Suffolk Food Hall — Restaurant in Babergh

Easy to find on Sat Nav, well sign posted, plenty of free parking.

There is a gift shop and fresh produce farm shop with the usual fresh fruit and vegetables, butchers section, deli and bakery at the front, in the first building, with stairs up to a cafe above that, we went there first, bur realised it was not the restaurant area, that we had booked. Asked staff who directed us out towards the back of the building, through the gift shop, outside to a fabulous garden shop between the main building and the building at the back where restaurant is located upstairs above what looks like a small business hub.

We ordered the Full breakfast and the Gardeners breakfast, which was interesting because they included a home made 'falafel' sausage which was a pleasant change from the norm and very tasty. Staff were attentive and friendly, place was busy, couldn't see the view due to weather it was fog that day, but had a very nice ambience, airy and spacious with I imagine fabulous views on a clear day. My only criticism was the Chef seemed to have dropped the salt pot in the spinach as it was incredibly Salty ('almost' but not quite inedible) and the prices are most certainly at the top end of what you would pay for breakfast out.

We bought some wonderful items in the garden centre (very well priced) and some expensive, but worth every penny bread from the bakery (grained sourdough - delish!).

When home I realised that there was a mistake on the receipt and I had been accidentally overcharged. I emailed the shop to explain where the error had occurred along with photographs of items purchased and receipt, and was pleasantly surprised when they rang me, resolved the problem and refunded the overcharge within 15 minutes of sending the email!

I was impressed with their speed, understanding and efficiency.

A lot of work and thought has clearly gone into this business and I can see why it is so popular. Good experience, I will return...

Never consistent which is a shame

We used to go to SFH regularly esp the Cookhouse and take guests there as well. When we first arrived 3 years ago it was usually great. The food is usually good but portion sizes and value vary greatly, the location and the view is epic,

Things have been very up and down and depend on the day / the hour / the staff. This is a very odd concept as surely a business can provide great service all the time - or at least genuinely act to make the customers happy.

We find 2 things in the Cookhouse very annoying : being spoke to by the manager with distain when politely asking if we could sit at the window ( there is a way to ensure customers come back or not !) this bizarre no food between 11.30 and 12 : there is not 1 single other restaurant I know that does this.

It is always of interest to me when and how complaints or suggestions are responded to on review sites. Sometimes here the replies are cordial - in the past they have been very arrogant and rude. And they are also not consistent : some are replied to , others ignored.

YES THE VIEW IS GREAT - but it is not enough when there's grit in the oyster. It has the potential to be great but one cannot bank on it.

Often we have the conversation of " shall we got to SFH ?" and say : well who knows what it'll be like and then we don't feel like risking it.

KEEP THE FOOD GREAT ALL DAY PUT POLITENESS AND SERVICE AT THE FOREFRONT STOP MAKING EXCUSES - CUSTOMERS EXPECT GREAT STANDARDS IN A PLACE LIKE THIS

Then the customers...

As a vegan, my expectations when shopping in general stores or eating out are always modest. Unfortunately, my expectations weren't met by the Suffolk Food Hall.

It was very disappointing when I visited on a Wednesday morning. Too little care taken seems to have been taken over quality of fresh produce on sale. The prices would have been acceptable if the fruit and veg had been fresh. But virtually all the veg was passed its best. The cauliflowers were turning, the mushrooms looked many days old, and so on. Even the locally grown turnips were soft.

I persevered, though, and decided to buy some bread. Because the bread had premium pricing, my expectations were high. The white loaf was acceptable, but no better than a Sainsbury's bloomer at under half the price. The sourdough was ... well, it had the consistency of the white loaf, not of sourdough, and it wasn't very sour at all.

Given the poor range of bread available, (and having been before when the range on offer was much greater) I've concluded that the place probably exists for weekends, which is when the fresh produce is put out for the throngs of shoppers.

It's not like a local version of London's Whole Foods Market that I was rather hoping for, but more like a larger version of those food shops tacked onto many garden centres selling overpriced 'value added' food items. So far, an...