The Red Lion Inn

I met friends here for lunch rather than staying overnight. It’s a beautiful pub with a big garden, and the restaurant staff were excellent. Some of the food didn’t arrive as described and felt like style over substance. I shared my feedback privately with management, and they responded positively.

There’s a nice walk in the area, but we won’t be back. The place feels forgotten and unloved, with little care in the service or food. It needs attention across the building, rooms, outside space, food, drink and service. Maybe new management who care could help. No wonder it was empty on a bank holiday weekend. Our room had the smallest TV I’ve ever seen, smaller than my folding phone. The ceiling lights were broken or flickering, the old bedside cabinets had heat stains, and the tiny headboard had a lip that made it impossible to sit up. There were ants everywhere, and the TV remote was so worn that you couldn’t read any of the buttons. Outside looked neglected, as if no one had touched it for 20 years, about as old as the TV. The furniture was rotten and falling apart, there were dead flowers, and weeds growing all over. The restaurant and bar were something else. One ceiling light flickered like a rave, while another blinked slowly enough to give me forest whittaker eye. We were only given two menus, with no wine list or steak menu, though another table got one. The roast was good, the only good part. The apple dessert didn’t taste of apple. Breakfast was tragic. The toast was so dry it shattered like glass. They’d run out of brown bread and hash browns, there was a thimbleful of lukewarm beans, and one slice of bacon. There was enough grease on the plate that I might have softened the shattered toast with it. Even with only two couples at breakfast, service was painfully slow and disorganized. A single whiskey costs a tenner, and the writing had worn off the old cider glasses. Not the worst place I’ve ever stayed, and honestly, some of it was so comical we both laughed. But the rooms, building, food, drink, service and outside space all need work.

We used to come to this pub years ago, and had forgotten how lovely it is. It’s a peaceful spot in a beautiful old building, with plenty of seats indoors and a great beer garden. The food selection is good, well cooked and reasonably priced, and the service was great. It’s also not far from Cambridge or the M11 junction.

Dinner on 13th February was a letdown. The portions were small and the food bland and tasteless. Our drinks order was wrong, our food was dropped on the floor, and the bill was too high. We won’t be going back.