Last Updated on 16/04/2023
When it comes to places to enjoy fine dining in Milton Keynes, a garden centre is most probably one of the last places I’d look, but I was pleasantly surprised when I was invited to come and review Frosts Market Kitchen Deli and Cafe Restaurant in Woburn Sands, which incidentally is what this post is all about.
Frosts Garden Centre in Woburn Sands is a great place for home & garden decor inspiration, and I now have an array of homeware items picked up from browsing Frosts, which luckily is walking distance from my home in Milton Keynes (and a very pleasant walk too!)
The latest addition to Frosts is their Market Kitchen Deli & Cafe, which I was invited to review at Christmas, which was sadly cancelled due to the pandemic. So, five months on and the desire to be out brunching again is even stronger than before, and I couldn’t wait to feast my eyes on the Frosts Market Kitchen menu!
But I obviously couldn’t try out all the dishes on my own…or could I…
Brunch at Frosts Market Kitchen Woburn Sands
Frosts Market Kitchen Cafe is open 7 days a week, serving breakfast and lunch (breakfast until 11.30 am, lunch until 3 pm, but after this, you can grab coffee and cake until 4.30 pm.)
Adam and I couldn’t quite believe our eyes as we peeked around the entrance of the Market Kitchen Restaurant, which is tucked to the right of the market deli. As we took in the brown Chesterfield sofas, green velvet chairs, rustic wood tables and chic tiled floors, we were greeted by our host Ben, who had very kindly reserved us a table in a prime position by the window.
The Market Kitchen has a warm, rustic and chic vibe with huge gold Moroccan-style lamps, plates, crystal chandeliers and pretty patterned floor tiles.
What I love about Frosts Market Kitchen aside from the chic decor, small stylish menu, local produce, and the fact that you buy everything you eat in the deli next door – is that cheese sharer boards are a year-round thing! Nope, cheese boards are not just for Christmas at Frosts my friend, and I’m here for it.
The sharer boards are so beautifully presented with three kinds of cheese (a German blue cheese, French brie and a smoked applewood cheddar) served with chutney, bread and ice-cold grapes to whet the palate in between cheeses. It certainly felt like Christmas had come early as we dined on cheeses whilst admiring the beautiful twig branch fairy lights hanging above us.
It was so good to be able to dine out and enjoy a drink, as I sipped my chilled glass of prosecco I felt like I savoured the taste even more.
Having rained all week, I was certainly craving some sort of comfort food for my main meal, but upon visiting Frosts, the sun was shining which made me fancy eating a more summery dish. I was drawn to the smoked haddock gnocchi with spring greens and chorizo crumb.
Adam ordered the sous vide lamb rump with thyme-infused mash and rosemary jus, which I surely would have ordered had it still been raining outside. Anyone else’s food choices determined by the weather or just me?!
Both are light and wonderfully comforting Spring dishes. I loved my creamy smoked haddock gnocchi with asparagus tips, wilted spinach and chorizo and I can only describe it as a Spring hug in a bowl, not too heavy and not too light either.
I can sometimes find lamb a bit hit and miss when dining out as sometimes lamb can be too fatty (for me anyway). Adam and I both agreed, Frosts Market Kitchen lamb rump was the best we had tasted and it was also plated beautifully with a smear of minted pea purée.
The lamb rump was so tender and literally melted in the mouth – I’ve already decided I want to return to Frosts Market Kitchen so I can try the lamb dish next time!
Our host Ben explained that the lamb rump is cooked at 55 degrees in a sous-vide method to hold in all the juices from the meat to give it a flavoursome taste. Sadly, I’m hungry just writing this post and we might be seeing Ben again sooner than he thinks!
Our eyes were certainly bigger than our bellies as we were both filled to the brim after devouring our mains. We both savoured the experience as we sat and enjoyed our drinks.
After much deliberation, we decided we couldn’t possibly leave without trying a dessert. After all, we had loved both our mains and cheese starter sharer. Chocolate orange is my absolute favourite chocolate and needless to say, I was instantly drawn to the Jaffa cake bakewell with vanilla ice cream. But, we decided to share the dark chocolate cherry and brandy creme brûlée, which was spectacular as we watched Ben blow-torch the top into a crisp.
Dining at Frosts Garden Centre Woburn Sands
A deliciously sweet ending to a wonderful experience dining at Frosts Market Kitchen, a place that proves that fine dining does in fact belong in garden centres after all.
Frosts Market Kitchen Menu
The menus are small, but I find most good menus are. There’s certainly a great choice on both the breakfast and lunch menus, which you can browse below:
The Market Kitchen is a great addition to the Milton Keynes food scene and Woburn Sands restaurants, as well as, a great pitstop for food for those travelling on the M1 or A5. Address details below:
Frosts Garden Centre
Newport Road
Woburn Sands
Buckinghamshire
MK18 8UE
01908 583511
Special thanks to the Frosts team for inviting me to review Frosts Market Kitchen, and to Ben for being such an informative, friendly host – we can’t wait to dine again!
Jaz