The Duke on the Test Reviews Summary

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food tasted nice."
• "Food and drink were excellent 5*."
• "The roast beef was just perfect and pink and will defo recommend."
• "Fantastic food and accommodation."
• "Fabulous food which had oodles of taste and texture and couldn't be faulted."
• "Food was absolutely delicious."
• "The food was amazing."

Cons:

• "Three of us went for breakfast unfortunately the food was not of a great standard."
• "The roast wasn’t great either. The potatoes were dry and the vegetables were undercooked."
• "Venison sausage was dry and grainy."
• "The food which was non descript barely warm and dried out dauphinoise potatoes were brown should have been cooked in cream."
• "The meal was lukewarm and the beef itself was cold and extremely rare in places."
• "I had the vegan burger which I found to be dry and flavourless."
• "The fish fingers sadly let it down."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff lovely and friendly and attentive."
• "The serving staff were very attentive to our needs."
• "Friendly faces despite it being quite busy."
• "The staff were so friendly especially the lovely Lee who looked after us so well."
• "Staff make you feel welcome."
• "The staff are very attentive and helpful."
• "Staff were friendly, attentive and gave good service."

Cons:

• "3 couples walked in, were ignored and walked out. Staff standing behind the bar more interested in talking and one doing her hair."
• "The service is terrible. No communication with the staff."
• "A complete fiasco, no organisation at all, young waitresses and waiters with no direction, needs an experienced manager."
• "If you're with a strong accent, don't expect a good service."
• "Ordered my drink a number of times before it came, and the wine they brought to the table was not the bottle we had ordered."
• "It is a shame the staff lack training."
• "Had a table booked here and found the service very slow and unattentive."

Ambiance and Location

Pros:

• "Done a lovely job on the refurbishment."
• "Very calm and discreet."
• "The pub is located close to walks with good parking facilities."
• "Nice garden and outside area, very pleasant."
• "Lovely historical pub, not huge but that's fine."
• "Instant reaction, super warm and cosy - really inviting setting with different areas to drink/dine/both in."
• "The decor and atmosphere was lovely."

Cons:

• "We were sat just by the door so found it a very busy place with lots of people coming past us chatting etc constantly, it was very noisy and made conversation difficult."
• "The only possible down-side could be the car park, We went mid-week and there were only a few spaces left."
• "Visited last night for dinner and the stench from the drains was close to unbearable."
• "The presence of too many dogs marred what could have been a really memorable time."
• "From the minute you walk in it absolutely stinks of cigarettes!!"
• "The rest is a mish mash of unmarked spaces and impossibly parked cars!!!"
• "Sadly, the smell of sewage/drains is still strong when you're visiting the toilets and the bottom half of the car park."

Value and Pricing

Pros:

• "Good varied menu, reasonably priced."
• "Booking a table is recommended."
• "I couldn't afford to eat here regularly but it's a very nice treat."
• "Superb Sunday Lunch for a family if 8. Not the cheapest around but certainly good value."
• "Food was fantastic and well worth the wait as taken so long to get a booking."
• "Really great food, lunch and evening."
• "Facilities were exceptionally clean and they had easy access (and facilities) for disabled visitors."

Cons:

• "Very disappointed to be turned away when the place was seemingly empty."
• "Although the refurbishment is lovely the service was lacking."
• "The price rise for one night increased from £140 to £185 a night! Very expensive for what it is."
• "The lamb cutlets were inedible, fatty and gristle certainly not worth £25."
• "Needs an experienced chef. I was told originally the chef was an ex Lime Hotel chef well whoever cooked our meal did not have a clue what decent food should look and taste like."
• "My friend and I had a very expensive fish finger sandwich."
• "Very expensive for what we received."