Sussex Country Gardener - Wealden

I 've always loved this garden center but recently its lost its 'sparkle ' since they 've started selling 'cook ' products and other foods there 's little room left for the lovely gifts they used to sell. Today I visited with friends who had not been before and we stayed for lunch. The restaurant was very busy and the menu looked good but what a disappointment. The drinks arrived almost instantly by a silent waiter who plonked the tray down and walked off. The food soon followed and was very mediocre. It was advertised as cottage pie with veg. The veg was a dish of peas and the cottage pie was tasteless apart from the oversalted mash. In future, if I 'm passing, I 'll pop in but will stick with tea and cake.

The food at this restaurant is excellent, but the wait time is unbearable. When ordering, you are given a table number, but the waitresses seem lost and confused, unsure of where to deliver the food. The service has been consistently poor for a while now, and it seems like nobody is bothered by the negative reviews. The wait is excruciatingly long, and I have no plans to return in the future. Additionally, the shop itself was underwhelming with limited options available.

My friend and I stopped in for a quick lunch as she had a dentist appointment in Tunbridge Wells. We allowed just over an hour for this. Unfortunately, when ordering, the filling I wanted for my baked potato was sold out, so I had to settle for just baked beans. This was disappointing as it was before 12:30. Our drinks were brought to us without a single word from the waiter, and I had to ask for a glass. We waited a long time for our food to arrive, and only after I asked, as we were running short on time. This resulted in us rushing through our meal. I hadn't visited this cafe in a year or so, and I probably won't bother going back. It was very busy, but there was no welcoming feeling from the staff like I had previously experienced. I wonder if there has been a change in management.

Lovely food however the time taken to wait for food was unacceptable. There was a notice by the counter warning that it would be 20 minutes wait which was fine. When it got to over half an hour I went to enquire to be told that all food would be an hour's wait! I will return but will ask before ordering in future.

We came on a whim and were not disappointed. Shared the club sandwich with chips and an iced coffee. Delicious. They had a wheelchair so I could get my wife into the dining area.