The Wellington Arms

We paid £145 per person, so the meal was especially disappointing compared with how much better it was last year. Our turkey was a tiny portion of hard, reformed meat, with no stuffing or bread sauce. There were hardly any roast potatoes, and they weren't cooked well or crispy like the big sharing bowl of lovely crispy ones we had last year. Yorkshire puddings were missing too, even though they were on the menu. We had to repeat our drinks order and chase it up. We'd booked for 3pm with a big group and rushed to get there, only to be left waiting over 30 minutes for our table. The bar was incredibly busy, and we were squeezed in among the other guests waiting. We were really disappointed with Christmas Day dinner here yesterday. Compared with our 2024 experience, it was a letdown.

The bill had meals on it that we hadn't ordered, while some of the things we had ordered were missing. Sorting it out took time, and the next guests had arrived while we were still at the table. With portions so small for the price, that's not the sort of delay you want. I ordered fish pie and got just that, with no vegetables or other side. That should be made clear when ordering. They did offer sprouts on the side, almost as an apology. The food also took a very long time to arrive, and service was only OK. At times we had to find someone to serve us. There are two menu options, which seems confusing for the kitchen. Plenty of choice is nice, but one menu would make more sense. I've been coming here with a group of 10 for Christmas dinner for the past five years, and most years have been brilliant. This year was nowhere near the usual standard. Hopefully it was a one off, but we may look for somewhere else next year.

The Cheese Souffle and Porchetta were amazing when I had dinner here, so I came back the next Sunday to try the Roast. That was not worth it. My Vegetarian Wellington was extremely tiny, and they swapped the mushroom for beetroot without asking, even though I don't eat it. The Yorkshire Pudding was cold and very oily. I don't recommend coming for the Roast, though I do recommend the other food.

Lovely venue, and both the presentation and service were superb. I had a lovely lunch and no complaints about the food. The only slight letdown was the waitstaff, as we had to wait a little while for them to take our orders.