Old Bridge Hotel

This lovely place seems to be going downhill quickly. On a recent visit for cream tea, we were first told there were plenty of scones, then told there were none when someone came to take our order. We tried for bar snacks instead, but none were available; apparently they only had three bags of crisps. Service was practically nonexistent, and we had to keep trying to get someone’s attention. We left without eating or drinking anything. A couple of weeks earlier, I’d had the worst breakfast I can remember. I didn’t want to make a scene as someone else’s guest, but the sourdough was too hard to bite, there was very little avocado and it was blackened, and the tiny poached egg was rubbery. Toast was burning at the bar, with smoke drifting towards our table. Are they paying more attention to booked events and forgetting their regular customers?

Will was amazing in the bottle shop. He walked us through the tastings and knew which wines were Vegan, which really impressed me. We bought some wine, then had lunch in the lounge. The butternut squash pithivier was delicious, and Will’s suggestion of a light, bright red to go with it was stunning too. We’ll definitely be back.

The room was busy, so we ended up with a table in the bar, which had great decor and atmosphere, and a nice view of the world going by. We’d come in because the Black Bull Inn had changed hands and wasn’t serving Sunday lunch. We’re only rating the food and restaurant service here. The bill was £51 for chicken Sunday dinner and fish and chips, which felt a little pricey. We waited 15 minutes, so the food was almost fresh. The chicken was great, the roast potatoes were ok and crispy outside, and the single carrot was cooked well. The one parsnip was rock hard, though. The fish and chips were ok, but I’ve had better for less while travelling. The chips were slightly overpriced, and the tartar sauce and peas portions were too small. Staff were pleasant, but be aware there’s a 12.5% charge added to pay the staff. For the price, it should have been much better.

The bacon roll arrived in good time, though I had to ask again for sauce. We were three people stopping for coffee during a dog walk, and had ordered a bacon roll, two croissants and three drinks. The croissants took ages. We thought they might be baked from scratch, but both came out cold. A bit disappointing for somewhere with such a good reputation.