The White Hart

Went back today, 24-2-26, and it was a completely different experience. The food was tasty, well presented and well priced, and the service was better. I did visit off peak, so others might have a different view. Kudos for the food and drinks. A couple of nights earlier, dinner was awful. The chicken pizza tasted nice, but chicken covered only half of it. The waffle dessert tasted great too, but it was just two small pieces at one end and a tablespoon of ice cream at the other. It wasn’t gourmet, and it’s not 1990. Just serve a decent portion of an everyday dessert. I came back for a drink and they’d run out of GUINNESS on 23 December. What decent hotel does that?

Both meals were sensational: I had butter chicken and my wife had cod and chips. We booked a spot by phone for our first night stopping in the motorhome. It was a Monday, with a level car park and a very quiet setting. We had a couple of gin and tonics and a pint of ale too. An enjoyable evening, highly recommend!

The small touches stick with you. The woman serving at the stables bar, who was from westoning, made a point of coming over to say goodbye even as her shift ended. I’m sorry I don’t know her name, but she was fabulous and deserves thanks. We attended a wedding here on 18th April, and the whole day was fantastic. The staff and food were faultless.

We used to enjoy coming here, so we were looking forward to returning after hearing the pub had closed for several weeks of renovations before Christmas. I couldn’t see much difference in the décor or general feel, and the stairs still had chipped, worn paintwork. If work was done, it wasn’t noticeable enough to explain the closure or the prices that now seem to have followed. Drinks were the biggest shock. It was never a cheap pub, but the prices now feel like Central London: £14 for a single glass of wine, £7.30 for a pint, and £10 for a double rum and coke. Two drinks came to over £20, which really surprised us. We also heard a waitress checking a price for another customer because the menu price didn’t match what appeared on the system. That didn’t inspire confidence or transparency. The table beside us was just as shocked and unhappy while we talked about how much it felt like daylight robbery. When separate tables are reacting the same way, something seems off. Two rounds of four drinks for two people cost as much as a decent meal elsewhere, so this won’t be somewhere we visit semi-frequently anymore. It feels like the owners are passing renovation costs straight on to customers, and I can’t see that keeping the place busy for long. What used to be an enjoyable local now feels overrated and significantly overpriced. A very disappointing return.