The Fountain Oldwood

The food is decent and well priced, and the rooms are simple, clean and spacious. The staff are so friendly and helpful. Very good value for money.

Inside was nice, but the welcome and service left us confused. When we came in, the locals seemed to glare at us and ignored our attempts to say hello. That's not really the pub's fault, but when we asked for menus, staff said they couldn't give us any and offered no further information, just our drinks. We asked whether there was any food available and were told we could get chips, but would have to move to the conservatory. It was winter and the conservatory wasn't heated, so we weren't keen. They still wouldn't explain why we couldn't eat where everyone else around us had food, and we eventually left.

The food was okay, but poor value, and the service was disappointing. We had to ask for cutlery and condiments, and our booked table was dirty and sticky. The staff were rather brusque. We ate quickly, paid and left. Shame, as I had hoped for more. I've lived locally on and off for more than 20 years and passed this place many times, thinking it looked pretty, inviting and upmarket. Inside, though, it felt like a different building, just a basic, practical pub with a bar and tables and chairs. It's clearly a locals' pub, which isn't necessarily bad, but it didn't feel welcoming for a night out with my partner. I think it might take a while of going there before you felt you weren't intruding, even if it became your regular place.

There were 10 of us stopping for a quick drink before going back to where we were staying. The staff seemed a little flustered by our group, and the hot drinks took a while, but otherwise it was generally fine.