WHEN I was growing up, ‘going to the garden centre’ was something my dad used to do on a Saturday morning.

In those days they were called nurseries, not garden centres, and the one dad used was tucked away down a residential road. It was run by two old boys with an encyclopaedic knowledge of all things green-fingered.

Sometimes I went along on these missions to buy new things for the garden and I can still vaguely remember the nursery’s rows of lovingly tended plants, grubby but tidy greenhouses and the ancient shed where financial transactions took place.

Skid forward a few decades and we are in a very different place. These days, garden centres are where families go for a day out when it’s raining and where you can often buy anything from Christmas decorations and swimming pools to conservatories and clothes.

Goulds Garden Centre in Preston , near Weymouth, follows the trend.

Java Cafe is towards the rear of the premises and is large, airy and comfortable, easily accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs and with a large, covered outside dining area.

The menu is comprehensive and includes sandwiches, baguettes and toasties as well as more substantial hot meals including fish and chips and a daily specials board.

Two of us went for sandwiches while the third opted for the Thai fishcakes. The service was fast, efficient and friendly – we had been defeated by the screw-top lids of the elderflower bottles but the waitress soon sorted that.

The food was attractively presented and tasty, although my companion did admit that while the fishcakes were good, they were not particularly ‘Thai-y’.

The BLT baguette was well-filled and came with salad and a little pot of crisps, as did the tuna sandwiches which were plump and delicious.

There was a steady stream of incoming customers and all of the food looked delicious.

If you are planning a garden centre day, then the Java Café probably gives Goulds the edge – although I doubt the chaps dad used to get his garden provisions from would have approved.