The Black Bull Inn

The staff gave us a really warm welcome and were friendly and attentive throughout. We booked Sunday lunch after not eating here for a while, and the roast with all the trimmings was superb. We couldn’t fault it, and the ice cream afterwards was lovely too.

The staff were lovely, and the Adnams lager was really good, but the food was mediocre at best. We’d booked Sunday lunch because of the good reputation and our past dining experience. I learned to check recent reviews before booking, and after our meal I found a couple of negative ones from that month. I’m afraid I’ve added to them. For starters, my husband’s jerk chicken was served in a sauce and the meat was tough and dry, nothing like jerk chicken I’ve had before. My salt fish fritters looked great with their Thai style sauce and mousse, but tasted bland and under-seasoned. I felt they may have been cooked earlier and reheated, though I could be doing them an injustice. The sauce had no zing or freshness, and the mousse didn’t work. We both had roasts for mains, pork for my husband and beef for me. They said there was very little beef left, and I said I’d take pork instead if there wasn’t enough. The small piece of beef I got was lovely, but rather than serve me pork as requested, they put a piece on top of my beef. The pork was collar, a cut I’ve only bought as gammon or boiling bacon, and it didn’t work as a roasting joint. I asked if it was slow cooked and was told they’d ask, but nobody got back to me. It seemed a cheap choice and not a good one for a roast. The gravy was gloopy, the cauliflower cheese was buried under the roast carrots and parsnips, and the Yorkshire pudding was dry. All in all, disappointing. The meal came to almost £100 for the two of us, and we left very unimpressed.

We had a family meal for 14. The atmosphere was OK, but it was definitely a bit chilly.

Lovely place, brilliant food. I’ve been here loads of times and never regretted it. Every meal’s been great, the staff are really polite, and it’s the best pub.