The UK’s poshest service station boasts a fancy cheese counter, rustic farm shop, and canteen-style kitchen – but is it really worth the hype, and how much can you get for just £5?
The crème de la crème of UK service stations feels like the love child of Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm and Booths – but how far can you get with just a fiver? If you’ve ever endured a long slog on Britain’s motorways, you’ll quickly learn that there is an art to pit stops.
You see, you have your bottom-tier service stations, the ones that offer an overpriced Burger King, tiny Costa Coffee and wee-drenched loos. If you ever stop at one of these unfortunate hell holes, hold your bladder and get out of there. Then there’s the more premium stations, where you’ll find an even-more-than-usual overpriced Waitrose, Starbucks, M&S and potentially something resembling a vegetable (like a Subway or Pret).
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Gloucester Services states it works with more than 130 producers within 30 miles of the area, which is easy to believe when you see the stunning displays of pastries, cookies, pies, and cheeses. Of course, there are a bunch of packaged snacks available too – from sour cream pretzels to fancy meringue bites and classic cola bottle sweets.
The choice, and constant bustle, can be slightly overwhelming – but there’s no denying you’ll be spoilt for choice. Some items seemed ludicrously overpriced, but then others felt a lot more affordable. I picked up two dark chocolate and ginger balls for less than £1 – mistakenly thinking my budget would go a lot further than it did.
I headed to the canteen, which sells flatbreads for £9.25 or £11.75 if you add salad. While the lemon and garlic tofu sounded delicious, I was told they’d run out of the vegetarian dish (somewhat unsurprising when you’re just an hour away from Bristol) and that I’d need to wait ‘for a while’. Slightly deflated, I headed over to the Quick Kitchen and picked up a sandwich… for £5.75.
Despite not being a huge fan of the sarnie (which was extremely dry) and having failed my mission – I found a seat right next to the window and watched a group of baby ducks follow their mum into the waters. It felt like I was a million miles away from the bleak M5 – and made me realise that the service station has turned into the destination itself for many visitors. This is fine if you have hours to kill, but if you’ve still got hundreds of miles left – you may leave feeling slightly rushed.
The entire place was faultlessly clean, and the lush green space at the back of the service station really elevated the experience. My partner had a much better culinary experience too, and wouldn’t stop raving about how nice his chicken wrap and sausage roll were while I picked at my crumbling sandwich.
In fairness, a packaged sandwich is ever only going to be so good, and I would have probably spent a similar amount if I’d stopped at a service station with an M&S or Waitrose. So, I would still recommend Gloucester Services, especially if you have children (who get to eat for £1.50 when you buy an adult meal).
However, my favourite service station has to be Annandale Water in Scotland, on the A74. Its offerings might be a little limited (there’s a Chopstix, McDonald’s, WHSmiths, and that’s about it) but it has bizarrely become a haven for a group of geese who now permanently roam around the green. You’ll spot them as soon as you come up, along with the signs warning you to slow down in case they’re crossing. Seriously, it’s the cutest sight ever – and in my opinion – trumps an endless row of pies and pasties.
*Which? rankings were based on a survey of 8,677 experiences from 4,078 Which? Connect members in November – December, 2024.
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