Percy Throwers - Shropshire

5 scores on the doors for food hygiene; Had the 2 for 1 breakfast deal and chose the veggie option. I have to say that it was an exceptionally pleasant experience. The meal came very quickly, was hot, was good value and was served by a young man who couldn't have been more helpful and polite. The breakfast items, which included halloumi and avocado, were done just right, including the egg. Coffee was great. I'm old enough to remember Percy Thrower and most garden centres today are a million miles from the concept in his day, but that's the way of the world. That said, I like the atmosphere here and unlike some, they do have a large and wide variety of plants for sale now isn't that a novelty for a garden centre today!

I regularly visit the cafe here with family. It is my Nanners faveroute place to come. The food here is exceptional as are the drinks. The service here is always 11/10 and the staff are incredibly friendly particularly Tim who always goes above and beyond!

My husband and I have eaten at Percy Thrower's many times when visiting to buy plants , but service, the quality of food and the atmosphere seem to have gone downhill since lockdown. Last week we were greeted with posters saying it was operating a reduced menu due to staff shortage. There was nothing much on the reduced sandwich list that I eat, but I asked if I could possibly have a cheese baguette and was told this was ok. It cost me £8.45 and was served with no butter on the bread. A waitress said she would bring me butter but thought I should speak to a manager about the cost. I had not complained at this point. We waited and waited but no manager came. Having finally obtained butter for someone else, I started to eat but found the bread heavy and doughy. Baguettes should be light in texture, have a crispy crust and be light brown in colour. Mine was white, heavy and looked like one of those part baked ones that you have to finish off yourself in an oven. It was very cold and I will eat my hat if it had ever seen the inside of an oven! My husband was also disappointed with his jacket potato which he said tasted old, as if it had been cooked and heated up again several times over. By this time I was cross and asked to speak to the manager. Eventually someone came and said the manager was in a meeting but could she help. She agreed with me that the baguette was overpriced and looked unappetising and nothing like it should be . She said the problem was due to staff shortages and refunded me for the food. We were happy to pay for the tea and the excellent coffee but we will not be eating there again. We would have happily waited longer for our food to be prepared properly but expected it to be of a decent quality when it arrived. In the current economic climate when the catering trade is struggling to make up for two years of lockdown, it is folly to let standards slip. Percy Throwers is not the only restaurant where this is happening. It’s almost as if many hospitality venues have lost their mojo And this is a great pity.

The shop is big and useful, the restaraunt has some of the best brunch I've ever had but Wimpy seems to have it beat, so I might go again just for comparison.

We had lunch before looking around the main shop. The staff were excellent and when told about an allergy I have they were understanding and helpful making certain the food I had was without that item. Despite being very busy there wasn’t a long waiting...