My husband spends a great deal of time on the road travelling for business purposes and recently discovered the delights of stopping off at garden centres en route.  No, he hasn’t suddenly developed a passion for gardening (as he has always considered that my domain since I run one!) but knows that he can expect good value, well made, freshly prepared meals in lovely surroundings at these alternative motorway services.
Here’s the map.

Avant’s Cafe Gallery is one such stop-off.  With free wifi, tasty food and you can even plug in your laptop, it’s a great place for those on-the-road business meetings.

Entering the garden centre there’s a real sense of calm to counteract the stress of today’s motorway experience.  Cafe Gallery is, as the name suggests, home to the artwork of Lancashire’s local community with works covering every wall and displayed across the ledges.  Cafe Gallery’s picture windows look out onto the pond with its floating duck house, surrounded by wildflowers to attract butterflies, bees and other wildlife.  The Catering Manager, Kelly, and her team have worked hard to devise a menu with something for all tastes and needs.  Their specialities include Hunter’s Chicken with fresh veg of the day, home-made steak pie, melt-in-the-mouth quiches, salads with Kelly’s special recipe chutney and of course, an all day cooked breakfast.

Cakes are baked daily and round off a meal nicely, although we do sell some best sellers from the farmshop if you fancy one for the road ahead.

Very handy for the M6 motorway (situated within half a mile of the slip road at junction 28) and a petrol station, the additional pros are that parking is free and free wi-fi is available.  Our friendly staff (and nice loos!) aim to make your experience far better than any traditional motorway stop off, so why not pay us a visit.