With the sunny weather making an appearance this week, there felt like no better time than to pop down to one of the many garden centres we are lucky to have on our doorstep.
I don’t know what it is, but there's just something so appealing about garden centres - especially in the sunshine. And it's not even like I'm ever going to stock up on gardening supplies as my flat’s balcony porch could not be described by anyone as a garden. But I still manage to find satisfaction in wandering through aisles of potted plants, artisan jams and quirky gifts.
But, one of the key things for a good garden centre for me, and perhaps for many others, is the café. Offering a bit of respite and - if you’re lucky - a good cup of tea and slice of cake, they are often special little places but without much frills about them.
So, I was immediately intrigued when I heard about Daisy Nook Garden Centre, which is located in Failsworth and just 15 minutes from the M60. Located in the heart of Daisy Nook Country Park, it is situated right by a series of stunning country trails in the Medlock Valley.
One of them, the Daisy Nook Circular, features a 6.4km loop through the park that is popular with hikers and runners for its scenic views of canals, waterways, forests and floral meadows, alongside chance encounters with great-spotted woodpeckers, owls, foxes, and squirrels. But that’s a story for another time.
The reason I have heard so much about the garden centre is for its ‘hidden oasis’ of a café, with its outdoor terrace overlooking the park and offering a step into nature whilst very firmly remaining on common ground. It sounded like the perfect spot for a bit of an afternoon unwind, so that’s where I headed in the middle of the week to catch up on some rays and enjoy some food.
Alongside a range of hot drinks and cakes, the café serves up a range of sandwiches, quiches and an all-day English Breakfast that costs just £7.99. If you don’t fancy a full-out breakfast, the café also does a ‘cake and cuppa’ offer for just £4.25.
Walking into Café Riverside for the first time, which is located in a separate rear building within the garden centre, I was immediately confused. Instead of being greeted by the smell of freshly-brewed coffee, I’m met with an empty room, with fixtures and fittings and a random display of books on offer at the side. But following the couple in front of me, I identify and make a bee-line for the café around the corner.
Having known about the English breakfast in advance, that’s exactly what I knew what I was going to have, so there was not much perusing to be had on this occasion - which proved to be quite a good thing as the counter of sandwiches and cakes was already completely empty. However, a sign did point out ‘we do have cakes and sandwiches, please ask a member of staff’.
Putting in my simple order of the all-day breakfast and a bottle of Diet Coke, I asked the server if I could sit outside and, to my ultimate horror, she said that the outside area was closed for renovations and no one was allowed to go outside as it was ‘unsafe’.
Clearly visibly taken aback by the news, the polite server went on to explain that there were about two more weeks of construction still to take place and she was ‘so upset’ that it couldn’t be used on the delightfully-sunny day we were having. Truly heartbroken, I had no choice but to accept that the hidden oasis was today going to be out of reach.
And sadly, I think that was a pretty big deal-breaker for my visit. Having looked forward to being able to watch streams trickle downhill, and maybe catch flight of the odd bird or two, I instead had no option but to stare at a grey wall with high windows that resembled more of a prison than a café.
The cafe's inside interior, I am afraid to say, was a little dated with tables showing a fair bit of wear-and-tear and the coral blue wallpaper making it feel like a college cafeteria rather than somewhere you’d go for a bit of Afternoon Tea.
Having barely taken to my surroundings, my breakfast arrived on my table within minutes - almost suspiciously too early. But, that being said, it was warm and looked like a good amount of food for £8 featuring bacon, sausage, beans, mushrooms, hash brown, tomatoes, and toast.
Whilst there wasn’t much in the way of presentation, there's an understanding that it's quite hard to make a full English look the most aesthetically pleasing, so it’s not really something I can complain about. The fried egg was cooked nicely, tasted fresh, and wasn’t dripping in oil - which is a big bug-bear of mine.
The bacon was also cooked to perfection for me. Whilst some may have liked it to be a little less-done, the crispy brown fat was divine. It did the job just fine for me. The beans and tomato were good too, as was the toast.
The thick sausage was also tasty and was perhaps the highlight of the whole meal for me. Usually, the hash brown is the star attraction for me when it comes to the Full English but this offering was too soggy and missing that satisfying crispy crunch. It was disappointing, but I still managed to eat it up.
Making my way through it all, my meal is soundtracked by a mix of coffee machines whirring, power drills on overdrive within the forbidden oasis, and a playlist featuring Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, very obscure showtunes and what I can only describe as hotel lobby fusion jazz. There’s, quite frankly, a lot audibly going on.
But, let’s be honest, there’s not many places where you could go today for a cup of tea and a slice of cake for £4.25 and that has to be applauded. In fact, you might also struggle to find somewhere that does a £8 Full English too.
Whilst my meal was nothing ground-breaking, it did the job just fine, it ticked the boxes, it filled me up and it didn’t leave me out of pocket. That’s certainly got to be seen as a win - especially in this day-and-age, and especially when you look at how much some of the other garden centres charge at their onsite restaurants.
I think it’s very fair to say that I did not get to see the full potential of Riverside Café. The garden centre has just very recently been taken over by new ownership after the original, family-run founders of over 50 years decided to sell up.
It’s clear the centre, and the café, is still undergoing some renovations. Alongside the closed-off outdoor terrace, there was an area of the café that was draped off, and I saw a few decorators working on other parts of the space so it was evident that work was being done to improve things, and you can't really fault that.
I will need to visit again to truly experience that riverside delight, which from a quick, sneaky glance on the way out, does look like something that would be really special in the sunshine. And I have faith that the new owners will just continue to elevate the garden centre even further as its revamps continue to be rolled out.
Just hopefully, we have more sunshine coming our way (ideally in two weeks’ time) so myself and other visitors can really utilise the outdoor area.
