Ye Olde Nags Head

We came for dinner with friends on a Saturday night while on holiday, and the food was a real letdown. It was bland, with no seasoning. The bangers and mash had bland mash and peppercorn sauce that didn't taste of peppercorns. The tomato sauce tasted undercooked, as if it came from a can. The fish seemed fresh, but wasn't seasoned, and the chips were soggy and unsalted. Sticky toffee pudding was the only thing we enjoyed. The atmosphere and Saturday live music deserve 4 stars, and the staff were polite and friendly. My overall rating is 2/5. I might come back for a pint and the music, but definitely wouldn't order food again.

The location is great and the pub looks nice outside, but the visit was disappointing. Staff weren't very friendly, service was slow, and the food was nothing special. The ladies' toilets were old, grubby and not very clean, with broken tiles. I wouldn't recommend it; the place feels very tired.

Breakfast was the best part of our overnight stay. The lady serving it was friendly and the food was good, though some of the crockery was still dirty. The building has character and the location is great, but the condition and cleanliness really let it down, as did the staff. Our room felt small and gloomy, with a dirty carpet, a tiny shower, black mould on the ceiling and a rusty toilet roll holder. The stairs up to it were filthy, and we got a rather unfriendly welcome. A door outside kept slamming, while chairs scraping across the floorboards in the staffroom next door made a lot of noise. Sunday lunch was average. When we said the cauliflower cheese was bland, the manager laughed.

We went to Castleton for the day and stopped here for lunch. The turkey ciabatta with stuffing and cranberries came with chips and a side salad, and I also had the grilled chicken with pepper sauce and chips. Both were delicious, and the prices, £9.95 and £14.95, felt like really good value these days. Definitely worth a visit if you're in the area!