The Joiners Arms

The restaurant served lovely food at breakfast and throughout the day, and there's a nice indoor bar as well as a big outdoor seating area for drinks when the weather's good. The en-suite rooms were large and nicely decorated. It's in a very quiet area, so the pub being surprisingly busy was a nice surprise.

The food was nice, especially the dessert, and the staff were attentive and lovely. But the parking was off-putting. There were only four spaces outside the pub, marked “residents only”, and they were all taken. We found a free car park down the road, but at 6pm on a dark, wet, windy December evening, we got out and turned straight back. There were no street lamps or path. I called the pub, and a woman told us to park at the far left of the car park, where a lit path goes down. The lights weren't very bright, so we still needed our phone torches. It struck me as bizarre that the village had no street lamps. Inside, we were seated near the front door and felt a chill whenever it opened. We were there for an anniversary meal, staying at a nearby airbnb, and had chosen the pub because it was highly recommended. We mentioned the occasion when booking, but nobody acknowledged it. We weren't expecting anything, just a little congratulations, so I wondered whether staff check that information. I'm sure it's delightful in summer, but I wouldn't recommend a winter evening. The parking situation put us off.

The pub was cozy and clean, and the staff were friendly and attentive. We booked a table for my husband's birthday, but the food was a huge letdown. The gravy was cold, the mash only lukewarm, and although I like al-dente vegetables, these were raw. The pie was steaming hot, microwave hot, which didn't go with the rest of the cold or lukewarm food. My husband had the sharing platter, served on a really worn-out wooden board that had clearly seen better days. The fish batter was greasy. All in all, a very poor meal, and we won't return.

Friendly staff and a nice room, in a good location. The food wasn't really bistro food, more like standard chain fare at a higher price. It had a bit of a corporate feel. The room and location were good, but I wouldn't stay for the food.