The Goudhurst Inn

The menu could use a little more variety, but everything else was lovely. The food was delicious and the Balfour wine was really good. Ted looked after us impeccably and made us feel like we were at the Ivy.

The staff were all genial, helpful and committed. Breakfast was bigger than we expected and cooked beautifully to order, with runny fried egg yolks and jammy poached ones. We saw people nearby eating what looked like first-class pizzas, though we’d already eaten and didn’t try them. The suite was wonderful, especially the in-room bathroom and fabulous double-ended bath. I hear the suite is going to be updated, though I’m not sure what they could improve.

We’d enjoyed visiting the Goudhurst Inn several times before it became the Winemakers Pub, so this stay left us disappointed. The wait for food was exceptionally long, and the quality didn’t make up for it. The roast in particular has really gone downhill compared with our earlier visits.

We were here for wine tasting at Balfour. The pub was nice and the evening food was good, but our room was on the main road and was both very noisy and hot. A fan was provided, but the noise meant we had to shut the window, so the room stayed boiling. Breakfast service was very slow, and some items had sold out even though it was early on a weekday. It was fine, but not worth the price we paid, so we wouldn’t return.