The Ryandale Inn

The food is amazing, and the rooms are beautiful and so clean. The Ryandale is a lovely place to visit, with a warm welcome every time and staff who couldn’t do enough for you. I try to come a good few times a year and would highly recommend The Ryandale, 10/10.

We booked the Sunday carvery for my dad’s 70th, but were asked to come after 4pm because family members have allergies. We didn’t mind the later time. The food was lovely, but the service and handling of my daughter’s needs were extremely disappointing. She has autism, coeliac disease and a milk allergy. Although the menu says gluten-free and milk-free, I was told she couldn’t have chips because they share a fryer with other food and there could be cross-contamination. I asked if they could find a way around this, but was told they were too busy upstairs and they weren’t willing to help. That left my autistic child unhappy. They agreed to give her two burgers instead of chips, but they came out burnt. We’d already waited 45 minutes, and I didn’t want to make a fuss on my dad’s birthday. The two tables weren’t even together, and the meals came out in dribs and drabs. My brother, his wife and other family members had finished eating before ours arrived. I also expected the children’s meals to come out first. All 14 of us would have left because they couldn’t provide for my daughter, but Ryandale had taken a non-refundable £10 deposit for each person at booking. If you have allergies, don’t trust what’s on the menu.

The staff were helpful and friendly from the receptionist to the waitresses at dinner and breakfast. Nothing was any trouble, whether it was extra coffee or toast. I really enjoyed my two-night stay for a nearby wedding this weekend. My room was upstairs at the back of the annex, and it was beautiful and spacious, with what looked like a recently refurbished, spotless bathroom. I could adjust the heating in my room too.

The food was really tasty, with no complaints there, but the service needs attention. Several tables still had plates from the previous customers when we arrived, and it took a while to clear ours. The chowder came with a knife and fork, while the chilli and rice arrived without cutlery. They were also slow to clear our starter plates. We thought about having dessert, but after waiting 15 minutes for our empty main-course plates to be taken away, we gave up, paid and left. Really nice food, let down by below-average service.