Gardeners Country Inn

The roasts arrived lukewarm, and one had two slices of turkey and one of beef, though I’d asked for two beef slices. When we raised the temperature, the manager said running a business was hard. She took the food away and agreed to refund us, but at the till she shouted at my wife and me, claimed it was 50°C, and refused. I later found out food should be served at 63°C. The manager seemed out of her depth with a hot-food restaurant, and the behaviour and service were shocking. We won't be back. Getting to that point was a mess. Two starters I chose and the steak pie were unavailable because they hadn't had a delivery and were running down stock ahead of closing in two weeks. I had to pick alternatives. The starter came on a wooden plate with crusty burnt-on leftovers, so I ate around them.

Tom at the bar was great, serving us throughout the weekend and remembering exactly what we ordered. Really good customer service, would absolutely recommend.

The food itself was OK, but I left wanting to bathe in bleach. There were flies all over, the toilets were disgraceful, and the menus and tables were sticky enough that the plates stuck to the table by the end of the meal. The server walked through with a cat while carrying our food, and they were missing half the menu. We booked dinner while staying in nearby lodges and definitely didn't book again. Two stars only for the food.

The wedding decorations looked amazing against the Inn's rustic feel, and the location worked really well for the after-party. Service was delayed, possibly because there weren't enough staff. We stayed overnight: the bed was very comfortable, though the room was a little basic. It was a great experience, and I’d recommend the place for a function or a quiet pint.