Something happens when you hit your mid-thirties and all of a sudden the prospect of going to a garden centre - which once upon a time would have brought nothing but boredom and eye rolls - becomes the perfect way to spend a weekend afternoon. However, when you have young children, an afternoon perusing the perennials is a lot easier when they can be bribed with a treat at a café or somewhere to play.
There are plenty of garden centres across Bristol with something to offer for families, we've even compiled lists of the best ones. I like to think I have visited my fair share, usually leaving with a new plant for the garden, some seeds my children will inevitably neglect as soon as they're planted and a belly-full of coffee and cake.
So I was surprised to learn that just over the border into Gloucestershire - less than 20 minutes from north Bristol - there is a garden centre with not just a café but an outdoor play area and farm animals. In need of solar lights and ant powder, and with an inset day from school in the calendar, I had the perfect excuse to check it out.
