Since the takeover this place HAS gone downhill and take note especially for those who used to go here frequently. The menu has changed for too much, the excellent cheese pie has gone for example with some random in its place. Drinks have changed as well. This was always going to happen with this kind of takeover and it should have been kept as a local establishment.
mathildapops
I don’t know what some reviews are on about when they say The Craven Heifer has gone downhill since being taken over by Robinsons. It’s an insult to the hardworking chefs and front of house staff which are the same as before. Yes the menu may have changed slightly with the welcome permanent addition of fish and chips an extra Robinsons ale & steak pie, a different cheese pie, mussels and a pork dish it’s much the same as before, still with specials as extra menu items. Our meal on the 30/12/23 was excellent. A superb fillet steak cooked perfectly rare with a requested red wine jus instead of peppercorn sauce. My husband tells me his moules frites were also spot on with the dizzy blonde sauce really tasty. Both our desserts, chocolate cherry torte and chocolate truffle cheesecake were both deliciously decadent. The only niggle being the squirty cream on the cheesecake which was awful, not even the thick luxurious type but the awful airy type which had almost collapsed to a watery puddle by the time it was served. It really has no place on a Craven Heifer dessert. I must also mention the excellent service, as always, attentive without being intrusive.
stumids123
Excellent service good quality food had steak and unicorn ale pie very nice good real ale good value for money will vist again
David W
Since we enjoyed an excellent meal in December. Robinson's have reduced the always superb menu to over priced "Pub Food" We have eaten there for about fifteen years since Peter converted it into what it had become. Sadly as regular local customers, we will not be returning.
shell2074
We wanted a pre xmas meal. I'd heard it had been taken over by the same people who have the Tempest so I was sceptical, as had tried the Tempest and wasn't impressed. However having been a regular diner to the Heifer I thought at least try it and hope the excellent standard is there. I ordered from the festive menu, 2 courses for £25, I ordered turkey and I would order a dessert. There was enough food and most of it tasty but I did think the turkey tasted like chicken does when reheated, just strange. The rest was delicious, roast potatoes, parsnip, carrots, Brussels but no mash. The gravy I thought had thickening agent in it, was quite gloopy and left a weird texture on the tongue. I love Xmas pudding so ordered that, it came out and I think the shock was allover my face, I have never in my life recieved a dessert so small. It was around 3 inches in diameter in mould shape and half an inch in depth. Shocking. It came on a rectangular plate with a jug of brandy sauce. For me it was more like custard with just a hint of brandy. I feel like I've basically paid £25 for a turkey dinner. I feel totally ripped off. Honestly thw dessert is joke. I could have eaten it in 2 spoons if i wasn't chasing it around a rectangular plate that made it look even more miniature. I doubt I'll be back anytime soon if at all.
maw747
An outstanding seasonal Christmas evening meal for eight people! French onion soup as good as that which used to be served at the Tempest Arms in the 1990's, incredible. Every single element of a turkey dinner prepared and cooked to perfection, absolutely beautiful. Excellent table service by a strong team of staff, just a few niggles... we asked three times for water at the table before it eventually arrived, had to ask for cranberry sauce and extra gravy but this should have really been a standard offering at a place as high quality as this. I will be back again and again, well done!
Martin R
We like the Craven Heifer very much there is a group of us that go every 10 weeks or so. The food is great the staff are great very friendly. Hence why we keep coming back for more. The place as just been recently taken over by the Robinsons Brewery from Stockport. Hopefully they won’t change anything as the restaurant is always full and ‘If it’s not broken don’t fixed it’ Currently all the old staff are still there. I hope all will continue as it is.
Rawson19
My wife booked here for my 60th Birthday Lunch ... staff were excellent, including Oliver our main server. Five Adults, including a gentleman with learning disabilities with whom the team were excellent, engaging him as they would others. The Lunch was excellent, especially the Chicken Liver Parfait and Sticky Toffee Pudding ... many thanks and highly recommended !!
58regulartraveller
Very disappointed with todays food. No more delicious cheese and leek pie, replaced by Homity pie on the menu which was dry, too much pastry, and not tasty at all. We won’t return again unless the cheese and leek pie is reinstated.
ClareWes
Staying in the area and found the Craven Heifer online. Excellent venue food and service. Booked lunch for husband’s 70 birthday on Tuesday and enjoyed it so much booked again for Thursday. Will definitely book again when in the area. Thank you to all staff for your five star food and service.
Not good. Food sub par for the price, service basically non-existent. Maybe if they employed servers who wanted to work there, it might help they might have a bit of something about them, rather than the bare minimum we received (take order and clear plates after we finished) we might’ve had dessert and coffee if we were offered menus! There’s better places around the area to go instead of here!
Tourist29635605150
I have always rated the Craven to friends and told them they wouldn’t be able to find fault with anything there, the food , the service etc but today couldn’t have been more in the opposite direction. I booked a table for my sons 30th which I made them aware of, the service left a lot to be desired, at one point I had to go to the bar and request some drinks as we were sat with empty glasses for a while. The portions were a lot smaller than previous visits, but the final one was just as we were about to order a lovely drink, cocktails etc to wish my son happy birthday we were told our 2 hours on the table were done and we’d have to move to another so the next customers could have the table, something I wasn’t made aware of when I booked the table. We cancelled the drinks paid our £200 etc bill and left never to return.
492helenh
Superb en-suite room within The Barn. Beautiful food and smiling friendly staff! Great location to explore the area. Definitely recommend!
Stay12842596847
what fantastic meals (again) we have just had our quiet wedding dinner there and the staff are wonderful and can't praise them enough. I can honestly recommend it to you all.
Graham W
A disappointing meal at one of my go to restaurants. My beef was up to their usual standard but my wife’s burger was very small and uninteresting.Her meal was not value for money . This was brought to the attention of the staff at the time.
