A UNIQUE restaurant at the heart of a family-run garden centre is celebrating being ranked among the best worldwide following its successful first year.

Meadow Croft Kitchen, based at the Battlesbridge garden centre of the same name, has been honoured with a Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Award - recognising the top ten per cent of businesses on the entire platform and featuring some of the world’s most established names.
Meadow Croft Kitchen's design is light, breezy and naturalMeadow Croft Kitchen's design is light, breezy and natural (Image: Meadow Croft Kitchen)The award is based upon the number and quality of reviews posted to the website, making it one of the few industry awards to be entirely judged by real customers.

Kelly Hare, catering manager at Meadow Croft, believes the success of the small family business is all down to the customer service her team provides.

Chef, Lauren Dark, has been delighting diners with her dishesChef, Lauren Dark, has been delighting diners with her dishes (Image: Meadow Croft Kitchen)“We are obviously immensely proud to have achieved the award and it’s nice to be recognised by customers for our great service,” the 35-year-old said.

“The team work really hard, and we are really proud of what we do.”

A key factor in the restaurant’s success, according to Kelly, is its diverse range of dishes crafted by head chef Lauren Dark.She added: “We’re very creative with the specials we do and have a good grasp on what different people want from our restaurant.”.

Kelly Hare Catering Manager, Lauren Dark Head Chef, Chelsea Hill Front of House ManagerKelly Hare Catering Manager, Lauren Dark Head Chef, Chelsea Hill Front of House Manager (Image: Meadow Croft Kitchen)

The restaurant opened at Meadow Croft Garden Centre in September last year following years of planning and consideration by the centre’s owners.

In just over a year, the restaurant has gone from strength to strength, and the Tripadvisor Traveller’s Choice Award is the culmination of lots of hard work.

The restaurant’s interiors take inspiration from the main garden centre and features lots of light and greenery throughout, with furniture made in the UK from ethically sourced wood.A rich variety of cuisine is available at the restaurantA rich variety of cuisine is available at the restaurant (Image: Meadow Croft Kitchen)

The centre itself will be hosting a number of events throughout the winter months, including the ever-popular German Christmas Market.

“The aim is to become a destination garden centre,” Kelly added.

“Our German Christmas Market is always really popular. Our buyers fly out to Holland and Germany every year so all our produce is authentic.”