The Wholehearted Carer

Location: Homegrown Garden Centre, Lochend Road, North Lanarkshire G69 8BD

Website: https://homegrowngardencentre.com/

Date: 08/09/2024

Reviewer: Miss B awards traffic light indicators, Jennie provides additional comment

Parking: Green Light – 5 great disabled spaces right at front door.

Accessibility: Amber light – downstairs is very wheelchair friendly, there are automatic doors, wide spaces inside and out and everything is beautifully aesthetic, light and airy. The coffee shop is upstairs so wholly dependent on a small lift ( which B can be nervous of) and exit from lift to coffee shop is quite tight although once inside it is very accessible. There is an accessible toilet on the ground floor.

Service: Green Light – The girl who served us was young, friendly and enthusiastic. She directed chat to B and listened to what she said. She told us that the Empire biscuits were the best she’d even eaten with a delight that convinced us! She also assisted us with the exit from the coffee shop to the lift.

Cost: £14 for two pots of tea, a piece of Victoria Sponge and the poshest empire Biscuit I’ve ever had!

Tea review: Green Light – own pot for 2 cups, a plentiful milk jug, a cup B can hold!

Cake/pudding review: Green Light for both Victoria Sponge and Empire biscuit. Presentation, like the entire Homegrown aesthetic, was excellent. B scoffed the sponge cake and gave a thumbs up and I was defeated by the Empire so she had a bit of that too! Both the sponge and biscuit were light and the Empire was perfectly crumbly. The fig and raspberry on top of the Empire were fabulously fresh. The Empire was a welcome sugar rush for us as we both have a sweet tooth, but I think we could have got away with one between the two of us tbh!

Jennie’s review: My Colleague, Jane, suggested here and I am so glad she did, as I have driven by the entrance so often and missed it. Attention to detail is everywhere and it feels like a special treat to be there. It would have been absolutely perfect for us if the coffee shop had been on the ground floor, but we understand that by being upstairs there are lovely views over the fields and as long as the lift works it’s a tiny quibble. I hadn’t anticipated how popular and busy it would be. They were great at accommodating us given we hadn’t booked in advance, but I’d recommend pre-booking in future.