This place has great reviews and after reading them I decided to take my elderly mother to the White Horse for a late lunch, on Fri at 1330, and booked that particular slot in the restaurant (which wasn't the latest available) using the pub's own website. I'm posting my comments here for a bit of balance because, whilst I realise everyone can have a bad day the reviews I read here do not reflect our experience. Firstly the positives, the parking was good with clearly marked disabled spaces which meant the walk to the front door wasn't too far for my mum. The pub looked great too and just inside the front door was a lovely fireplace, albeit running a little low on fuel (with a sign above disallowing customers from "adding fuel" - I'll come on to that later). As we walked in at around 1325 we overheard a conversation between what were the only two staff in the bar and restaurant. The restaurant waitress was telling the barman, in no uncertain terms, that he was not to accept any more food orders at the bar. We waited patiently for a while for her attention to turn to us, and when finally it did I said we were after a table for two. She rather sternly retorted "have you booked?”. I confirmed we had and gave my name and, without any welcome greeting, she said the restaurant area was full so she'd reserved us a table for two in the bar area (just adjacent to the external side-entrance to the bar). We seated ourselves there as she gave us two paper menus and informed us that we'd have to make our order at the bar. She didn't really speak to us again. Since the bar chairs were a little too low for eating, I had to prop my mother up with some cushions from a near-by couch so she could reach the table. After both selecting the day’s Special, Lamb Shank and mash potato, I made my way to the bar where the sole barman was busy serving beers and waited my turn to order. When it came, I made the food order, also asking for a pint of bitter and a half of shandy. He attempted to put the order into the till but was defeated and had to consult the waitress. She immediately ticked him off for taking bar food orders before spotting me and saying “oh, they’re OK”. It transpired that there were no Lamb Shanks left, so I returned to our table for us to reconsider our selection. A few moments later we’d both chosen and so I returned to the bar arriving there at the same time as a half-dozen bar customers coming in through the front door and wanting to order drinks. Fortunately, while they were considering their order I managed to get the barman’s attention and tell him we were ready to complete our order, just as the waitress moved into the bar area to help him out with the new arrivals. Unfortunately, our newly selected food options were not available either, apparently as the kitchen had no mash potato left. With luck, as I was suggesting it might be best for the barman to tell me what was actually available on the menu, the chef arrived behind the bar. He added some clarity by explaining that their usual morning delivery had not actually arrived yet since the delivery lorry was running late with no ETA. We were offered dauphinoise potatoes instead for our options which I accepted. Fortunately neither my mum or I have any allergies or intolerances because we weren’t asked if we did. I asked for the drinks that I’d already ordered but since the barman hadn’t poured them he offered to bring them to the table for us. So, I returned to our table by the door where my mother was now having a coughing fit due to the in-rush of freezing cold air every time the door was opened and, by this time, the bar area was getting pretty busy with groups of men in high-vis jackets entering through the door. Two of those, who’d seated themselves adjacent to us, actually overheard us discussing the reason for her cough being the cold air through the door. They very kindly offered us their table, slightly further into the bar and nearer to the aforementioned fire, since they were about to leave. When I pointed
R J
My favourite pub to go to, all the staff are always so friendly, especially Jemma who's always so welcoming and finds me a good spot to sit. Food is really nice too, great local pub! Definitely recommend!
Sam B
Food was amazing and so was the coffee! The waitress was really good and prompt with service. Would definitely recommend
Travelwise020
Great food and wonderful service by Leah - she's very professional but friendly and catered to our every need. Thanks Leah.
Shaigat
The Service was great. Friendly and timely. Unfortunatley i can't say the same for the food. We were a party of 8 celebrating a 44th Birthday party and ordered several things off the usual menu. The meditteranean platter was a joke and iuncluded cheapest posibble ingredients feta, tzaziki etc. shop bought and placed on a plate. I could buy a pot of £1 hommous and put it on a plate myself. The Roast Beef seemed like it was pre-cooked and warmed up. The chicken burger bun was soggy, The Pan Fried Sea Bass was definiely from frozen and layered with horribly sauce of some description. The crumble was too sweet and over processed (like a can of cooked apples with some flour and loads of sugar on top). Even the espresso was light and weak like a tiny americano. Sorry to be so critical but I think you should know. We didn't complain on the day as it was edible and the staff were very friendly and accomodating but for edible food I can spend a fraction of the cost elsewhere. I will not be returning to any of your chains restaurant and advising my friends and family to stay away.
