Duck Hash
The Duchess of Cornwall

The Duchess of Cornwall

12 Queen Mother Square Dorchester, Dorset DT1 3DD, DT1 3DX, West Dorset, United Kingdom

Pub • Bars • Steak • British


"The Dutches of Cornwall is an impressive looking inn in the slightly surreal environs of Poundbury, King Charles’ pet sociological experiment. It doesn’t have much competition in the immediate area and is or should be something of a flagship for the Hall and Woodhouse brewery that is based just up the road in Blandford. The setting, decor and general ambience are all excellent. The staff are youthful, smiley and mostly enthusiastic. The rooms are well appointed, comfortable and, particularly given the recent cold snap, warm and cosy. The bed and breakfast deal I got also represented fantastic value for money, particularly once you throw in the complementary drink from your room. What’s not to like? Well, we combined our overnight stay with Sunday lunch. It all looked promising. We, however, waited quite a while between being seated and being spoken to by waiting staff. “Sorry for the wait”. My pescatarian wife wanted the Hake. “Sorry, there’s no Hake left”. Our booking was at 1:30, not, I would suggest, late in the day. Not wanting fish and chips again , she opted for the No Nut Roast. I went for the Roast Beef ‘served pink’ . We perhaps confused the issue by ordering starters arancini and beetroot cured smoked salmon. Both were delicious. We then waited quite a while for our starters to be cleared. Eventually, my wife asked someone to clear our table. We then waited for our main courses. We waited. We watched other table’s mains come and go. We waited. We asked after our mains and moments later they appeared. ‘Sorry for the wait”. All looked Okay although my beef wasn’t pink. I tried it and it was a bit tough and beginning to dry out. Had I guessed, I would have thought they may have been waiting under a warming lamp for a while. We mentioned it to a waitress, who said she’d ‘tell chef’ and get me some more, pink beef. We waited. Unsure whether I should continue to eat my veg, I asked a waitress and she said to carry on eating I’d just be getting some more pink beef. Eventually, 4 succulent pink slices of rare roast beef appeared. Joy. When asked by the duty manager ? if everything was OK, the waiting, string of apologies and the over done beef were highlighted and he, again, apologised and kindly removed the cost of our main courses from the bill. Whilst I feel this was good and absolutely the correct response, I would clearly have rather have had a good meal served in a timely way the first time round. Breakfast looked promising but, again, a few items typically those we requested were unavailable. No baked eggs ? and no plain yoghurt. I am not sure who eats Toffee yoghurt at breakfast, of which there was a plentiful supply, other than, perhaps 6 year olds. It was also sad to see streaky rather than back bacon included in the Full English Breakfast and my bacon bap . Is this pandering to the American audience, do you think? A bit pernickety perhaps. Overall, a lovely stay was tarnished somewhat by some poor catering and a limited number of young staff who, whilst trying hard, lacked effective supervision; I would suggest that many of the delays we experienced could have been avoided by a good ‘maitre d’hotel’ or ‘floorwalker’ directing staff to clear away, prepare tables or identify when folk had been waiting too long. We would certainly give the Duchess of Cornwall another go if only for the exceptional value for money of the overnight stay and hope that the duty manager’s assurances that what we found was not representative of their usual high standards to be the case."

Hall & Woodhouse, Bath

Hall & Woodhouse, Bath

1 Old King Street Bath, Somerset BA1 2JT, United Kingdom

Beer • Steak • Seafood • Burgers


"If you find yourself meandering through the picturesque streets of Bath, bathed in its classical elegance, you 'll stumble upon Hall Woodhouse. Now, this isn 't just any run-of-the-mill boozer. No, it’s a masterful blend of old-world charm and modern flair. As you step inside, you 're greeted by a warm, inviting ambiance that says, Yes, you are indeed in a traditional British pub. But then, just as you 're settling into this comforting notion, you spot a spiral staircase. Yes, a spiral staircase that whisks you away to a rooftop terrace that’s rather nice, I must say. It 's the perfect place to gaze over the rooftops of Bath while nursing your pint or getting slightly tipsy on something a bit more effervescent. Now, let’s talk drinks. The beer selection is robust, reassuringly British, and designed to please even the most discerning ale aficionado. But here’s where things get interesting. Come Saturday night, the place transforms. Suddenly, you’re surrounded by ladies in their finest attire, sipping cocktails and Prosecco like there’s no tomorrow. It 's like a scene from a film – utterly brilliant and completely unexpected. But wait, there 's more. For those early birds or, dare I say, the peculiar breed who don 't appreciate a good pint, there 's a coffee bar. Yes, you heard that right. A coffee bar, catering to the caffeine enthusiasts and the morning shoppers who pop in for a quick fix. In short, Hall Woodhouse is a bit of a gem. It 's got the traditional pub feel, the modern bar vibe, and a rooftop terrace that’ll make you the envy of your mates. Whether you’re there for a beer, a cocktail, or even just a coffee, it’s definitely worth a visit. Cheers!"

