YOU have to agree it's a winning combination - home cooked food and great value for money.

Countryside Nurseries has recently opened a new 56-seat restaurant. It's proving to be a big hit with the customers for breakfasts, lunches, afternoon teas and snacks.

So much so that they are now ringing 01299 250160 during the week to book their Sunday lunch table. At just £5.95 for the main course, who can blame them?

The quality of the home-made cakes is such that the nursery has already won a competition organised by BBC Hereford and Worcester.

When you can see the food coming out of the oven right in front of you, you know it cannot get any fresher.

One tip is, if you like bread pudding make sure you get there early, because it disappears very quickly.

Open seven days a week, there is a chef's special in addition to the normal menu, and the car park has very easy access from Stourport, 2.5 miles from the town centre and half a mile from the Mitre Oak.

Countryside Nurseries is not one of the large garden centres that you seem to find everywhere these days, all selling the same products.

The nurseries' motto is "the friendly alternative" and when you talk to the staff it is easy to see why.

Their genuine enthusiasm for what they do, and their eagerness to help without being too pushy, has been described by customers as a return to traditional values of service.

The manager, Iris Chaplain, says: "We make sure all our staff receive the right training so they can assist the customers with all of our products. We have on duty at least one person whose title is 'expert of the day', to help out with more in-depth knowledge if necessary. We also have a weekly test among the staff to keep them on their toes," says Iris.

Indeed, education is a key part of what Countryside Nurseries is all about and the company has established links with schools and PTAs.

"It is an excellent educational environment," says Iris.

"And while we have a number of core schools who make regular visits, we are very keen to talk to others about the possibility of doing so."

"It comes down to the high quality of the service we provide. That is how we have established our reputation and that is what we want to continue."