Blackwells Restaurant with Rooms

Had a roast at Drapers today and it was delicious 👌🏻. Generous portions for a fair price, and the staff were friendly and really helpful. I'll be back for sure.

We spent four days at the Drapers and had a miserable stay. At the entrance to the accommodation we had to walk around a rubbish truck, and there was rarely anyone around to help. The street front bar, which looks quite nice, was mostly locked and never open; the back bar felt uninviting, with a few young people hanging about. The room didn't seem very clean. The shampoo, shower gel and hand soap had been left by previous guests, and when we asked for replacements they had none, so we were given bottles that were already half used. Our room wasn't cleaned once. They apparently don't do housekeeping for short stays, and four days seems to count as short. Even after we put a request on the door asking for cleaning and fresh towels, nothing happened. The fridge was switched off and had someone else's old beer cans in it. There was no one about to ask for help. Hot water for a shower was hard to get, and sometimes the toilet wouldn't flush, as if there was no water in the system. I had to use the bin bucket to pour water into it.

We came for Mother's Day lunch with my mother-in-law, having booked a month ahead and preordered. Our 1:45 booking wasn't seated until 2, and the food didn't arrive until after 2:30. The table setup was poor, with one table much taller than the other. If they can't accommodate a large group, they shouldn't book one in. The two waitresses were rude and made us feel unwelcome. The meal was disappointing too: roast potatoes were burnt outside and rock hard inside, the parsnips were thin and charred, and the Yorkshire was nasty. The beef was okay, and the stuffing was delicious. Worst of all, a waitress put very hot vegetable plates right in front of my one-year-old daughter and only said they were hot. There were drinks on the table, but she could have asked us to move them so she could set the plates somewhere safer. If anything had fallen on my daughter, I'd have been furious. This is about the restaurant only, as I didn't stay here. I won't return and can't recommend it. The food and service were awful, and I feel I was conned out of £70.

Belle was great fun and really helpful, and the service from her was lovely. We had burgers and stayed in a room on one occasion, and enjoyed both.