Behind the scenes preview of new garden centre restaurant opening soon

Building for the hotly anticipated new restaurant at Combe Garden Centre is well under way, with an extension at the back of the premises to become an 85-seat restaurant/cafe, with adjoining kitchen.

The design for the new development was sketched out by store manager, James Trevett, who wanted to create a relaxed, open space for people to enjoy quality food and beverages in a beautiful setting.

With wooden paneling, iron structuring and green foliage feature walls - the place has a clean, modern feel with plenty of rustic finishing touches.

Floor length windows overlook a garden, which is to be developed into a maize maze and a large serving hatch opens up onto the kitchen area.

Nub News spoke with the newly appointed restaurant manager, Kimberley Astley-Jones, to find out what we can expect from the menu.

She said: "Our aim is to provide the traditional style dishes that people enjoy, whilst catering for all dietary requirements, such as vegan and gluten-free.

"There will be a street-food element to the menu, incorporating Mediterranean cuisine and fresh flavours. We have a fantastic chef on board, who has lots of exciting ideas up his sleeve.

"We aim to cater for those who work nearby, by providing food that can be taken away, although take-away is not our main focus.

"People can come by and have breakfast along with a good coffee, which is to be sourced locally.

"Using local producers is something that is very important to me. We are extremely lucky to have some fantastic suppliers of quality produce in the area and we will make good use of this.

"Having worked in school kitchens for many years prior to this, I have some great connections within the local food industry, which has come in handy."

Combe Garden Centre opened in December of last year and according to Trevett has seen an 'extremely successful initial six months of business'.

The centre prides itself on providing superior quality plants and products (sourced locally where possible) and providing exceptional customer service with a long history of horticultural expertise.

Picture one: (L to R) Restaurant Manager Kimberley Astley-Jones, Garden Centre Manager James Trevett and Kimberley's daughter, Caitlin, who will also be working in the restaurant.

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