Mad Hatters - Torridge

We had a wonderful experience during our holiday at this restaurant. We discovered the garden center online and decided to pay it a visit. The garden center is charming, offering homemade and locally sourced food, Christmas decorations, gifts, and a cafe. The highlight of our visit was the gnome sanctuary, a delightful stroll through the garden filled with various gnome characters. The garden is well-kept and it was a lot of fun trying to find all the different gnomes. We would definitely come back if we find ourselves in Bideford again!

My husband wanted a table by the window. One had a reserved sign on which was fine but there was one free which my husband asked for. He was promptly told that the table was reserved for people with dogs. It seems very strange to turn away custom because you don’t have a dog. We had our granddaughter though. Very bizarre.

Fab menu such a great little oasis of garden centre and restaurant. Great menu, great service, friendly staff, worth a visit if you are in the area. And totally dog friendly.

My husband and I tried the poached egg on toast. Unfortunately, the eggs were cooked too much and had an odd flavor. The quality of the dish does not match the high prices they are asking for.

After a long traips through the rest of the store, we found the restaurant. I realise this is good marketing psychology, so that you see something on the way you want to buy, but hard on the disabled. Seats are hard wood. We had coffee and cake, which was O.K., but there was no sugar on the table and as we take sugar, I asked for it. The waitress came and doled out one sugar when we asked for another, the waitress looked askance, but reluctantly doled out another one. When I said please may we have another , she looked askance and nearly didn 't give us one. This has never happened to us before. Sugar is usually on every table, not doled out with ill grace as if we were miscrreants. So coupled with this and the fact that you have to drive down a slit trench to get there, we will not be going again.