Morwenna Haslam
Always lovely, cosy and friendly. Great good cooked by Chef Jack and his team and lovely front of house team members including Jolie. Friendly and attentive ?
Denise Cumberpatch
Had a really enjoyable lunch here.Service was excellent Joelie who served us was very pleasant, chatty and friendly and nothing was too much trouble.Food was very good and nicely presented.Thank you.
RUTH DUFFY
Ordered 2 espresso martini’s. Very expensive for what you get. That’s half a glass! They both came half full. When I asked why they said that was the measurements. I’m not sure what measurements they use but it’s definitely different to any other establishments I’ve been too before! You actually get half an espresso for full price! I have left a photo of what they advertise outside as their cocktails. Looks different to what we got. False advertisement
ruth-duff
Ordered 2 expresso martinis. Very expensive and only half a glass. When I questioned why are they only half full I got told that was the measurements! They must have different measurements to any other establishment I’ve been too because I’ve never been given half a glass. Very disappointed
Aimee Butler
Loving the food.. place is amazing too… very friendly staffs… Olivia B has been great… she’s been looking after our table very well! Will definitely comeback again.
Tonight they got it spot on. In particular, the customer service provided by Olivia H was superb, as well as all the other staff that we saw. Everyone, was lovely, friendly and helpful and made the dining experience very pleasurable. The food was tasty and served in good time. Keep up the good work!
Carol E
We had a very good Sunday lunch on 29th October and both enjoyed our roast chicken and mini dessert. The service was excellent and very speedy. Our waitress, Jolie did a good job. My only criticism is that the bread sauce and any additional sauces requested, come in very small pots - a bit mean! I might bring my own next time.
Kloe Gristwood
A beautiful Sunday Roast for my Mums Birthday. Attentive service, delicious food (and reasonably priced), generous portions! Our waitress Jess was super lovely and make our experience so enjoyable. Thank you!
Michael R
Had a lovely meal, good atmosphere, good service. Very accommodating. (Our waitress even helped us play a prank!) You'll have to guess what happened...
LeannM17
Spur of the moment visit as the weather was lovely & this place has one of the best gardens. No seats available outside but we were told as soon as one came free they'd let us know. Within half an hour we were sat outside with a bottle of wine. The food & service was excellent. I have to take the time to mention Gemma especially. She was very warm & welcoming and couldn't do enough to make sure our visit was a good one. Highly recommend a visit if you haven't been
This place has great reviews and after reading them I decided to take my elderly mother to the White Horse for a late lunch, on Fri at 1330, and booked that particular slot in the restaurant (which wasn't the latest available) using the pub's own website. I'm posting my comments here for a bit of balance because, whilst I realise everyone can have a bad day the reviews I read here do not reflect our experience. Firstly the positives, the parking was good with clearly marked disabled spaces which meant the walk to the front door wasn't too far for my mum. The pub looked great too and just inside the front door was a lovely fireplace, albeit running a little low on fuel (with a sign above disallowing customers from "adding fuel" - I'll come on to that later). As we walked in at around 1325 we overheard a conversation between what were the only two staff in the bar and restaurant. The restaurant waitress was telling the barman, in no uncertain terms, that he was not to accept any more food orders at the bar. We waited patiently for a while for her attention to turn to us, and when finally it did I said we were after a table for two. She rather sternly retorted "have you booked?”. I confirmed we had and gave my name and, without any welcome greeting, she said the restaurant area was full so she'd reserved us a table for two in the bar area (just adjacent to the external side-entrance to the bar). We seated ourselves there as she gave us two paper menus and informed us that we'd have to make our order at the bar. She didn't really speak to us again. Since the bar chairs were a little too low for eating, I had to prop my mother up with some cushions from a near-by couch so she could reach the table. After both selecting the day’s Special, Lamb Shank and mash potato, I made my way to the bar where the sole barman was busy serving beers and waited my turn to order. When it came, I made the food order, also asking for a pint of bitter and a half of shandy. He attempted to put the order into the till but was defeated and had to consult the waitress. She immediately ticked him off for taking bar food orders before spotting me and saying “oh, they’re OK”. It transpired that there were no Lamb Shanks left, so I returned to our table for us to reconsider our selection. A few moments later we’d both chosen and so I returned to the bar arriving there at the same time as a half-dozen bar customers coming in through the front door and wanting to order drinks. Fortunately, while they were considering their order I managed to get the barman’s attention and tell him we were ready to complete our order, just as the waitress moved into the bar area to help him out with the new arrivals. Unfortunately, our newly selected food options were not available either, apparently as the kitchen had no mash potato left. With luck, as I was suggesting it might be best for the barman to tell me what was actually available on the menu, the chef arrived behind the bar. He added some clarity by explaining that their usual morning delivery had not actually arrived yet since the delivery lorry was running late with no ETA. We were offered dauphinoise potatoes instead for our options which I accepted. Fortunately neither my mum or I have any allergies or intolerances because we weren’t asked if we did. I asked for the drinks that I’d already ordered but since the barman hadn’t poured them he offered to bring them to the table for us. So, I returned to our table by the door where my mother was now having a coughing fit due to the in-rush of freezing cold air every time the door was opened and, by this time, the bar area was getting pretty busy with groups of men in high-vis jackets entering through the door. Two of those, who’d seated themselves adjacent to us, actually overheard us discussing the reason for her cough being the cold air through the door. They very kindly offered us their table, slightly further into the bar and nearer to the aforementioned fire, since they were about to leave. When I pointed
My favourite pub to go to, all the staff are always so friendly, especially Jemma who's always so welcoming and finds me a good spot to sit. Food is really nice too, great local pub! Definitely recommend!
