The Collyweston Slater

The meal was fantastic, with every course freshly made, beautifully presented, and served properly hot. The desserts were brilliant, especially the cheesecake, then we had mince pies and coffee. Downstairs, the bar felt warm and friendly, the atmosphere was great, and drinks were reasonably priced. Our table was ready and the meal was relaxed, with no rushing. We stayed overnight after a Christmas party. Staff were so friendly when we checked in and showed us to our room. It was clean and tidy, with a very comfortable bed, en suite, plenty of tea and coffee, plus water and a glass by the bed. The pub is beautiful, the rooms are lovely, and the food is amazing. I can't praise the hosts and staff enough. Very highly recommended and appreciated. We'll definitely stay again. S & H Fox

We had a drink, a meal and a proper catch-up here with a couple of friends, and it worked perfectly for us. Parking was easy, the seats were comfy, and there was a nice wine list. The food portions were generous. I think the pub has only recently reopened.

The food itself was good, and the Sunday roast was okay, but service was slow and patchy. It took around 10 minutes to get all eight mains to the table. They were all roasts apart from one pie, so it didn't seem like a complicated order. The vegetables and gravy came separately and last, crowding an already cramped table and leaving the meat cool by then. There were only two roast potatoes and a sliver of parsnip on the plate. The trio of meat meant one slice of each kind. We had plenty of vegetables left over at the end, which felt like a real waste. Putting them on the plates could have sped things up, made the meals look better, cut waste and cleared some of the clutter. The price felt high for what we got. In response to the owner's reply: You're quite right that this isn't a fast food place, and I don't think I suggested it was. I was pointing out some obvious problems while describing a genuine meal. The main includes three kinds of additional boiled vegetables, which is hardly a wide selection or a major plating challenge. Serving them on the plates would be easier and less wasteful in every way. My photos are an accurate picture of what came with the main. I left constructive feedback for the restaurant and for future customers to consider. I use Google reviews to help decide where to go, and Google depends on my input too. I'm a level 7 local guide, with over 3 million views of my posts, and each one is a genuine snapshot of my experience.

The lighting above our table and the one below it was blinding. Staff said they couldn't do anything, so we ended up unscrewing the bulb ourselves just to sit comfortably. We'd booked for my grandmother's 80th birthday, which made the lack of thought especially upsetting. The only acknowledgement was a cheap plastic card. There was no dessert effort or small gesture for the occasion. The food was mediocre at best. The stuffing was clearly pre-packaged, and one person who'd preordered chicken was served Turkey instead. We later found out we'd been sent the November 2025 menu rather than the December one, another sign of a disorganised business. For nice food, I'd recommend the Tobie Norris in Stamford or the Six Bells at Witham. The billing was stressful and unprofessional. We'd paid a £90 deposit over the phone without a written agreement or a clear explanation of the deposit or no-show policy. We were later told £30 would be kept and £60 taken off the bill, but the receipt had apparently random discounts on items, some drinks weren't charged, and there was no clear account of how the £60 had been applied. The first bill was wrong, and we had to email twice to figure out the charges and split the bill. The no-shows were caused by a very sad personal situation, and one was a baby under one. We were told there'd be a £10 charge for the baby. When we explained what had happened, the cold response from staff was simply “it’s business.” Between the unclear deposit handling, messy bill, lack of empathy, poor problem-solving and average food, I wouldn't return or recommend it, especially for a special occasion or group booking. If you want a cosy village pub, this is far from it. AVOID.