The Bell at Iden

We turned our wedding trip into a long weekend, and Sunday was lovely and laid back. The full English breakfast was great, and we watched the women's Euro final on the Bell's big screen since the room's TV was small. John even gave us drinks to celebrate England's win. The rooms are very nice, with really comfortable beds, and being in a converted stable meant we could come and go as we pleased. We'd definitely stay at The Bell again for another weekend.

We only booked one night, which was the only downside. The Bell was handy for a function we were attending nearby, and I honestly hadn't known what to expect. It turned out to be a real revelation. The project is still ongoing, but that didn't affect our stay at all. The welcome, service, and whole experience were amazing, and our bedroom had been decorated and furnished to a much higher standard than I expected.

Our main courses were nice and the whole group of ten was happy with them. We'd come to the village for the weekend and tried the place on Saturday after seeing the good reviews. The menu sounded lovely, and we all found something we liked. The waitress apologized that they were short staffed and that our drinks took a while. Dessert was a different story. We waited a long time to order, so eventually wrote everything down and took it to the bar. We'd been told the table was needed by 8, which made us feel pressed for time. The waitress seemed hesitant to set out cutlery in case we didn't finish soon enough. We ate the puddings quickly, but they were disappointing for £5.50 each. When we raised it, she offered to remove one item from the bill, but not the other puddings we were unhappy with. Based on that visit, we wouldn't go back if we were in the area.

The hospitality, wine, and food here were faultless, 100/100. I'd spent a week in the area visiting family from Guernsey and had been disappointed by the food elsewhere. Then I tried the lamb curry here, probably the best curry I've ever had, followed by sensational baklava for dessert. Highly recommend!