Support independent and explore your local area Forest garden centre and Tall trees cafe

With lockdown slowly easing we are all stepping back out of our comfort zone to venture out. Doing so at your own pace is the most important thing of all but when you’re ready remember to support your local businesses. Why not try exploring your local area a little and going to those places you have never stopped to look at before. For me I have lived in Darley dale for 5 years and never really looked around much as I have been too busy working. So with a week off work....finally working though lockdown is no joke especially in customer facing roles. I decided to have a walk around and go for lunch somewhere local. It’s important now more than ever to support local Independent businesses after the pandemic to keep them alive and thriving. Exploring local is the way forward until we can travel the world again.




It was a beautiful day with the sun shining so what better day to go exploring? We set out to visit a garden centre but as it wasn’t open yet we ventured down some cute country lanes. The beauty of living in the country is that there are so many beautiful places to look at just a stone throw away. If you’re an animal lover you get to meet lots of dogs, see cows, sheep and even horses. We found a gorgeous tree that nobody could doubt is magical.





We eventually ventured back to the Forest Garden centre to take a look around because who doesn’t love plants? There’s a really lovely selection of gifts from bath bombs and candles to jams and books. Some absolutely stunning mugs and cards. I couldn’t resist buying some foodie goodies to try. 





The selection of garden furniture and even summer houses is amazing. Huge summer houses with lots of room we had a lot of fun picking out our favourites if money wasn’t an issue. 





All the plants and flowers were well looked after. You could see staff on watering duty and tending carefully to each one. Everyone was really friendly and helpful when we asked questions but allowed you to look around without being hassled which is super refreshing. I discovered lots of amazing plants I had never heard of and saw some stunning rose bushes. The layout flows lovely and it’s easy to find what you’re looking for with reasonable prices.





Like any great garden centre there is a cafe. The Tall trees cafe handled social distancing professionally and still had a fantastic selection of goods. Staff were really friendly and approachable and were constantly cleaning and keeping busy. Being a sucker for a scone we both had the cherry almond scone with cream, jam and tea for two. The scones were delicious crunchy on the outside but soft and moist. They also do a classic and a lemon and ginger along with a selection of cakes. The tea was generous and we left happy and full. 





I bought a lovely peach Bellini jam and cherry curd both by cottage delight. I also picked out a really cute strawberry plant to join my growing army of tomato, chilli and other plants. I will definitely be venturing back to buy gifts for friends soon and pick up some cool new plants. Have you visited anywhere new lately? 

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