Felley Priory — Attraction in Ashfield

To be fair , this review should be split into 3 categories for stars . The excellent extensive gardens deserved more than 5stars for their layout , maintenance and stunning display this time of year and are an absolute credit to the gardening team here .

The food is top notch and freshly prepared so again a 5star award.

But what sadly let our visit down today and indeed spoiled our lunch experience , was the service . Hence the one star above . It wasn't the initial wait of 20minutes , in fact I'd say that was good considering how busy they were . And there is a notice saying at busy periods there could be a 40minute wait , so we did well there ! . But to be more accurate , I should say " I " did well . Because from bringing my meal out after the reasonable 20 minutes , it was a further TWELVE minutes ( timed ) , before my wife's food was brought to the table !!!!. AND IT WAS ONLY A SCONE for goodness sake !!! It wasn't a case of being forgotten , as the waitress said when placing my food on the table .... " I"ll just get your scone " to my wife. I thought that funny as there was ample room on the tray for a scone plate . And that's when I looked at my watch - hence the timing . Obviously I didn't start my own meal before my wife's arrived , but after 5minutes I saw the same waitress serving food in the garden ( we'd sat inside ) . So I went outside and asked where my wife's scone was . " I'll just go and get it . It's because we're busy " she said . ( Scone plate , plate scone 🙄. ) . 10 minutes had passed and still no scone ! 😡. Again the same waitress was serving food to others . I approached her again . " I'm getting it now " she said . It arrived after 12 minutes . A scone on a plate . Preparation time - 20 seconds max . And by then our irritation and frustration had completely ruined the experience and my appetite. In fact , one star is being extremely generous in this instance ! . Get your act together girls . This standard of service is simply not...

I’m not quite sure whether I want to write this review... I’d recently read about Felley Priory, described as ‘north Nottinghamshire’s best kept secret’, in an RHS publication and it felt just that, so much so, that I made a deliberate decision to limit my photos.

The gardens are the conception of the current owner’s mother who spent 30 years developing them from a simple lawned layout to today’s stunning juxtaposition of clipped topiary and relaxed borders. Every corner brings something new, little archways and garden doors through to different areas of the gardens. Even on a dull January day, there was a huge amount to feast the senses: snowdrops bursting through in every corner, hellebores in abundance - more varieties than you could dream of and shrubs with powerful winter scent that catch you before you’ve even stepped through the gate.

We had a lovely chat with one of a small army of highly valued local gardening volunteers who pointed out his favourite treasures and chatted about the family pride and passion for the gardens.

And when our feet got too cold, we retired to the delightful tea rooms for a delicious lunch sourced from local butchers (Jacksdale) and bakers (Luke Evans). Judge a place by its toilets? Ten out of ten there too!

Whoops - if every visitor makes such public declarations then it won’t be North Nottinghamshire’s best kept secret for much longer but then it certainly deserves to be more widely known.

My personal favourite though: the pair of gorgeous rescue dogs.

Final warning: if you’re a keen gardener make sure you car boot is empty! We filled ours, and for a snip of the price that you’d find elsewhere. The priory’s mantra: if you see a plant in the garden that you like, ask in the nursery. Everything in the gardens is labelled (apart from the birds!) - that in itself is a...

First time visitor It's an easy one to miss, but well worth the visit, it's split into a nursery and the country estate and gardens. We went to the nursery and didn't visit the estate. We had lunch at the nursery cafe which is reasonably priced, quaint in a good way inside, it was a hot day so we ate outside on gerous sized round tables that can probably fit six around it comfortably. The toilets are located outside in a converted outhouse, just around the corner from the cafe (house) they are clean and well maintained. The garden nursery is compact but don't let you be put off. It's very well stocked, excellent quality, I would guess that these are grown alongside what is planted in the main estate gardens. I was surprised how reasonable the prices are compared to garden centres. It does have a lot of staples but a smaller range overall, some unusual varieties that demand top price from specialist websites, I picked up an Acer for £37.50, it was huge (again compared to garden centres) , well maintained and in great condition. I'd certainly go again.. So the only downside.. the entrance, it's easily missed because it's set back from the road and looks like a private drive for a country house which of course it is (I'd recommend using satnav goggle maps etc), it's narrow for both ingoing and outgoing traffic once your on the drive and have passed the two pillars, if you meet someone in the opposite direction, and the electric gate into the site is a little rickety (be patient with it). Parking is fine, disabled parking is closer to the nursery we saw 2 spaces and maybe more right at the bottom of the drive, but I can't confirm. We really...