The Woolpack Inn Islip

I’ve eaten at the woolly plenty of times over the years and usually thought the food was average. Today’s Sunday dinner was one of the best I’ve had in ages. The beef was moist and beautifully cooked, the potatoes were great, and the vegetables were just right rather than boiled to mush. The gravy was rich too. Great job, guys, and service with a smile 😊 Thanks!

The location worked well for me, and having a separate room with direct access from the car park was convenient. But the room felt tired, and the road noise carried on all night. Pub hours and food service seemed to vary, so on our first evening they had stopped serving by 7 pm and we had to eat out at the only place open in town. When we did eat at the pub, the food was okay, just ordinary pub fare. We didn’t want breakfast, but there was no reduction to the B&B rate. It was disappointing and poor value overall. The Travelodge on the other side of Thrapston has better rooms for less than half the price.

The service was slow to get going and the staff seemed indifferent, even at a quiet time. The food was mid-tier too: my burger wasn’t juicy, the chicken was dry, and even the kids’ chicken fingers were so dry the children wouldn’t eat them. It felt like the pub relied on condiments to make the dishes passable. Dessert didn’t help, and seemed poor value as well. I expected a quality place worth the price, but this was basic pub food at semi-premium prices. I’ve had much better meals at Hungry Horse. Support your local, but this place needs to do better. I won’t be back.

We had a family Sunday lunch at the Woolpack and all enjoyed ourselves. The roasts and other options were really good, the ales were good too, and the price felt fair. My only small complaint was that table service was a bit slow despite it being off-peak, especially when we asked for the bill.