Perrywood Coffee Shop - Colchester

I had a disappointing experience at this restaurant. My wife and I queued for the cafe in the greenhouse, but when she wanted to sit down, I went to look for a table. The serving staff, who were already slow, stopped serving to follow my wife into the cafe area and insisted that she rejoin the queue. There was no discussion about why she needed to sit down or any consideration for her needs, just a rude instruction to get back in line. We decided it would be best to find somewhere more friendly, so we went to the Tiptree Jam factory for a much warmer welcome.

I frequently visit this garden centre with my parents, who enjoy the drive and my dad particularly loves the restaurant. It's about a 40-minute drive from Ipswich down the A12. This garden centre is large, with a wide selection of indoor and outdoor plants for all seasons, all well displayed. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. There is a main restaurant in the building and a smaller cafe in the greenhouse area. The prices are reasonable compared to other garden centres. The food is always freshly prepared and hot. Only assistance dogs are allowed, so keep that in mind if you plan on bringing your pet dog. I highly recommend visiting this place.

Went for a bite to eat in the cafe and happily joined the end of the queue for hot food. Unfortunately too late the server decided that the couple ahead would be the last to be served regardless of the fact we were actually the end of the queue seemed a bit power crazed!! Disappointing!

Perrywoods itself is a wonderful place to peruse- lots of beautiful plants and pressies. We thought we would stay for lunch and both ordered the roqst beef dinner. We were told no yorkshires but thought they are busy, so never mind. When it came, it was very obviously food made earlier, reheated in a microwave and covered in gravy. The gravy was nice but was really the only thing on the plate that had any flavour unfortunately. The meat was tough and there was half a carrot which was hard and not cooked properly and the veg was a mixture of 2 peas, pale cabbage, one runner bean and lots of cauliflower. If it seems this is a harsh review it is because Perrywood is such a beautiful place to while away a good hour or two and we would have expected a decent roast dinner for £15.99!

I had a wonderful experience at this charming cafe restaurant. The food was delicious and the portions were generous. The atmosphere was relaxed and airy, and the place was clean and well-maintained.