Crown Hotel

Crown Hotel

8 West Street Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 7AJ, United Kingdom

Cafés • Mexican • European • Fast Food


"I would like to start my review on my first time at the Crown in the greeting when we first arrived was good evening sir and madam this was from the manager who wore a suit with shirt and tie, shown to our table...introduced to our waitress for the evening who was well presented in a smart white blouse and black skirt, the food was top notch and the service was excellent. Now let's review my last visit in the greeting hi guys can I get you some drinks we looked at the menu and ordered our food from our table server who was in a creased polo shirt black Jean's and white trainers, my wife wanted the chicken ceasar salad but asked for the anchovies to be left out, food arrived well presented but the ceasar salad had no dressing on it so we asked for the dressing but apparently the dressing is with the anchovies so if you remove the anchovies you lose the dressing, being from a catering background I found this to accept but was told no separate dressing now what sort of kitchen does not have any kind of dressing I will tell you it's the crown st Blandford, my side dish of broccoli with cheese and garlic was missed off so arrived late, when you read on a menu broccoli with cheese and garlic I would expect it to be like a cauliflower cheese but no it's just broccoli with with some parmesan shaken on it. What did surprise me is that the manager was in Jean's and an opened neck shirt, this casual look obviously reflects on the casual way the staff work. The Crown used to be the flagship of the brewery but alas this is not the case now."

Old Granary

Old Granary

The Quay Wareham, Dorset BH20 4LP, BH20 4LR, Purbeck, United Kingdom

Asiatic • Mexican • European • Fast Food


"My husband and I dine here often, but after dining there last night. I don't think we will be back. We had a booking for 7.45pm and we arrived a little early. Our table wasn't ready, so we were moved to another table that was close to the doors to the terrace... it wasn't the warmest of places to sit people, especially when that door was constantly in motion. When we ordered our food, we were told that you had no roasts left... so we ordered the salmon and the duck... after a short while, the waitress told us that the kitchen had also run out of those!! We settled for cheese burger and fish and chips in the end, as this was pretty much our only choice left on the Sunday menu! However, when it arrived, the fish was really greasy, the chips inedible as they looked like they'd been cooked in dirty fat and for far too long, and the burger was really dry. It's a real shame. We don't usually mind paying a bit more as the food there has always been lovely, but we paid £66 for 2 meals, and we didn't eat most of the main. The only good thing about it was the larder plate, which we shared as a starter. I wish I'd taken photos of the food to show how bad it was. We left not long after our food arrived. When I paid for the bill at the bar. I wasn't asked if everything was OK with the food. Otherwise, I might have had this conversation with the staff. My only advice to tourists is to try other places. The Quay Inn does quality food and for a reasonable price. You can always find space to sit and eat or just have a drink. It's the lure of the quay that makes the Granary so busy!"

The White Horse

The White Horse

30 Mill LaneHertfordshire AL6 9ET, WELWYN, United Kingdom

Pizza • Cafés • Seafood • Mexican


"I’m extremely saddened to write this review of the white horse. Its a place I use to love visiting, however it has been slowly changing and totally losing what it is. To start with the service was NOT good at all, I think we were on the invisible table. We were the first Table to arrive and yet the last to receive any drinks or food, people who arrived minutes after us had a starter and main course before us. I wouldn’t have minded but we had ordered very simple meals and it was t in the least bit busy. Our drinks took over minutes to arrive and the lady behind the bar was quite rude when we went to find out how much longer we would wait.Half of the main meals eventually arrived over an hour later, with the other main meals taking a further minutes to arrive. The price of the food is VERY expensive for essentially a simple burger and a pot of fries. We were not the only table to discuss this. I think they have put the prices up in light of the government off a meal which to me is totally wrong. There is no way I would visit this PUB again for the over priced food. Had we been paying full price for the meal I would have honestly refused to pay the service was so bad And the value for money just is not there.We were not able to get reservations at any other local restaurant so was surprised when this was available. Now I know why! I appreciate that pubs are still finding their feet with the new restrictions but having just returned from a week away every single restaurant We visited put The White horse to shame. There was no real cleaning going on, we were expected to clean our own table with a roll of blue paper and a spray kept out side the toilets! Lovely! According the the rude blonde bar maid anyway To top it off I spent the rest of my night and morning very unwell being and being violently sick. Such a shame"