Manor Court Hotel

For my 80th birthday on 10th November, we booked dinner here for 22 people. From arranging everything and pre-ordering the main courses to the evening itself, it all ran perfectly and made the occasion a real success. The bar service for pre-dinner drinks and the dining room service were both excellent. The staff were professional, cheerful and happy to help with anything. Everyone enjoyed the food and the whole evening. Many thanks to all involved. Highly recommended and great value.

We were asked if the meal had been satisfactory when the plates were cleared, and I answered honestly. We were hungry and in a hurry, so we stayed, but otherwise we’d have sent the dishes back and gone elsewhere. The reply was a quick, almost automatic “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” and then the conversation stopped. There was no follow-up or effort to understand or fix things. The food had already made the visit disappointing. The garlic bread with cheese had almost no cheese and was so overdone it snapped, more like a brittle biscuit than warm pizza. The chips were dry and seemed to have been fried again and again. The mushroom pizza was just as lacking in cheese, and the blunt tomato taste overwhelmed everything. No herbs or balance, and each bite felt unfinished. Taken together, it felt as if both the kitchen and the front of house were on autopilot, with little care for the food or basic hospitality. The whole visit left a strong impression of indifference.

I’ve been a fan of this place for years, but the food and the whole customer experience sadly aren’t what they used to be. I won’t be rushing back. At lunch yesterday, my wife had the battered cod and chips, which was very disappointing. The batter was pale and soggy, the fish watery and tasteless, and the chips were average and lacked flavour. I passed my comments to the waitress. She apologised, but didn’t offer anything in return. My husband enjoyed his sausage and mash. We both had dessert: the Bakewell tart was nice, while the Christmas pudding was nothing special for £7.95 for a small portion.

We came for a special birthday meal, four adults, two children and a toddler. There was a really good choice of food, and the service was great. Everyone enjoyed their meal, especially the amazing pizza.