FOR
Healthy plants
Lots of non-gardening shopping
Good choice of garden buildings
AVERAGE
Cafe food
Cafe service
Plant and accessory prices
Interior layout
AGAINST
Plants area layout
Cafe decor and layout
Hugely expensive allotments
Entrance to Worlds End Garden Centre, Wendover
The layout of the cafe area was very pleasant although the tables could have been arranged in groups rather than lines. The tables and chairs are now chunky wood and much better than the old ones. The ceiling still had the large air-conditioning ducts exposed but they were painted sparkling white and looked almost like an attractive feature. very clever use of something which was originally very ugly.
Gone is the need to reserve a table before ordering your food, you are now simply given an order number placard and your food is delivered to your table. In the original review below no mention was made of an outside seating are - there certainly is one now and very pleasant it is.
The service was much the same as before, reasonably prompt out of peak times but can get very busy on Saturdays and Sundays at lunch time. The quality of the meals had improved considerably, we were very impressed.
One feature of this cafe which may concern some is the level of noise. It's high and it would seem this caused by the acoustics of the area combined with the large number of children.
So in summary, the good points of this cafe had been retained but the not-so-good points were considerably improved. We now recommend this as a good cafe for a meal or a drink. We have retained the original review below for comparison purposes.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
The layout of the cafe is 'thin' and long, reminding us of a railway
carriage. In common with the plants area, the tables are arranged in
regimented rows with no consideration for a pleasant design at all.
In general the decor looks well past its sell-by date with a particularly unattractive ceiling. The plastic tables and chairs cheapen the overall effect even further.
The food is prepared on the premises with daily specials on sale at £7 to £8. We tasted two of them, the beef lasagne and the sausage roll meal and were a bit disappointed. Over the last few years Wyevale Garden Centres have improved the quality of their food significantly but the main meals at Worlds End are not recommended by us.
Standard fare of paninis (£6.49), sandwiches / baguettes (£3 to £5) and baked potatoes (£5 to £6) are reasonably priced. Coffees, teas cakes and snacks are also sold as is a small range of beers and wines. Breakfast type meals are served up to 11.30.
Service is OK with around a five minute wait at peak times. During our visit the power failed for 30 seconds putting the till out of service for around ten minutes and causing considerable confusion amongst the staff.
Some of the hot meals are on display but some are stored in the kitchen area. For those items in the kitchen waitress service is provide. You do need a table number when you order which is inconvenient if you are alone because during the time taken to pay for your meal the table may then have been taken; not a convenient service model.
We asked one of the staff about the regimented layout and were told that the purpose was to display as many plants as possible in a the available area. We felt that was a very poor reason for such a poor design.
The paths are narrower compared to many large centres but they are wide enough for wheelchair access. However, some paths were partially obstructed and in one place slippery; see our picture on the right. Water and mud had collected on the path and we very nearly fell over at that point.
Part of the plant sales area at Worlds End garden centre is covered for seasonal plants although the majority of the area is uncovered.
THE PLANTS
The plants were of good quality and all hardy plants are covered by
an excellent five year guarantee.
Worlds End is a large garden centre and they offer a good range of plants. The signs were also good, large and easy to see.
A VIDEO OF WORLD'S END GARDEN CENTRE
As well as gardening sales, the inside area also contains a variety of shops stocking clothing, Pets Corner (no live animals), books, garden furniture and lots of other gift type goods.
Lots of thought has gone into the layout to make it very seasonal. As kids wander round you can here them marvelling at this display and that display. Impressive stuff.
Father Christmas is there in force at World's End, with a couple of different options. A visit to Father Christmas includes a journey through their winter wonderland, a visit to Santa's grotto a present and an "I've seen Santa" badge. The price is a reasonable £7 which sound a bit pricey but relatively good value for the overall experience. The only thing that jarred slightly was that any adults accompanying children need to pay an extra £1.50 per adult. First date for a visit to Father Christmas at World's End Garden Centre is Saturday 12th November.
The other options centre round kids meals with a visit from Santa. For £7.95 the kids will get a substantial cooked breakfast plus drink, a visit from Santa to the group and a present. It also includes decorate your own gingerbread man biscuits and colouring activities. If adults want breakfast as well (though no present of course!), they will need to pay £6.95 for a cooked breakfast or a continental one.
The final option is very similar to the above but it's tea instead breakfast. Note that these sessions do get very booked up, especially near Christmas, so booking is advised. Either pick up a leaflet at the garden centre or phone them on 0844 288 5053. Breakfasts and teas with Santa start from 3rd December and run to 23rd December.
Below are a few pictures taken of Wold's End Garden Centre at Christmas just to give you a feel of how much effort they put into their displays. Click any of the pictures to enlarge them for a better view.
OTHER STUFF
Car park - The main car park is good and most of the spaces
are adjacent to the entrance. Overflow parking is not really
suitable for wheelchair users.
Pet Centre - Pets Corner is on site and they provide lots of goodies and feeds for your pets. No live pets are available for sale.
Aquatics - Maidenhead Aquatics provide a comprehensive aquatics centre
Water Features - A very small range of ten or so.
Sheds and Greenhouses - A very small range of greenhouses were on display. However the range of sheds and garden buildings was extensive.
House Plants - A good range of indoor and cut plants is well displayed and of good quality.
Wheelchair Access - Paths are wide enough for wheelchairs but the outside area is slippery in a couple of places.
Toilets - More than adequate.
Specialist Areas - Wyevale Garden Centres have allotments for hire at some of their garden centres and this is the case at their Worlds End Garden Centre. They are at the side of the garden centre and we visited them. About a third of them are occupied with the remainder still vacant.
Some of the plots are without any accessories, the others come with a small greenhouse, water butt and a composter. But we were shocked at the prices. With the accessories the rent is £10 a week which is £520 a year. Even without accessories the cost is £5 a week / £260 a year. A returnable £100 deposit is required at the start of the rental period. To top it off, the allotments are 90sq m about half the normal allotment size. An extremely expensive way to enjoy allotment life.
OWNER:
Wyevale Garden Centres
TELEPHONE NUMBER:
0844 288 5053
Interior of cafe
Garden buildings and sheds
Garden furniture
Covered plants area
Plants area
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