Since the takeover this place HAS gone downhill and take note especially for those who used to go here frequently. The menu has changed for too much, the excellent cheese pie has gone for example with some random in its place. Drinks have changed as well. This was always going to happen with this kind of takeover and it should have been kept as a local establishment.
I don’t know what some reviews are on about when they say The Craven Heifer has gone downhill since being taken over by Robinsons. It’s an insult to the hardworking chefs and front of house staff which are the same as before. Yes the menu may have changed slightly with the welcome permanent addition of fish and chips an extra Robinsons ale & steak pie, a different cheese pie, mussels and a pork dish it’s much the same as before, still with specials as extra menu items. Our meal on the 30/12/23 was excellent. A superb fillet steak cooked perfectly rare with a requested red wine jus instead of peppercorn sauce. My husband tells me his moules frites were also spot on with the dizzy blonde sauce really tasty. Both our desserts, chocolate cherry torte and chocolate truffle cheesecake were both deliciously decadent. The only niggle being the squirty cream on the cheesecake which was awful, not even the thick luxurious type but the awful airy type which had almost collapsed to a watery puddle by the time it was served. It really has no place on a Craven Heifer dessert. I must also mention the excellent service, as always, attentive without being intrusive.
Excellent service good quality food had steak and unicorn ale pie very nice good real ale good value for money will vist again
Since we enjoyed an excellent meal in December. Robinson's have reduced the always superb menu to over priced "Pub Food" We have eaten there for about fifteen years since Peter converted it into what it had become. Sadly as regular local customers, we will not be returning.
We wanted a pre xmas meal. I'd heard it had been taken over by the same people who have the Tempest so I was sceptical, as had tried the Tempest and wasn't impressed. However having been a regular diner to the Heifer I thought at least try it and hope the excellent standard is there. I ordered from the festive menu, 2 courses for £25, I ordered turkey and I would order a dessert. There was enough food and most of it tasty but I did think the turkey tasted like chicken does when reheated, just strange. The rest was delicious, roast potatoes, parsnip, carrots, Brussels but no mash. The gravy I thought had thickening agent in it, was quite gloopy and left a weird texture on the tongue. I love Xmas pudding so ordered that, it came out and I think the shock was allover my face, I have never in my life recieved a dessert so small. It was around 3 inches in diameter in mould shape and half an inch in depth. Shocking. It came on a rectangular plate with a jug of brandy sauce. For me it was more like custard with just a hint of brandy. I feel like I've basically paid £25 for a turkey dinner. I feel totally ripped off. Honestly thw dessert is joke. I could have eaten it in 2 spoons if i wasn't chasing it around a rectangular plate that made it look even more miniature. I doubt I'll be back anytime soon if at all.
An outstanding seasonal Christmas evening meal for eight people! French onion soup as good as that which used to be served at the Tempest Arms in the 1990's, incredible. Every single element of a turkey dinner prepared and cooked to perfection, absolutely beautiful. Excellent table service by a strong team of staff, just a few niggles... we asked three times for water at the table before it eventually arrived, had to ask for cranberry sauce and extra gravy but this should have really been a standard offering at a place as high quality as this. I will be back again and again, well done!
We like the Craven Heifer very much there is a group of us that go every 10 weeks or so. The food is great the staff are great very friendly. Hence why we keep coming back for more. The place as just been recently taken over by the Robinsons Brewery from Stockport. Hopefully they won’t change anything as the restaurant is always full and ‘If it’s not broken don’t fixed it’ Currently all the old staff are still there. I hope all will continue as it is.
My wife booked here for my 60th Birthday Lunch ... staff were excellent, including Oliver our main server. Five Adults, including a gentleman with learning disabilities with whom the team were excellent, engaging him as they would others. The Lunch was excellent, especially the Chicken Liver Parfait and Sticky Toffee Pudding ... many thanks and highly recommended !!
Very disappointed with todays food. No more delicious cheese and leek pie, replaced by Homity pie on the menu which was dry, too much pastry, and not tasty at all. We won’t return again unless the cheese and leek pie is reinstated.
Staying in the area and found the Craven Heifer online. Excellent venue food and service. Booked lunch for husband’s 70 birthday on Tuesday and enjoyed it so much booked again for Thursday. Will definitely book again when in the area. Thank you to all staff for your five star food and service.
Restaurantji Recommends
Not good. Food sub par for the price, service basically non-existent. Maybe if they employed servers who wanted to work there, it might help they might have a bit of something about them, rather than the bare minimum we received (take order and clear plates after we finished) we might’ve had dessert and coffee if we were offered menus! There’s better places around the area to go instead of here!
I have always rated the Craven to friends and told them they wouldn’t be able to find fault with anything there, the food , the service etc but today couldn’t have been more in the opposite direction. I booked a table for my sons 30th which I made them aware of, the service left a lot to be desired, at one point I had to go to the bar and request some drinks as we were sat with empty glasses for a while. The portions were a lot smaller than previous visits, but the final one was just as we were about to order a lovely drink, cocktails etc to wish my son happy birthday we were told our 2 hours on the table were done and we’d have to move to another so the next customers could have the table, something I wasn’t made aware of when I booked the table. We cancelled the drinks paid our £200 etc bill and left never to return.
Superb en-suite room within The Barn. Beautiful food and smiling friendly staff! Great location to explore the area. Definitely recommend!
what fantastic meals (again) we have just had our quiet wedding dinner there and the staff are wonderful and can't praise them enough. I can honestly recommend it to you all.
A disappointing meal at one of my go to restaurants. My beef was up to their usual standard but my wife’s burger was very small and uninteresting.Her meal was not value for money . This was brought to the attention of the staff at the time.