CHOOSE GARDEN CENTRES BY COUNTY BELOW
This independent review of Preston Bissett Nurseries & Country Shop was written by David Marks and was last updated in April 2026.
This is an in depth review by a real human(s) as a result of visiting this garden centre, no Artificial Intelligence is involved! We reviewed the inside and plant sales areas, took pictures (see lower down this article) and checked out the cafe. The cafe check involved ordering and tasting the food and reporting our findings for you to judge.
Preston Bissett Nurseries was founded by Peter Richardson in 1984. He began the business selling young plants outside the family farm. Over the years the business has developed into a much larger concern but is still family owned.
Yes, Preston Bissett Nurseries is fully dog friendly with dogs allowed in the garden centre and cafe. During our visit we saw dogs in both the cafe and main nurseries areas.
Entrance to Preston Bissett Nurseries
Buckingham Garden Centre - 4 miles away
Bicester Avenue Garden Centre - 10 miles away
Dobbies Garden Centre, Milton Keynes - 19 miles away
Haddenham Garden Centre - 19 miles away
SIZE: A decent sized indoor cafe area with around 20 tables.
FOOD TYPE: A restricted menu. Although the breakfast menu was reasonable the lunch time menu consists only of bagels, baps, toasted ciabattas, salads or soup of the day. The "specials" were not available on the day we visited.
FOOD QUALITY: We tasted the breakfast bap (served as a sandwich to us because they had run out of baps) which consisted of two sausages, egg and bacon. The egg and bacon were good although the sausages were too over spiced even for our taste buds and we are normally appreciative of a reasonably spiced sausage!
Our Breakfast Bap at Preston Bissett Nurseries
We also tasted the cheese and ham toasted ciabatta and it was delicious. Lovely runny and stringy cheese with a decent slice of ham. Salad and crisps were also included. Both meals were served hot, on clean plates and with clean cutlery.
Our Ham and Cheese Toasted Ciabatta
One aspect of the meal did however rather turn our stomachs! The food was served with red and brown sauce in jars. The jars had no best before / use by date nor were they labeled as to when the contents should be discarded after opening. The picture of the jars below says it all, the congealed contents were in a very bad state.
Dirty sauce jars at Preston Bissett Nurseries Cafe
DECOR: The decor is pleasantly unusual. The cafe is inside a very large tipi (tent-like structure) and the exposed wooden supporting structures are very attractive. It was a coldish and windy day when we visited however the temperature inside the cafe was fine.
Cafe interior
The tables and chairs are pleasantly rustic and wooden, the were also some large sofas in the cafe area. The flooring is old fashioned wood. The entire area is kept very clean.
Our only concern was the uneven floor surface. This is not an area where young kids would be safe to run around in and people who are a bit unsteady on their feet could easily trip over.
OUTDOOR SEATING: There are two outdoor seating areas. Both of them are very pleasant, one of them has lovely views of a large adjoining field.
Outdoor seating area
SERVICE: Service was faultless. When you enter the cafe, select your table and choose the items you want from the menu then place your order at the main desk. You will be given a numbered wooden spoon to place on your table. This took us a couple of minutes.
Food is served to your table, it took ten minutes at most for our meals to arrive.
VALUE FOR MONEY: The cost of a meal or snack in a garden centre has increased significantly over the last few years. The prices charged at the Preston Bissett cafe is about average taking into account the decor, surroundings, service and food quality is about average for the sector.
If you a having lunch at this cafe and want to keep costs down, we can strongly recommend the Breakfast Bap (also available for lunch). Two sausages, a slice of bacon and a fried egg for a very reasonable £7.95. If you pour yourself a glass of free water then that has to be good value!
SIZE OF PLANTS AREA: The plants area forms the major part of the nurseries and it's large! Shrubs large and small, perennials, grasses, fruit and ornamental trees, bedding plants, it's all here and more at Preston Bissett Nurseries.
Plants view 1
PLANT SELECTION: Not only is there a huge range of plants but the choice is varied and interesting. Basically, if you can't find the plant you are looking for you have probably just not seen it.
The plants are all in tip top condition, well watered and weed free. We saw no indication that hardy plants have any guarantee.
LAYOUT: The layout is interesting and attractive, a superb area for wandering around. No regimentation at Preston Bissett Nurseries, you will be drawn into the paths and greenhouses off the main area. Ten out of ten for the thought which has gone into the design.
Plants view 2
The paths are just about wide enough for wheelchair access. There is a mixture of solid and gravel flooring which could possibly cause some problems.
Plants view 3
VALUE FOR MONEY: Prices are slightly lower than average.
SIZE: In comparison to the plants area the interior sales is very small. There is a gift shop which stocks unusual items and there is also a very small gardening shop.
LAYOUT: Access around the interior area is rather cramped and the flooring is uneven.
ACCESS: The interior sales area is not the best for disabled access. Some of the plants area could also be problematical for the disabled.
ADDRESS:
Preston Bissett Nurseries & Country Shop
Bushey Lane
Preston Bissett
Buckingham MK18 4ND
GOOGLE MAP:
Click here for a Google map showing the location of
Preston Bissett Nurseries & Country Shop.
OWNER:
Family owned
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
01280 848038
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