the breakfast was very poor (cold, bacon was over cooked, sausage was burnt and the yolk of the egg was overcooked and broken. On this basis we will not eat here again and next time have only coffee.

After last years breakfast fiasco , we thought we would try again . Unfortunately it seems the problems they had last summer remain .

This is a gentle and pleasant start to the day every now and again when we have a breakfast. Stff are smiling and helpful.

Place is spacious, you can sit inside & outside on veranda (weather permitting). The staff very polite, prompt, helpful & friendly. There was a good variety of food or snacks on offer, prices ranged & seemed reasonable.

Visited the establishment recently. After a very long wait I was served with a COLD Jacket Potato revolting!! The replacement one was served on a cold plate. Other food was a Luke warm pannini. In the end the food was left as it was disgusting. Filled in a comments card - no reply. Complained on Web site - no reply. Extremely poor customer service. I will not be using this horrendous place again.

Went for lunch at Wellingtons again today and as usual the meal was excellent.

Always a pleasure to visit here.

Great choice and good, well cooked food. The staff are always friendly and welcoming. We will be back again very soon.

Decided to visit to try their Sunday lunch as we have regularly only experienced the snack side of the cafe. One word sums it up - WOW.

We had the afternoon tea @ £8. A must if you are a cake lover but if you’re more into savouries I wouldn’t recommend as you only get 3 small sandwiches. The tea and coffee is very good and scones taste home made. The cakes are delicious and plentiful. Looking at other diners meals they looked good portions and happy faces. Lovely environment and pleasant atmosphere. The garden centre itself is very reasonable with a wide range of useful products including kitchen & dining , Motor and various gargoyles

We’ve done tea with Santa twice, so this year we tried breakfast... very good! Unfortunately our granddaughter was the very last person to be served breakfast so when the magic show started she was still eating and couldn’t go and sit down the front.

Nice location with friendly staff, good range of choices to pick from simple snacks to full meals. Be wary if it is busy it can take along time to get served and then subsequently for food to arrive, they don't seem to be setup very well for these times.

Another more than satisfactory visit to this restaurant.

The best jacket potatoes around, lovely and crispy on the outside, soft and full of flavour in the middle! Very generous portions, but the most delicious I have found in Towcester! Glasses could be cleaner and can get difficult to find a table but must be a good sign!

I visited with my Mum on a Thursday and my 2 year old son. We got there shortly before 12. It was quiet when we arrived but quickly filled up with pensioners so wondered if there may have been a coach stop off there.

I have to say that things in my opinion do not appear to have improved much. Empty restaurant ordered two coffees and two sandwiches. Sandwiches appeared twenty five minutes later. Where there used to be branded proprietary ketchup and brown sauces, these have been replaced by bottles that say ketchup and brown sauce. Reducing costs ? Very disappointing!

Quite a pleasant place to grab a quick snack. A good range of meals on the menu, competitively priced. Service was quite good. The staff were helpful. An enjoyable brunch!

Call in frequently when in the garden centre be rude not to!! Very good food but two criticisms. One the cake slices like everywhere else are much too big for us oap's the option for half portions would be nice as I can't manage a full slice and am reluctant to ask for a half in case of refusal. Two, just maybe a tad expensive? The Sunday roasts are fab and in comparison are good value as not too expensive for what you get. Maybe that is just my perception? Whatever I will keep taking my refreshment as the surroundings and staff are great.

Over several visits I have enjoyed their English breakfast and jacket potato with filling and salad for lunch. Prices are reasonable though the salad was very basic and could benefit from a better salad dressing. Indoor seating is either a bright room with floor to ceiling glass on two sides or the dimly lit main area.

If you have more than 2 hours to leisurely spend waiting around, then I guess this place is ok. However, if you work and only have an hour for lunch, then don't bother. They only cater for pensioners and mums' who have nothing else to do with their day. They are not interested in lunchtime trade for people who work.

I returned here with some friends and was once again met with a great service from the staff and the same high quality of food.

Have visited and reviewed this place before and usually to a high standard. Today two breakfasts were cold and eggs were seriously over cooked . I am afraid this is not of a standard usually delivered to us as loyal customers

Each time i visit this restaurant I leave being even more impressed than before.

Often take the Earlybird breakfast and coffee here. Always good value for money and served by pleasant, efficient staff. All freshly cooked.

Called in with my wife for breakfast shortly after opening time during the week.

First visit, popped in on off chance for tea and cake. Great find. Standard garden centre prices, great range of food and nice environment to eat in. Staff could not have been more pleasant and helpful despite being really busy at the end of a Sunday service. Super, will be back

Been here a few times mainly for lunch and have always found this a bit different to most other garden centre cafes in the area with a good menu which you order at the counter then brought to the table offering all round choice .

was visiting Cherry Lane Garden Centre, which incorporates Wellington's Café, so we decided to have some lunch, we both had fish and chips, and a soft drink, we found the drinks very expensive, the food was very nice, at an average price, it was rather warm inside, could do with air conditioning. Overall not bad.

Arrived for a spot of lunch with friend and toddler, ordered hot drinks snack and lunch, food took to long, if you want to speak to management don't be surprised when a 20 year old claims he's the manager!!! Sly groping between staff is not what I want to see by the counter! Looks like a training centre for school kids, no adult's with skills working there. Will not be returning

Stopped off for some quick food, met with a person on the counter who didn't want to be there, completely disinterested. Ordered two paninis, food took about 15 mins to come out. Ham and Cheese panini came without cheese, had to take it back and received a new one without apology. Coffee was just ok too, wouldn't return.

The jacket potato is always cooked perfectly (yellow and soft on the inside), definitely the best I have had so far in towcester! They always serve good size potatoes and are generous with the toppings, the side salad can be a bit iffy but we are normally too full to worry about that!

Ate here whilst looking for plants. Had an excellent cheese on toast , tuna mayo sandwich and two coffees, served promptly and with a smile. Also the Red Arrows completing part of their manoeuvres at the nearby British Grand Prix. Bonus!

Popped in with my mum for a cup of tea and a cake, the offering was very limited so I went for a chocolate muffin. In fact it was a triple chocolate muffin, and it was ridiculously dry, the staff in the cafe were quite indifferent.