Toby Carvery Exeter M5 J30 by Innkeeper's Collection

We felt safe eating here with our gluten, dairy and soya allergies. The server listened carefully and made sure they understood everything. Our food was brought to the table, and the vegan gravy arrived in its own jug. Before ordering, we entered the allergens we needed to avoid on the iPad and told the server again. It was very busy and we had to queue on arrival, but the restaurant has just had a refit and was clean, nice and pleasant. I booked in advance because the app offered a £6 carvery each, with the voucher valid for up to 8. 5* #tobycarveryexeter

The service seemed stretched when I arrived to collect my food. There was a big queue of people waiting to be seated, and only a few staff on duty. Maybe that affected the quality, but my turkey roast was a complete disappointment. I ordered one with a side of pigs in blankets for collection at 6pm on Friday and paid £13.99. The turkey amounted to one and a bit slices, cut so thin I first thought it was paper kitchen towel. The rest was bland and tasteless. The Yorkshire pudding looked like cardboard, and most of the stodgy meal went in the bin. It definitely wasn't worth the money. I won't be rushing back. They might need more well-trained staff to ease the workload and improve standards.

The carvery queue was empty, which was handy, though we did wait a while to be seated despite it not being terribly busy. We were passing through on the way to Cornwall and stopped for a quick break. A coupon deal got us a full roast for £7.50. It was hot, tasty and there was loads of it. Everyone in our party had a pleasant experience.

There was no lamb at the carvery, even though a big sign by the entrance advertises it on weekends. That's why we booked for Saturday, so it was especially disappointing. The veg wasn't great either, and twice we had to get staff to bring gravy from the kitchen. The carver also seemed to make a fuss when I asked for as little fat as possible. We waited over 20 minutes for one cocktail and an empty glass for refills, after a 10-minute wait to be seated despite having booked. Nobody asked whether we wanted the menu or carvery, so we went to the carvery once we'd had enough of waiting. I usually enjoy a Toby Carvery, but this was the first time one let me down, and I won't return to this one.