We’d been to Thetford Garden Centre for lunch before, but somehow breakfast had never made it onto our list. That changed when our son had an early morning pony trekking session in Thetford Forest recently, and we needed somewhere to refuel afterwards.
Breakfast in Thetford Garden Centre is clearly popular and the place can get very busy, so be prepared for a potential wait (this was a big issue when we last visited). Luckily, we were shown to a table straight away this time. While last time we sat in the cosy section right next to the main garden centre, this time we were seated by the big windows, with views across the expanse of green space outside.
Breakfast is served from 9am until 11am Monday to Saturday and from 10am until 11.30am on Sundays, with a menu that has plenty of choice. There are the usual breakfast favourites, like the full English, Eggs Benedict and smashed avocado on toast, alongside some more unusual options, including loaded hash browns and an American breakfast.
There’s a good selection for kids as well, ranging from simple beans on toast or toast and jam to a kids’ full English or pancakes with a choice of toppings.
Our son chose the kids’ pancakes with crispy streaky bacon and maple syrup (£7.99): a generous half-moon pancake with beautifully thick-cut bacon, a liberal dusting of icing sugar and a little jug of maple syrup on the side. Being able to pour his own syrup was very much appreciated – the DIY element always appeals to him!
Across the table, the full English was £16.99 – on the pricier side for a cooked breakfast, but the quality was undeniable. It came with two meaty sausages (made to their own recipe), thick-cut smoky back bacon, two eggs – poached on this occasion – baked beans, a field mushroom (hidden under everything else!), hash browns, roasted tomato and two slices of toast with butter on the side.
It was a big breakfast, that’s for sure, and everything was cooked perfectly. £16.99 might initially seem a little steep, but it was a substantial plate of food and the quality justified the price tag.
I went for the American breakfast (also £16.99), consisting of an American-style pancake, blueberry maple syrup, streaky bacon, sausage, fried eggs and hash browns. As with the other dishes, the presentation was great. All of the other components were stacked on top of the huge pancake, with the whole dish finished with a dusting of icing sugar.
I need to find out where they source their streaky bacon, because its flavour was incredible! Those crispy hash browns were ridiculously good, too. The blueberry maple syrup was a lovely touch, its fruitiness giving something a little different from the standard maple syrup, and it worked really well with the other components of the dish. I’d happily order this again.
If you’re looking for somewhere to stop for breakfast in Thetford, add the Lime Kiln Kitchen to your list. There’s a varied menu with plenty of choice for both adults and children, the setting is colourful and inviting, and the food was excellent. Just bear in mind that you may need to wait at peak times…but that just gives you the opportunity to explore everything the garden centre itself has to offer!