The White Hart Hotel

It was a busy Friday evening near Christmas, with lots of family gatherings, and our plans had gone awry. We'd booked a room for the night while visiting friends, but hadn't reserved dinner. They still managed to find us a table, and both the food and service were excellent. The room was lovely and very clean, and the bed was comfortable.

Don't buy a steak here. Mine cost £27-£29 for a sirloin, and was the worst “steak” I've ever had. It was a long, strange strip about 3" wide, tasteless, badly overcooked, and jaw-breakingly chewy. Nobody even asked how I wanted it cooked, and I wasn't sure it was cow. What's astounding is how hard it seems to be to find a properly cooked steak around here. Fowlers Farm (Greene King) is another dreadful franchise example, with ribeyes around £30 that are just as bad. Sure, the cheap, poor-quality meat they buy has a big effect whatever the cooking, but even tough, cheap cuts can be made into a decent steak by following some simple rules. A chef could watch a five-minute YouTube video and learn to get rare, medium rare, medium, or well done right with a temperature probe, like Michelin-star chefs do. It isn't rocket science. If you're a “chef” in one of these kitchens, even a franchise one, it's on you to break that careless, disgusting pattern and make the food ten times better. That could help you get further in your career. What's so hard?

The food was to die for, and between the eight of us we tried a bit of everything: sausages and mash, risotto, burgers, and lamb. Everyone was thrilled with their order, the staff were fun and attentive, and breakfast the next morning was just as excellent. The building is a beautiful historic artifact. We stayed in the bridal suite, which was gorgeous. The bed was comfortable, and the whole room was clean, cosy, and nicely decorated. The bathroom was amazing, with an incredible shower head. The White Hart is getting everything right. We can't wait to return.

The place itself is amazing, and the lads serving were lovely and attentive. The Christmas dinner let us down, though. The vegetables were very limited and cost extra, the roast potatoes seemed reheated, and the Yorkshire pudding was nearly burnt. There wasn't enough gravy, and the piece of stuffing was tiny. My partner's Christmas pudding dessert was no bigger than a tablespoon and clearly a Brake Brothers pudding. I hate complaining, but for somewhere like this and at that price, I expected much better. The food let the place down.