The George Hotel

Every staff member was friendly, helpful and professional, and the ground-floor public rooms had lots of character, a nice spot for a meal or a drink. We stayed two nights in a small double room in the middle of Axminster. It was well equipped and everything looked very new; the bathroom was great, with a large, powerful shower. At £140 including breakfast, it was a steal. We had our dog with us, and the extra £30 cleaning charge had been made clear from the start. We really enjoyed our stay and would gladly recommend it.

The old pub has sloping floors, which may be awkward for some, and there’s no lift. Our room was up two fairly steep flights of stairs on the second floor, and nobody offered to help with our bags. The room itself was pleasant, with a clean en-suite shower room and tea and coffee supplies. The streamed TV didn’t work, but for one night we didn’t bother following it up. We were lucky to get a space in the car park behind the pub, which was very convenient. Downstairs, the pub was busy and the restaurant was fine, with a vegetarian choice and some flexibility for gluten and dairy intolerance. Booking ahead is a good idea since it gets busy. The serving staff had to cover reception as well as the bar and restaurant, so service felt a bit haphazard. A reasonably comfortable pub stay.

The staff were friendly, and when I paid I mentioned the food problems. I got an apology and was told the kitchen would hear our comments, but we won’t eat there again. Lunch was meant to be a treat with a friend, but it was a letdown. The roasted cauliflower soup was bland and barely tasted of cauliflower. We both have small appetites, so we shared another starter, honey-glazed pork belly bites, but they were tough and my friend could hardly eat hers. For pudding we had sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble, both with custard. The crumble was searing hot, perhaps microwaved, while the sticky toffee pudding was cold from the fridge. Each of us got only a tiny Pyrex jug of custard, maybe a dessert spoonful, and we had to ask for more.

The one thing to consider is the lactose-free milk: oat milk was the only option, and as someone who’s gluten intolerant I can’t have that. Regular lactose-free milk would be lovely, since I know many people with gluten intolerance are lactose intolerant too. Otherwise we all had a lovely evening and will be back. We went with friends for a birthday meal, and it was a beautiful night. There was plenty of menu choice for different dietary needs, the food was delicious, and I can recommend the chicken with its fabulous sauce. Service was really good and very friendly.