Ploughman’s lunch, Woodborough Garden Centre cafe reviewed
Location –
Whitehall Garden Centre,
Nursery Farm,
Woodborough,
Pewsey,
SN9 5PF
Tel: 01672 851249
enquiries@whitehallgardencentre.co.uk
Website – Woodborough Garden Centre
Date of Visit – 28/06/2025
Notes on the visit:
This is local to me – I never realised that they did a ploughman’s lunch. The garden centre is for sale, and I hear a rumour that there is a buyer. I hope they do well, restore proper growing there, and continue to have Ploughman’s lunches, excellent breakfasts and Sunday lunch offerings. Remind me to update this.
The Food
5 – Pickled Onion. OK, not off to the best start, the onion was crisp, but generic and very acidic. TBH, I expected better given the excellent food available in the shop.
10 – Pickle. This was not the usual Ploughman’s pickle (think Branston). It was one of the best pickles I have ever tasted. A pickle, but with the subtle spice and sweetness of a chutney – it might have been a chutney, but the taste was clean and crisp. Hints of spice and cumin, and a massive warm wave of Nigella Sativa. Delicious. It deserves to be known. I want a jar!
9 – Cheese & Ham:
Cheese – A nice wedge of Cheddar. Mature, tasty, creamy. As ever, I’m greedy, so more would have been lovely. Not sure of where it is from, but I’m sure it’s not that far away. Very good. Again, if it’s a known cheese, let it be known. There was also a good portion of Brie. Nice white outer, creamy, lovely, gooey inner with plenty of flavour. Not too fresh, and not too ripe. Wonderful.
Ham – Lots of ham. Lovely ham. Maybe a tad dry and a little salty, but very nice, I’m being picky. Thinly sliced, generous portions, a perfect pairing with the chutney/pickle that was served.
4 – Bread: Hmm. A par-bake, it was dry and not very interesting. It might have been better in a hotter oven, and doused with water before heating. It was disappointing, especially as they sell the wonderful Hobbs House bakery bread, and we are only a few miles from Marshall’s Bakery. Not sure there is a reason for such poor bread.
4 – Spread Butter, Anchor. Now, strangely, this is local, brewed in Westbury. (I’m sure years ago, Anchor was “New Zealand Butter”, but now it’s made locally). So, Wiltshire produce. Good temperature, but that might have been because the day was a furnace, and 50% of one of the packets was liquid. Local, no plastic, Good.
5 – Presentation: Nicely done indeed. Good-sized served on a solid lump of wood. It had care and love put into it, a very well-presented piece. Also, the people serving at the till and bringing out the food were awesome! The day was HOT, HOT, and they were cool and ever so professional. I suspect they were hot, so much respect to them. Thank you for your service.
4 – Salad, etc
Salad:
Nice salad. Fresh. Nice sliced apple. Lettuce, small and crisp, some tomatoes, and Spring onions. etc. Dressing free, but not required. Good, really good. Might have got another point for provenance (local).
3 – Originality. Sorted. Nice presentation. The dual score is because:
Pickled Egg
I have mixed feelings about this one.
I detest pickled eggs. A fresh egg would have been delicious. My good friend Keith had a word with me – he loved the idea of a pickled egg. I have other similarly strange friends – in fact, I might be an outlier here. I was grumpy about the pickled egg: the discussion became heated. I pointed out that it was my review and that if he had a different opinion, he should have ordered a ploughman’s and reviewed it!
I gave him my pickled egg, and we were all happy again.
Food Total: 44
Beverages
8 – Drinks: Tea. I drank tea, and it was lovely. More would have been better, but it was OK. Why do so few places have hot water and enough milk for a second go?
There was a multitude of other drinks. It’s a cafe, but if you wanted, there was, I believe, the booze option, and although bottles, tip top.
Drinks Total: 8
The Venue
10 – Service: Friendly welcome, service not intrusive and no hovering about when we’d finished and our plates cleared. The staff there deserve a big shout-out as they are amazing.
In fact, give a thought to anyone working in these hot temperatures. We sit there grumbling about being hot, and they’re working.
8 – Atmosphere: It’s a garden centre cafe. However, it’s lovely. Plenty of space, popular, Great staff, Nice location. Welcoming, reasonably comfortable and well serviced. Well done.
4 – Location: Deepest Wiltshire. Suits me. Only an hour from London by GWR Train. From Pewsey, it’s 5 minutes by bus if you use Wiltshire Connect or walkable in just over an hour using the direct route. Other walking routes take between 2 – 3 hours for the more scenic option. Recommended. Contact Roaming the Paths if you want help getting about in the Vale of Pewsey.
5 – Toilets: Practical, Clean. All the things you need. Lovely.
Venue total: 27
Total Score: 79
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