CHOOSE GARDEN CENTRES BY COUNTY BELOW
PLANTS AREA: Very large, unusual design, engaging. On a significant slope.
See lower down this article for a more comprehensive review of the Gates Garden Centre plants area.
Plants Area Rating:
Average
INTERIOR SALES AREA: Very large, up market and expensive.
See lower down this article for a more comprehensive review of the Gates Garden Centre interior sales area.
Interior Sales Area Rating:
Slightly above average
CAFE: Superb, the best we have reviewed for years. Stunning outdoor seating area.
See lower down this article for a more comprehensive review of the Gates Garden Centre cafe.
Cafe Rating:
One of the best
IS GATES GARDEN CENTRE DOG FRIENDLY? Gates Garden Centre is not dog friendly.
They do have a large dedicated and enclosed dog walking area on site, as well as shaded parking for their customers with dogs.
Don't blame me! I am only the messenger!
VALUE FOR MONEY OVERALL:
Entrance to Gates Garden
Centre
OPENING HOURS GATES GARDEN CENTRE |
||
| Open | Close | |
| Monday | 8.00am | 5.30pm |
| Tuesday | 8.00am | 5.30pm |
| Wednesday | 8.00am | 5.30pm |
| Thursday | 8.00am | 5.30pm |
| Friday | 8.00am | 5.30pm |
| Saturday | 8.00am | 5.30pm |
| Sunday | 10.00am | 4.00pm |
| ||
Welland Vale Garden Centre
Rutland Nursery
Stamford Garden Centre
The Herb Nursery
SIZE: Large
FOOD TYPE: Up market garden centre type food. Everything from a coffee to a full main meal. Breakfasts are also included.
FOOD QUALITY:
We rarely give five stars for anything in our reviews and food quality is no
exception. But the food quality at Gates is exceptional.
Coronation Chicken Sandwich at Gates Garden Centre
For us, they turned the humble sandwich into meals fit for a king. The filling was hugely generous not only in the Coronation Chicken Sandwich but also Prawn Marie Sandwich we shared. The bread was soft and fresh.
Crisp fresh salad with a touch of dressing but not overbearing; crunchy crisps, and all well presented.
DECOR:
The cafe is a purpose built area with brick walls and lots of wood beams. The
tables were solid and slightly rustic, the chairs comfortable. It is a very
attractive area to have a meal and kept exceptionally clean.
A huge positive for us was that the kitchen area was open to view so you can see exactly how some of the food is prepared
OUTDOOR SEATING:
The outdoor seating area has stunning views over the local country side with
cattle, sheep, and other livestock eating the local grass. Very beautiful and
peaceful.
Outside cafe seating view at Gates garden Centre
The outside seating area is long and wooden decked. The picture below does not do it justice
Cafe outdoor seating at Gates Garden Centre
The tables and chairs are both attractive and functional, the whole area is kept very clean. Our table can be seen below.
Outdoor cafe seating.
SERVICE:
We visited the cafe on a Bank Holiday Sunday and the service was probably the
best we have ever had. Ordering is normally done via the cafe app but can also
be done at the desk.
We ordered our food and drinks via the app. Our drinks were delivered in about four minutes and our sandwiches followed less than ten minutes later. Service is pleasant and prompt - faultless.
VALUE FOR MONEY:
Prices are higher than the average garden centre cafe but the food quality,
decor and service more than make up for this.
SIZE OF PLANTS AREA: A large area which is rather unconventional.
PLANT SELECTION:
Lots of plants to choose from and in good condition. They do have a problem
however in the lack of good signage. Even when signs are present they are often
obscured by the plants.
Plants area Gates Garden Centre
The signs are also often incorrect. We saw a bay of plants signed as rhododendrons which were in fact entirely azaleas.
Gates Garden Centre guarantee their hardy plants for one year. This is rather a short guarantee compared to the five years or lifetime guarantee offered by many of the other large garden centres.
LAYOUT:
The layout of the plants area is unusual. There is a main plants area but in
addition there are several rooms which contain specific types of plants. This
makes the area interesting and unusual but a side effect is that it is often
difficult to find a specific plant.
Another problem with much of the plants area is that it is on a significant slope. For wheelchair users, the elderly and those with some medical conditions this is a problem. In the hour or so we were walking around this area it was clear the slope caused problems to some.
Plants area Gates Garden Centre
The entire area is paved and free from obstructions with wide paths. Around 25% of the area is covered.
VALUE FOR MONEY:
About average. For example, the cheapest rose we saw was priced at £10.99 and
the cheapest clematis was £14.99.
SIZE: Extremely large
LAYOUT:
Unlike the plants area, most of the interior sales areas are on level ground and
all are either carpeted or paved.
Similar to the plants area, the interior sales area is divided into several quite distinct rooms. One particular specialty of this garden centre is up market and expensive garden and conservatory furniture - the choice is endless.
Everything else is there as expected from a large garden centre - gifts, cards, candles etc. The area is very browseable, just don't expect any bargains, expect up market goods at matching prices
.
Gardening acessories
There is a good choice of houseplants, a superb food hall and of course all the garden accessories you could ever want.
Indoor plants
VALUE FOR MONEY:
Depends what you are looking for but I suspect the value for money is about
average for the goods on offer.
ACCESS:
Excellent
FACILITIES: Too many to mention, browsing is the name of the game at this garden centre.
Food hall
ADDRESS:
Gate Garden Centre
Somerby Road
Cold Overton
Oakham
Leicestershire
LE15 7QB
OWNER:
A family run business from 1948
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
01664 454309
EMAIL:
info@gatesgardencentre.co.uk
WEBSITE:
https://www.gatesgardencentre.co.uk/
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