Having recently started Slimming World I was a little dubious that heading to Garden Kitchen in Eldon Garden Shopping Centre was the best decision I had made this past week (and believe me I’ve made some dodgy decisions food wise but lets not dwell!) lol
Upon arrival it was lovely to see such a bright and vibrant kitchen, plenty of lighting and cosy sofa style seats made the whole area look very inviting. We were seated at a table for four which we realised was the best thing for us since we had ordered the Garden Platter which came out complete with its own picnic bench!
Garden Kitchen offer seasonal menus and also smaller portions alongside childs meals too so suitable for all including families. It looks like an ideal spot for a break in shopping too and I know I will visit again when I am there with mum as it was exactly the kind of place that she would love.
Our Garden picnic was brought out and it drew looks from plenty of by standers, including two young girls who came in and ordered exactly the same after seeing it on our table. It does look very impressive and is most definitely one of the freshest afternoon tea style lunches we have ever had.
The Garden Picnic includes:
BLT (V option: Tomato, Onion & Pesto)
Soup of the Day (v)
Grilled Vegetables, Basil & Parmesan Pasta Salad (v)
Charred Broccoli Quinoa Salad with Garlic & Chilli Dressing (vegan) (gf)
Fruit Scones, Northumbrian Jam & Clotted Cream (v)
Chocolate Fudge Brownie (v)
Lemon Drizzle Cake (v)
The soup of the day was butternut squash and although the bowls were small it was the ideal amount to leave you eager to dive into the dishes of salad and crispy BLT on foccacia! As I mentioned earlier I have joined Slimming World so ate the crispy bacon and passed the rest over to hubby who gladly at the carbs!
Having never had quinoa before I was dubious and have to admit to prodding it for a little while, totally obsessed with the little curls and grains. After decanting some onto my plate alongside the pasta I was pleasantly surprised with the flavour of both the roasted veg and quinoa dish and the slight aniseed taste of the pasta dish.
Having filled up on both of these and being more of a savoury girl we opted to eat the scones there but take the rest of the cake home with us! The scones were baked to perfection and had just the right amount of crisp outer and soft fluffy centre that it completed our meals without the need for anything else. Priced at £19.95 for two people we think this is fabulous value concidering we only ended up eating less than half what we were presented with.
The following day the girls had the chocolate and lemon cakes and having pinched maybe a little piece I can safely say they were so flavourful and filling that I think if we had finished off the whole Garden Picnic we may have had to stay for a nap!
We highly recommend Garden Kitchen for all of your breakfast, lunch and dinner needs in Eldon Garden, beautiful settings and such fresh flavoursome food make for a perfect break in shopping!
XOXO
Debbie
We were invited along to try the menu. All views and opinions are our own and genuine.
I have not visited the Garden Kitchen for ages, I have been for lunch a few times and it has always been lovely. Your picnic sounds fab x