"My wife and I decided to try the Village Maid having eaten at other pubs in the Moss Co chain) as they had a special promotion with 50% off main meals for a limited period Mondays to Wednesdays). My sister had bought us a £10 gift voucher and we thought it would be a good opportunity to use it. Sadly this was not possible the pub 's menu states '50% OFF MAINS OFFER CANNOT BE USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH A MOSS CO VOUCHER. TO USE A MOSS CO VOUCHER, MEALS WILL BE CHARGED AT FULL RESTAURANT PRICE '. The meal itself was excellent. I ordered the whitebait starter £8) which was a good sized portion and my wife and I shared it. Really tasty and fresh. For main course I ordered the pan fried seabass £20 reduced to £10) and a side order of hand cut chips £4). It was served with a chickpea, chorizo and prawn gumbo in a large bowl and to be honest I could have skipped the chips as it was very filling. There were loads of prawns, although only two small pieces of seabass. My wife ordered the Maple Glazed Bacon Steak £17 reduced to £8.50) which she really enjoyed. We shared a dessert, a lovely Banana Toffee and Pecan Sponge Pudding with Custard £8.50) which was really light and tasty, and more than enough for us to share. The pub had an extensive drinks menu but only two ales available, although the Lacons Encore was tasty. The service was excellent we had a very friendly lady server who had a great sense of humour and we really enjoyed the interaction. Pace of service was just right, not too rushed or slow, so enough time to digest and enjoy without feeling full or pushed to clear the table. We had a lovely meal and the entire visit was excellent. The only reason for not scoring 5 stars was the gift voucher issue. I don 't see the logic in denying customers with gift vouchers the ability to access the offer. I could understand why the 50% off mains offer couldn 't be used with another 'discount ' offer, but a gift voucher is still a cash payment, indeed Moss Co even had the money in advance! If we had used my voucher we would have ended up paying £8.50 MORE than not using it, which seems daft, especially as Moss Co are promoting the giving of these vouchers as Xmas presents in their newsletter...we were better off NOT using it, which doesn 't seem right. I have emailed Moss Co twice on this matter and not even had an acknowledgment. Apart from that the meal experience was excellent and I am sure we will be tempted to return."
