The Secret Garden Cafe

The Secret Garden Café has closed and been replaced by the fabulous The Smug Fig cafe.

Take a step through the gates of the Cottage Garden into a virtual Aladdin's cave pavilion of vintage furniture and wares, boho fashion, gifts and homewares, with a smattering of indoor plants throughout and nursery gardens outside.

To one side is The Secret Garden, a splendid summer room and plant-filled courtyard strung with fairy lights and a scattering of tables and chairs, where café patrons can indulge in a gourmet chef-cooked breakfast or lunch or slice of luscious daily baked cake and well-brewed Fonzie Abbott coffee or tea.

Breakfast here is no ordinary affair, with dishes like twice baked cheese soufflé, toasted brioche with home-made jam, balsamic mushroom and baby spinach r scrambled egg with grilled asparagus and white truffle oil on toast.

Lunch is also a foodie's menu, with choices such as potato gnocchi with champagne cream, warm duck salad with lavender honey glaze, sandcrab lasagne or the recommended Japanese pancakes with pork belly jus.

For sweets there's a daily-baked cake stand with a mix of gluten-free (double Swiss chocolate made on 1kg Lindt, zucchini or orange and almond cake) and lemon curd or the divine white chocolate and Turkish delight, all with Chantilly cream.

Need to know- Meal service finishes at 2.30 and from then until 3 it's coffee and cake time only.  And no need to leave the children behind - this is a great cafe for kids, being in a kind of 'wonderland' setting and with a special activity nook in the second room, with a colouring in table and smattering of toys.