I had never considered going to a garden centre for a proper meal before, but the Hare Hatch Garden Centre has just had a complete makeover, so I was keen to try it out.

The newly decorated restaurant in Floral Mile, Twyford, was looking clean, fresh, warm and welcoming when I went along with my boyfriend Stephen to sample their new menu last month.

We settled ourselves down in the big comfy wicker chairs and prepared ourselves to order.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner daily or you can just pop in for a slice of cake and tea after doing your shopping.

Stephen and I started with a pot of fresh tea whilst we chose our meal from the menu, which was lovely and warming just after coming in from the cold. If tea is not your thing, there were plenty of other drinks to choose from, including coffee, alcohol and juices, so there is something to quench everyone’s thirst.

There was a nice variety of classic British meals on the menu, including sausage and mash (which is clearly popular with visitors as it had sold out when we arrived at around 3.30pm), beer battered fish and chips and gammon steak with egg and chips. The menu wasn’t vast, but it varies throughout the year to reflect the changing seasons, so there will always be something new on the menu to get stuck into.

After much deliberation, I decided to go for the gammon steak, while Stephen chose scampi and chips.

The staff were very friendly and helpful and they informed us that all of their food was freshly made upon order. It was obvious that this was true when the food arrived as it looked and smelled lovely.

The chips were fresh and hot and the gammon steak was much bigger than I expected it to be, so you really get your money’s worth. The steak was thick and juicy and perfectly cooked and I couldn’t fault it at all. I've only just recently started to eat eggs again as I've never been that keen on them, but I thought these were fantastic. They were well cooked and well-seasoned with pepper, which really made a nice change from the sometimes bland eggs you can get elsewhere.

Whilst I was eating, I was thinking this dish could have done with some peas. However, by the time I was finished, I was so full; I decided I didn’t need the peas after all!

Stephen couldn’t fault his meal either, complimenting the freshly cooked scampi, hot, thick-cut chips and good portion size. He also said the pot of tartar sauce and the peas was a nice addition and we were both very satisfied after we had finished our meals.

The restaurant’s selection of cakes are on display near the front and they all looked mouth-wateringly tasty under their glass domes, so we couldn’t leave without trying one. There was a wide range of choice, including carrot cake, coffee cake and white chocolate and cranberry.

We let our meal go down and then finished with a slice each - I chose a wedge of chocolate orange cake and Stephen had a slice of the classic Victoria Sponge. The portions were very generous and were soft and delicious. The cake wasn’t dry at all, which is really impressive considering how late in the day It was and you could tell a lot of care and attention went into making them.

My chocolate cake had gold dusting and chocolate curls on top of the sweet icing and Stephen’s Victoria Sponge had a good amount of buttercream and jam in the middle.

Stephen and I came away very satisfied and slightly surprised that you could get this kind of quality ingredients at a garden centre.

Of course, this isn’t the kind of restaurant where you will find gourmet cuisine, but that is not what it is aiming for. The chefs are dedicated to providing fresh, tasty meals using locally sourced ingredients and their passion really comes across in their dishes.

It is affordable, well-cooked classic British food and they do it very well.