The Crown at Worthington

We'd stopped coming about two years ago because everything looked tired and the food wasn't great, though we'd visited over the years. This time the decor and atmosphere felt noticeably warmer and more welcoming. Molly took us to our table, chatted easily, and was confident and pleasant while taking our order. She brought our Chihuahua Angelica a bowl of water before we even had to ask. The restaurant was busy, but the food came after a reasonable wait, hot and lovely. Molly checked we had drinks and condiments, and asked if we wanted dessert or coffee. Everyone was polite and smiley, and nothing seemed too much trouble. It was a lovely experience from start to finish, and we'll be back soon. Well done, Molly and team.

Three of us chose steak and the other two had the homemade cheese and onion pie. Everyone enjoyed their meal, so the chef and serving staff did a great job. We expected small servings or poorer cuts for the price, but that wasn't the case. The Crown's Steak Night was a good surprise, with fillet at £20 and rump at £15. We'll definitely come back.

We've been waiting 40 minutes and nobody has taken our order, even though the place isn't half full. Drinks orders get passed to the bar and then forgotten, while the bar staff chat with friends and floor staff run about looking busy. There's no customer service or effort to make sure people are being served. It seems the same floor staff cover the bar and restaurant. The place feels like it's run by school or college kids who need support and direction, but there's no senior person or manager on the floor to provide it. If this is how it runs on an ordinary Monday, I don't know how it survives outside Friday and weekend peak times. A shambles.

The staff welcomed us warmly, and we still enjoy sitting at our usual table in the bar area. Service and atmosphere remain the strong points, but the food let us down this time. Our fish and chips were greasy and short on flavour. We love coming here and appreciate the staff, but the taste and presentation seem inconsistent lately. We hope they can improve that, as we'd like to keep visiting.