Brogdale Collections is the home of the National Fruit Collection, our orchards are a living history & heritage of fruit

  My father, son and I took a trip to Brogdale for an early Father’s Day lunch.

What a gem of a place, growing and selling vintage fruit collections... read more with a cluster of shops gathered around a large central courtyard. On view, the place is quaint, inviting and really interesting to mooch around, great if you fancy somewhere a little different.

Moving on to the café....
My family and I went to the on-site café for an early lunch. It was busy but we managed to get a table comfortably and service was really quick and friendly.

Whilst the menu was limited, it looked fresh and appealing with light brunch options and a few more substantial lunch dishes such as ploughman’s, jacket potatoes, sausages and mash.

My son asked for spaghetti Bolognese which only came in a Child’s portion – I asked for this to be served as a larger portion but they were unable to be flexible (possibly because it was father’s day and busy). Disappointing but they were very nice about it. Dad ordered sausages and mash and I chose a mushroom and cheese toasted ciabatta.

Our drinks arrived first, very nice coffee and a raspberry lemonade, delicious and old style but in a very small glass which I felt was a little stingy.

When the food arrived, dad’s looked great, my son’s looked skimpy but tasty, but mine looked like a slightly sweaty half ciabatta with a hint of a side salad - disappointing. My son and my father noted that their food was tasty. However, my mushroom and cheese ciabatta half tasted awful with too much tasteless mild cheddar, which had the texture of rubber and tasted like it had been under the heat lamp a little too long so it was not quite hot enough. It was simply an odd dish, poorly presented and lacking taste. More cellulite than mature cheddar sadly.

I must recommend Brogdale, and really its café is quite pleasant but just be mindful of what you order. There are obviously some great options but toasted ciabattas definitely aren’t a strong point.

  For me Brogdale is fairly local so I go often.
Not for the tours which I plan to do one day but to taste and buy apples that taste as... read more apples used to. Obviously when the apples are around.
I go for lunch in the cafe buy local produce. Apple juice apple cider vinegar etc.
I’ve bought two of my favourite apple trees got good advice on there upkeep.
I

  A collection of different apple, pear and fruit trees along with what is the market place. This is a collection of farm type shops and cafes. There is a miniature... read more railway and a small playground for children. There is also about six walks around the farm. Plenty of parking

  Great day out for kids and adults! Live music performing at three stages, loads of fun activities for kids; especially enjoyed the piglet race, still waiting for my piglet to... read more come in. Ideal Bank Holiday weekend weather, special credit to the bands for performing in that heat! Hullaballoo were awesome as usual, not lost any of their magic! Did I mention the cider? Lots of taste testing of apple, pear and some unusual ciders ie rhubarb. A well organised event, caught the train to Faversham station and practically walked straight on to the shuttle bus to Brogdale. We're tempted to try get tickets for Sunday aswell!

  Six pensioners ordered tea for 5 and earl grey for one and scones etc for six. Sorry, no scones, sold out yesterday. So ordered sandwiches instead. Tea arrived in a... read more one pint pot and an individual, 2-cup pot. Having poured 5 teas the pot was virtually empty. So we requested, as you would, a jug of hot water. A small cream jug arrived with half a cup of hot water. So we asked for more hot water. No. If you want more hot water you'll have to pay for more tea. Sorry. The poor girl was obviously just the messenger. No sign of manager or supervisor. So this experience plus sandwiches being made with stale bread was enough to ensure that we regulars will not return. I note other reviewers report similar problems. I wonder if Brogdale read their reviews?

  Took the family to the Cider Festival today, a great day out. Although it was a heatwave, that didn't stop play and all the staff were really friendly. ... read more Had a very interesting tractor ride through the orchards, some tasty local cider and a delicious pizza and hog roast...and some more cider! Live music for all tastes too, and good old fashioned fun dotted around. Looking forward to returning for the next event. Well done all!