The Half Moon

The Half Moon was beautifully decorated for the festive season, and the advertised events looked tempting. We stopped there on the way home from Sky Park Farm after seeing a busy car park, so we hoped it would be good. The bar area was nice, with a good choice of drinks and a broad food menu. A couple of large parties were on, so we stayed in the bar. We arrived at 2.10, with the kitchen due to close at 2.30, which may explain why the meal didn’t turn out as we’d hoped. We ordered sharing Camembert, a burger, and a brie, bacon and cranberry roll. Everything arrived together, so the mains went back. Half an hour later, after we told staff we’d finished the starter and were ready, they brought the same meals out again. They’d clearly been reheated. My brioche roll was rock hard, so I sent it back and they made a fresh one. My friend ate her warmed-up burger. Service was OK, but we seemed to have to ask for everything ourselves. It’s a shame, as it looked popular and had good reviews. I’d probably go back, though this visit had a few letdowns.

The function space had plenty of room, with lots of parking on site and outdoor space too. We celebrated with a family Sunday lunch and the value for money was exceptional. Chris was amazing from the first email through choosing the menu, and Katie and the team looked after us so well on the day. I can’t praise them enough. Five stars doesn’t cover it.

This was a family meal to remember my young grandson, who had died just a year earlier. We won’t return. We were 12 people with four small dogs, booked ahead for Sunday at 3pm, and had ordered our meals in advance after being told dogs were welcome. We arrived ten minutes early and were then told dogs could only be in the bar. They wouldn’t make an exception, even though just four people were finishing in the dining room and we were the last group. Staff pieced together bar tables and chairs for us, and one tabletop wobbled badly. Four of us had roast dinners that weren’t good. The beef was thin, but my knife couldn’t cut through the gristle. The potatoes were dry and indigestible, and the vegetables arrived late instead of on the plate, with hardly any room for them. Two of us left most of our meal.

The staff were all so nice and kind. I tried the food once and asked to change my plate because something didn’t seem quite right. They were really understanding and picked up on it, and stayed kind the whole time. The coffee and cake were lovely too.