The Scented Botanist at Keyneston Mill

I took my Mum to Keyneston Mill botanical gardens for a scented garden tour last week, and we stayed on for lunch at The Scented Botanist bistro. I’ve got to be honest: I ummed and aahed about whether to write this, as I usually only feature places that blow my socks off. This place fell a little short - perhaps not helped by my high expectations, the bad weather (photos taken before the torrential rain) and the fact that they are only just reemerging after lockdown. But as the potential is so tremendous, here goes.

The garden bistro is a sweet affair, with some tables under awning on the patio and others scattered across the lawn. The Spring Lunch menu had eight tempting choices, from Dorset coastal cheddar rarebit to Double baked goats’ cheese souffle and Pork and leek sausage roll with fennel and celeriac slaw. My mum chose the Falafel with beetroot hummus, pickled cucumber, pea shoots, and sesame. The falafel wasn’t the best I have tasted, but the flavours combined to make a vibrant and pretty plate. I had the Spring asparagus Niçoise salad - very tasty with the miso mayo, but I definitely could have done with more Jersey Royals and beans.

The light meals meant we had room for dessert, so I chose La Vie en Rose - a gluten-free rose and almond cake, topped with apricots and rose syrup. The flavour was good, though the cake itself was a little dry, even with the syrup. (I know it shouldn’t be dry, as I make a similar cake and the almonds and oil create an almost gooey texture). Mum made a better choice, and I had to pretend not to have food envy as she tucked into her salted caramel, dark chocolate and walnut brownie. Delicious!

So the good points were a gorgeous setting, friendly service and top-notch presentation of the food - all plates are garnished with edible flowers from the estate, after all. The bad points were not enough staff to effectively look after all the tables. And for the price we paid, I’d expected more of the food. Hopefully next time it’ll be perfect - and I’ll put in an order of sunshine, which always helps too!