Food was amazing and so was the coffee! The waitress was really good and prompt with service. Would definitely recommend
Great food and wonderful service by Leah - she's very professional but friendly and catered to our every need. Thanks Leah.
The Service was great. Friendly and timely. Unfortunatley i can't say the same for the food. We were a party of 8 celebrating a 44th Birthday party and ordered several things off the usual menu. The meditteranean platter was a joke and iuncluded cheapest posibble ingredients feta, tzaziki etc. shop bought and placed on a plate. I could buy a pot of £1 hommous and put it on a plate myself. The Roast Beef seemed like it was pre-cooked and warmed up. The chicken burger bun was soggy, The Pan Fried Sea Bass was definiely from frozen and layered with horribly sauce of some description. The crumble was too sweet and over processed (like a can of cooked apples with some flour and loads of sugar on top). Even the espresso was light and weak like a tiny americano. Sorry to be so critical but I think you should know. We didn't complain on the day as it was edible and the staff were very friendly and accomodating but for edible food I can spend a fraction of the cost elsewhere. I will not be returning to any of your chains restaurant and advising my friends and family to stay away.
Always lovely, cosy and friendly. Great good cooked by Chef Jack and his team and lovely front of house team members including Jolie. Friendly and attentive ?
Had a really enjoyable lunch here.Service was excellent Joelie who served us was very pleasant, chatty and friendly and nothing was too much trouble.Food was very good and nicely presented.Thank you.
Ordered 2 espresso martini’s. Very expensive for what you get. That’s half a glass! They both came half full. When I asked why they said that was the measurements. I’m not sure what measurements they use but it’s definitely different to any other establishments I’ve been too before! You actually get half an espresso for full price! I have left a photo of what they advertise outside as their cocktails. Looks different to what we got. False advertisement
Ordered 2 expresso martinis. Very expensive and only half a glass. When I questioned why are they only half full I got told that was the measurements! They must have different measurements to any other establishment I’ve been too because I’ve never been given half a glass. Very disappointed
Loving the food.. place is amazing too… very friendly staffs… Olivia B has been great… she’s been looking after our table very well! Will definitely comeback again.
Restaurantji Recommends
Tonight they got it spot on. In particular, the customer service provided by Olivia H was superb, as well as all the other staff that we saw. Everyone, was lovely, friendly and helpful and made the dining experience very pleasurable. The food was tasty and served in good time. Keep up the good work!
We had a very good Sunday lunch on 29th October and both enjoyed our roast chicken and mini dessert. The service was excellent and very speedy. Our waitress, Jolie did a good job. My only criticism is that the bread sauce and any additional sauces requested, come in very small pots - a bit mean! I might bring my own next time.
A beautiful Sunday Roast for my Mums Birthday. Attentive service, delicious food (and reasonably priced), generous portions! Our waitress Jess was super lovely and make our experience so enjoyable. Thank you!
Had a lovely meal, good atmosphere, good service. Very accommodating. (Our waitress even helped us play a prank!) You'll have to guess what happened...
Spur of the moment visit as the weather was lovely & this place has one of the best gardens. No seats available outside but we were told as soon as one came free they'd let us know. Within half an hour we were sat outside with a bottle of wine. The food & service was excellent. I have to take the time to mention Gemma especially. She was very warm & welcoming and couldn't do enough to make sure our visit was a good one. Highly recommend a visit if you haven't been