The White Hart Hotel

The room was clean and lovely, with a comfortable bed. We were in for the night on a Friday to visit friends, and hadn't booked dinner. It was really busy near Christmas with family gatherings, but they still managed to find us a table. The food was great and the service excellent.

The sirloin cost £27-£29, and was the worst “steak” I’ve ever had. It was a narrow, long strip of something oddly chewy, completely overdone and tasteless. I wasn’t even asked how I wanted it cooked. I couldn’t tell if it was cow. Places like this, including franchise pubs like Fowlers Farm (Greene King), charge around £30 for ribeye that’s just as disappointing. Cheap meat affects the result, sure, but a good steak can still be cooked from tough, inexpensive cuts if you follow basic steps. A temperature probe would help, too. It’s frustrating that a chef couldn’t take a few minutes to learn how to get rare, medium rare, medium, or well done right. Kitchen staff should push back against careless standards and improve the food. What’s so hard?

Dinner for eight was a hit. We tried sausages and mash, risotto, burgers and lamb, and everyone was thrilled with what they ordered. The staff were fun and attentive, and breakfast the next morning was just as good. The White Hart is a beautiful historic building, and we can’t wait to come back. We stayed in the bridal suite, which was gorgeous, clean, cosy and nicely decorated. The bed was comfortable, and the bathroom had an amazing shower head.

The place is amazing, and the lads serving us were lovely and attentive, but the food let them down. My Christmas dinner was disappointing: very few vegetables, and they cost extra. The roast potatoes seemed reheated, the Yorkshire pudding was nearly burnt, there wasn’t enough gravy, and the stuffing was a tiny piece. My partner’s Christmas pudding was no bigger than a tablespoon and clearly a Brake Brothers pudding. For somewhere like this, and at that price, I expected better. I hate complaining, but I did.