The Orchard Tea Garden — Attraction in South Cambridgeshire

Disappointing

On arriving there was no clear signage where to go for the tea room. So we joined a very long queue only to eventually get to the front to be greeted by extremely overworked, stressed and grumpy staff who didn't even make eye contact and just muttered "Cake or scone". On saying we had booked afternoon Tea we we told "go out and turn left"

Due to the various parking warning signs we thought it best to ask where to to put our registration to be told "don't bother the cameras don't work".

We then walked through swarms of wasps and stacks of dirty plates and cups.

On eventually finding the tea rooms we were told from across the "really sorry guys these tables are reservations only", and we explained we had booked. Without being asked for a booking confirmation we were sat down.

We were served water in dirty glasses and had to ask for clean ones. The cappuccino was served half spilt in the saucer with more foam and chocolate than actual coffee, the teaspoons then arrived with another member of staff.

The food itself was a let down and not worth the price, served on scraps of bread that wouldnt make a single sandwich, tasted very dry and not fresh.

The tearoom had seen better days with a hole in the floor and general state of disrepair, cups and plates stacked everywhere.

Despite reserved signs people were walking in and sitting down. In fact, two 2 people did an amazing impression of Usain Bolt at the Olympics competing to get a "reserved" table.

For the same price we have had excellent afternoon teas at Tower bridge and horse guards parade, this is so disapointing i cant even begin.

Recommendations

1. Clear signage to the reserved tea room.
2. Single entrace / exit.
3. Have a greeter to ensure only those who have booked are in the tea room, to avoid feeling like you are sat in an airport walk way.
4. Uniform, approns, name tags or some sort of colour scheme for staff.
5. Maybe a little of background music
6. Dogs to kept outside, we have dogs but do not to have dogs next to us when eating.

Overall really disappointing, we wont be back or...

Ridiculous price to park. Sign telling you it is free if eating at the venue is not visible until after you have paid and walked toward the building. Then found out that the cameras were not working so paid £10.90 unnecessarily.......no offer of a refund! Ordered 2 ham and cheese toasties, a slice of quiche, 2 scones with cream and jam, and 4 small bottles of drink, and it came to £55, which was daylight robbery. When the buzzer you are given went off, I went to collect the order and was presented with mushrooms on toast and gazpacho!! The only thing that slightly redeemed the situation was the young man who was extremely helpful, and very apologetic, who got it sorted for us, but not before another member of staff came to tell us we had only paid for 2 items, so needed to pay for the rest. We were not given an itemised receipt, only the receipt from the card machine, which thankfully was enough to proof we had paid £55.00, meaning we had paid for what we had ordered, but had been presented with the wrong food! The reason for the error was explained as a 'faulty buzzer', when I think it was more likely a 'faulty staff member'! We waited another 10 minutes for the correct order. Everything tasted nice, but for the price, I would expect more than just 'nice'. There was nothing special about any of it...... I could have prepared the same meal at home for a fraction of the price, using better quality produce, and when you choose to eat out, you want a bit more than just 'nice'. The garden is beautiful, but deckchairs are not the easiest things to sit and eat in, and the table had bird poo on it.......I didn't once see a member of staff walking round wiping down tables. Overall this was a really disappointing experience....it could be lovely, but it would need the staff to care alot more than they do (apart from the aforementioned young man, whose name I didn't get, but who understood the meaning of customer service......it was a shame he seemed to be the only one). Unfortunately, I will not be rushing back, nor will I be recommending it to...

Visited with 5 friends on a sunny Sunday in mid-March. The ordering system is ridiculous and the high price of a small teapot and £4 for one scone with jam and cream is completely unjustified, especially on a student budget as we are and as many in Cambridge are. We did not order sandwiches or any proper lunch foods due to the high prices. If sitting outside, you have to go up and queue at a door to a table at the entrance to the dining room, and order at this table. There is no signage for this anywhere! When you get to this table to order, it is your first chance to look at a menu, so obviously that slows the ordering process a lot. We waited for at least 15 minutes to even order, as customers in front of us were indecisive: fine, but clearly indicative that two ordering stations and earlier access to menus would be an improvement. You then take a buzzer to your table to notify you when to come and collect your order. Two pots of tea, a scone and a slice of cake took 20 minutes to prepare. You have to take your tray back to the main building when you have finished. There were also no signs for toilets at all, and it was impossible to find a staff member to ask for their whereabouts. The Tea Garden was hosting what I assume was a large school trip at the time of our visit, and their queue to get into one of the smaller dining rooms was totally obstructing the narrow corridor leading to the loos that I eventually found. The large orchard/garden does have plenty of tables a nice distance from one another with deckchairs, most full as it was the weekend!

Overall: very poor system for ordering, no real 'service', confusing signs if any, high prices and very limited parking options. But nice atmosphere in the orchard if it is...