Bedingfeld Arms

The staff member serving dinner was pleasant and very helpful, but the food was mostly bland. The ham hock and its sauce and pickle lacked flavour, and the venison sausages were so overcooked they lost the venison taste, though the mash and greens were good. I’d been recommended the place by a colleague and had high hopes. Its location worked well for my next day’s job, and the setting was quite nice, but I won’t stay again and would suggest looking elsewhere. Check-in was fine, and I was shown to a suite with a four-poster bed. It was different and seemed okay at first. In winter, though, the radiators only got mildly warm. There was tea and coffee, but no bottled water, and I wasn’t going to drink from the bathroom sink. The WiFi didn’t work in my room, so I couldn’t get work done, and the phone signal was poor too. When I ran a bath before dinner, I found no bath soap or shampoo, so I squeezed some shower gel into a cup to use. The bed was very uncomfortable, and the pillows were the worst I’ve ever come across. Every combination I tried was bad. Then at 6:20 in the morning, loud noise from downstairs woke me up. It was supposed to be music, but sounded like bass and a constant drone, and it really annoyed me.

Dermot made us feel very welcome, and fitting us into the bar area for dinner was no trouble after we asked to change from the dining room. We’d booked at the last minute for my birthday, and the evening turned out lovely. The venison sausages and fish pie were delicious, and we finished with crumble. Great service all round. We run Forest Equine Escapes and always recommend the place to our guests too. Thank you, and Happy New Year.

Dad was especially happy with the occasion, and all our guests enjoyed it. We held a lunch party at the Bedingfeld Arms for his 100th birthday, with 23 of us in the Oak & Stone room, and we pre-ordered from the menu. The table looked beautiful, and every course was delicious, hot, and brought out on time, even though the main restaurant was fully booked that day. Many thanks to Catkin and her staff for being so friendly and efficient.

The desserts were a real highlight, absolutely delicious. We had such a lovely stay at the Bedingfield Arms with my wife and our three-year-old. Everyone on staff was warm, attentive, and went out of their way to make us feel welcome and keep our little one happy. Our room was cosy and comfortable, and the food was great throughout. Thanks to the whole team for a memorable stay. We’d happily come back!