John Barleycorn

The food needs a lot of work, and the place also needs to feel warmer and more welcoming. The pork chop came in some red soupy stuff with three limp bits of asparagus on top. The kids' meal had three tiny nuggets that looked as cheap as they come, and the mac and cheese was awful. With a new "smoke house" menu, mac and cheese ought to be a must-have, but I wouldn't recommend theirs. One thing for the new managers: conversations with the chefs about stock and quantities can be heard by customers in the bar. Those discussions would be better held somewhere private. It's a real shame, because earlier reviews sounded so good.

There were three pieces of beef on my vegetarian Wellington plate, one beside it, one underneath, and another between it and the Yorkshire pudding. The menu clearly marks the dish as suitable for vegetarians. The waitress apologised and fixed the issue, but there was no discount or goodwill gesture, despite the serious cross-contamination. If it had been just one stray piece, I might have let it go. Finding three makes me wonder whether the dish is labelled incorrectly or the kitchen isn't following cross-contamination procedures properly. I've worked in hospitality, and mistakes like this were always acknowledged with a discount or a complimentary item, especially when dietary needs were involved. It didn't feel like the issue was taken seriously here, which was disappointing. I won't return.

There was hardly anyone dining at Thursday lunchtime, so the place had no atmosphere. I'd gone in with high hopes and came away disappointed. I chose tilapia because the chicken dish was going to take 40 minutes. The fish came with asparagus and sauce, but no potatoes or other vegetables, and I was still hungry afterwards. My friend ordered lamb chops that were meant to come with dauphinoise potatoes, but those weren't available, so they had mash instead. There was no fresh veg for them either. Desserts were just average.

We stopped in for a couple of pints. The beer was good and the service was okay, though the staff are new to the place. Outside looks a mess, and inside there's no atmosphere at all. It feels like the pub is counting on its location to bring in the occasional customer. Such a shame when it has so much potential.