Up Close: The Kitchen at Combe Garden Centre

Situated along Hayne Lane between Honiton and Gittisham, the Combe Garden Centre is a popular spot for picking up gardening essentials, but did you know the shop also has a tempting restaurant? 

Earlier this year the Garden Centre hit the headlines due to a break in after a gang of thieves broke into the shop via the roof. 

Combe Garden Centre is also the home of family business Velvet and Parade, a luxury lifestyle boutique which sells a collection of well-chosen and attractive homeware goods. Here you can pick up items including vases and mugs, Emma Bridgewater trays, jewellery and handbags. as well as cards and gifts for children.

Velvet and Parade (Nub News)

Also on site is The Kitchen, a large and attractive café and restaurant. The Kitchen is a vast space and consists of the inside seating area with tables and some sofa seats, an outside (but covered and sheltered) area with garden chairs and the patio area which has benches and umbrellas surrounded by gardens.

The Kitchen opens at 9am when it sells a range of different breakfasts including traditional fry-ups, healthier options such as crushed avocado and poached eggs, New York-style pancake stacks and shakshuka eggs. 

From 12pm, The Kitchen serves substantial lunches such as Dartmoor beef burger, Curry of the Day, a daily pie special, fish and chips, Dartmoor ham and homemade lasagne. 

Also on offer are sandwiches (including West Country cheddar and caramelised red onion chutney, coronation chicken and roasted vegetables with hummus), jacket potatoes with a range of toppings, open wraps or flat breads. 

The terrace seating area at The Kitchen (Nub News)

Also available are tea and coffee and cakes including scones, Victoria sponges, rocky road, flapjacks and chocolate brownies. 

All the ingredients (including the eggs, milk and cheese) is sourced from the South West everything is made on site. 

I opted for the classic 'Devon Breakfast' fry-up which was a very well cooked and good-value meal. The test of any fry-up is the bacon and The Kitchen served theirs crispy and piping hot. The sausage was good quality and the fried mushrooms, egg and bread were good too.

The Combe Garden Centre is the perfect place for some retail therapy followed by a nice meal or tempting cake.

The Combe Garden Centre is open from 9am - 5pm. You can find it here.