The Walnut Tree Hotel

For our joint Valentine's and birthday treat, we stayed at The Walnut Tree Hotel and ate in the restaurant. We’re glad we did. The dishes, from starters and mains to dessert, were all delicious and freshly cooked. The courses were well timed and cooked to perfection. It was a pleasure to have traditional British food and make an occasion of it, rather than the warmed-up food or chain restaurant we often end up with. We live in South Wales, but wouldn’t hesitate to drive over for another meal like that.

We paid £89 for Christmas dinner, a lot for a special day, and it felt worth only a couple of pounds at most. The room was cool, with a draft around our legs, and there was no soft Christmas music in the background to make it feel festive. The food was poor. The soup was tepid, I had to hunt for the main on the plate, and the roast potatoes were so hard I couldn’t eat them. The vegetables were overcooked. The person next to me had a child’s meal with exactly the same amount of food. The lemon sorbet was runny, the Christmas pudding too firm, and the mince pies were cool. The coffee was warm and bitter. Stay away from here for Christmas dinner.

We had the roast dinner as a table of 10, and ours was the only table in. It still took almost an hour for the food to arrive, and it was cold by then. The beef was a tiny portion and very overdone, like shoe leather. There were only two small gravy boats and a little cauliflower cheese to share between 10, and just enough vegetables to go round. Three people didn’t get a Yorkshire pudding. When we asked, staff said they’d run out, without telling us beforehand or offering anything else. We had to look around for ages to find staff and ask for more gravy. The staff were friendly and helpful when asked, but not very proactive. The children’s high chair was disgustingly dirty, so we had to ask for a clean one.

We had dinner and enjoyed the food, with a varied menu and specials to choose from. Breakfast was superb, cooked to order with buffet options as well. There were four of us staying for a wedding the next day. The family room was spacious, with an annexe area, and we found it comfortable and well equipped. A great place to stop if you’re in the area or travelling through.