The Forresters Arms Kilburn

We had a cracking night away, and the full English breakfast the next morning was great. Jamie made us feel at home from the moment we arrived, and nothing seemed like too much trouble. Great beer, food, banter and company. We'd happily book again and look forward to it. A lovely place to be. Great job, Jamie. Si, shell and josh 👍👍

We booked at the last minute to spend New Year's Eve at the Forrester Arms Hotel in Kilburn. We were told they hadn't expected New Year's guests and were short-staffed. At 5.30pm we checked in and were shown a cold, small room. We'd booked a deluxe double with a king size bed, but reception initially insisted all the beds were king size. Only after I showed our confirmation email and a photo of the room from Trip advisor did we get another room. When we went down for dinner at 8.30, we found the kitchen had closed at 8.00 and couldn't serve us. I was shocked that no one had mentioned this at check-in. They said they thought they had, then laughed when I asked for chips or a cold cheese sandwich, saying the fryers were off and the only cheese was American cheese for burgers. We were left hungry on New Year's Eve, with no apology. We weren't charged for a packet of peanuts, a pitiful gesture of regret. The other guests were shocked and invited us to join them for drinks. The Forresters Arms is the only pub in the village, yet there wasn't a local there for a drink that New Year's Eve. I think that tells a story.

The beef looked like a piece of tarmac, and the roast dinner seemed to have been flung onto the plate. The mashed potato was like school dinner food from the 90s. I don't usually leave bad reviews, but this was exceptionally bad. The location is lovely, though, and the fire was a nice touch.

The village location is beautiful, but the pub and accommodation let it down. It's probably great for dog walkers, though, as on a damp day it was like Crufts inside. We stayed one night for my birthday after booking through Booking.com, with dinner booked for 7.30pm. We couldn't check in until 4pm, so we waited over drinks that felt overpriced for a pint and a glass of wine. The window table near check-in was covered in dead flies and cobwebs. We'd paid for a superior king room but got what felt like a regular double, cold and unwelcoming rather than the warm, cosy room described on the website. My husband raised the size with management and was told all the rooms were the same size, so we weren't moved. I then complained about the temperature because we'd done a circuit walk and wanted a hot shower before dinner. Management apologised: there'd been a power cut the night before and he'd forgotten to reboot the heating. It came on within 20 minutes. Dinner was OK, but overpriced, with chips and sides charged separately. The dining room smelled damp and musty. Twinkling lights and candles were on, but there was little atmosphere and hardly anyone there. The bed was comfortable, the towels fluffy, and we slept fairly well. Breakfast was a big cooked meal, but the sausages and hash browns were undercooked. There were no cereals, fruit or yogurts, and the owner warned us about a dodgy toaster. Would we stay again? No. Would we recommend it? No.