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.
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Eastwood Garden Plant Centre is just past Thornbury on the A38. In fact it is only a three-minute drive from another very well-known garden centre which has a soft play you have to pre-book for as it is so popular.
As we arrived at Eastwood I realised the garden centre shares a drive with Eastwood Park (the wedding venue, not the prison) and we must have driven past it dozens of times. The long road to the car park passes by a huge field which prompted excitable observations of 'Cows!' from the back seat.
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On arrival it seemed my children would have been perfectly happy having their pick of the dog toys by the door but I persevered and managed to get them out of the shop without being conned into buying any canine playthings or a small watering can shaped like a hippo.
As soon as we were out of the shop we saw the wooden play area and while it was hardly an adventure playground it was enough to keep my two children (aged five and two) happy along with some plastic toys and ride-ons which were scattered around.
It seemed a Monday was not the best day to visit as the only animals we saw were some rather keen goats who were convinced we had brought food for them. But according to the centre's website they also keep ducks, pigs and even a cat who can be spotted wandering around.
The best part, in my opinion, was the small professionally kept gardens next to the play area where you can gather inspiration for your own or just enjoy some peace and quiet while taking in the stunning Cotswold views. At least until your children demand you watch them going down the slide for the umpteenth time.
Of course, no trip to a garden centre is complete without a stop in the café. We decided to have lunch rather than raid the impressive cake selection. There was a decent sized menu offering sandwiches and toasties as well as Ploughman's and jacket potatoes.
There was also a list of specials including tarts and quiches which had been made fresh on site. We opted for a Ploughman's and a brie, bacon and cranberry toastie as well as two portions of nuggets chips and beans from the kids menu.
While it was hardly a bargain lunch spot (£38 for four meals, one side and four drinks) it was standard garden centre pricing. And according to some of the regulars the homemade quiches were high quality and worth every penny.
The Ploughman's was a fair serving for less than £10, although it would have been nice to have both cheese and ham rather than having to choose, while the toastie was filled with bacon and lots of oozing brie without an overpowering amount of cranberry sauce as so often seems to happen.
The coffee didn't quite hit the spot, it was straight from a machine rather than barista-made which never fares well for a flat white. However, getting to enjoy it outside in the sunshine in peace and quiet while looking over the Cotswolds I can forgive some weak coffee. Next time I'll just order tea.
I still cannot believe I have been living 20 minutes from this garden centre and never knew it existed, and neither did any of my friends who also regularly seek refuge among gardening enthusiasts in an effort to tire their children out somewhere other than the park. I had to promise my children we would return at the weekend in order to get them to leave, and it's a promise I'm happy to keep.
Eastwood Garden Plant Centre is open Monday to Sunday, Falfield, Gloucestershire, GL12 8DA
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