Hartleys Garden Centre: An Informed Shopper's Guide

Why You Should Visit

Based on my experiences and observations, here's what makes Hartleys a worthwhile destination:

• A Pleasant Cafe Experience: The cafe seems to be a highlight, offering delicious food and drinks.
• Delicious and High-Quality Food: You'll find the cafe consistently praised for its food quality, with many visitors highlighting the tasty offerings, including breakfast, lunch, and snacks. For example, the cheese & ham omelette is highly recommended!
• Friendly and Attentive Staff: Shoppers can expect a warm welcome and excellent service from the staff, who are known for their friendliness and helpfulness. The staff is particularly attentive in the cafe, even reserving tables for regular customers.
• Great Value and Service: You can find good value for your money, as the cafe offers a great experience and tasty options at fair prices. The staff is also known for their speedy service.
• Beautiful Plants and Garden Accessories: The garden centre boasts a fantastic selection of high-quality plants and garden accessories. You can browse a wide range of items, including ornaments and stick decorations, and find everything from beautiful flowers to plants.
• Quality Homemade Food: The cafe is renowned for its homemade food and cakes.
• Specialty Services: You can find that the location offers unique services like the provision of funeral flowers, with staff like Nathan providing expert guidance and helping to create perfect arrangements.
• Regular Gathering Spot: If you are looking for a spot to meet up with friends, the cafe is a regular meeting point for cycling clubs and other groups.
• Clean and Tidy Environment: The garden centre is well-organized, tidy, and clean.

Why You Might Consider Alternatives

While Hartleys has many positives, there are some potential drawbacks to consider:

• Inconsistent Food Quality: Be aware that the food quality can be inconsistent, as some experiences have shown dry and stale baked goods.
• Afternoon Tea Issues: If you are planning on afternoon tea, I've observed that you should be cautious about the quality, as some customers received stale bread and dry cakes.
• Potential Website Order Issues: If you are looking to order online, I've witnessed issues with the website, especially with the payment system, where orders were not delivered despite payments being processed. Therefore, I would strongly advise against using their website for ordering, particularly the PayPal option, and recommend calling and paying over the phone instead.
• Limited Vegetable Plant Selection: If you're looking for a wide range of vegetable plants, especially during certain times of the year, you might be disappointed with the selection.
• Busy Cafe: The cafe can get very busy, so be prepared for potential wait times, especially at peak hours.