Homemade Chocolate Brownie
The Barnyard

The Barnyard

Oak LaneUpchurch, Sittingbourne, United Kingdom

Full • Wine • British • High Tea


"Really really poor. The venue is lovely, but the restaurant would put me off ever using this place for a wedding. Service initially was fine, then 3 drunk ladies sat next to us which I wasn’t bothered about, it’s Xmas after all however they were asked numerous times if they wanted more drinks and if everything was okay, whereas my partner and I were not asked once for any more drinks etc seemed like they knew they’d make their money on 3 girls on the lash so didn’t bother with us. The starters were nice, the halloumi bruschetta was yummy but the Thai cake was literally one which was such poor value for money. Anyway, it came to the roasts I’m pretty sure I’d have eaten better at Toby carvery, st least the yorkshires would have been fresh. The roasts were awful, the but roast I had was not nice at all and looked like dog sick. It came in a soggy giant Yorkshire which looked like a frozen aunt Bessie’s, in fact it all looked like it had either been frozen or come in a bag, nothing fresh at all. And my partner had the pork, which is advertised with CRACKLING, but to call it that is actually laughable, when they actually bring you pulled pork and then a side of pork scratchings and say they’re crackling. I even asked the waitress about the crackling and she pointed to 5 pieces of pork scratchings on my partners plate and said that was is, I said to her they were pork scratchings but she didn’t understand. This was definitely a way to tell it wasn’t fresh as freshly cooked pork would have come with actual crackling on it. Honestly the whole thing was just awful, and to pay £15 for a roast that tastes like a microwave meal is ridiculous. We just wanted to leave, but again due to the service this took having to ask twice to be able to actually pay and leave. Such a shame as the barn/restaurant looks absolutely lovely, but I would absolutely never ever come back"

Little Hallingbury Mill

Little Hallingbury Mill

Old Mill LaneGaston Green, Bishop's Stortford, United Kingdom

Cafés • Steak • Mexican • English


"How on earth this restaurant acquired 5 stars is utterly beyond me. It doesn 't deserve one star. I looked at the menu and the reviews and booked. As it was Valentine 's night there was a set menu. 3 options on each course. This was not stated on the website. We were greeted when we arrived and were served drinks. There was no ambience whatsoever. A rose/carnation on the table or a glass of champagne/prosecco on arrival might have been an idea.... I would have chosen the crab and salmon ravioli. However we were told than ten minutes prior to our arrival the chef had 'dropped the whole tray of ravioli on the floor '. So the ravioli was off. We then chose the pate. We were given one piece of toast Main course was dreadful. My salmon was lukewarm. Very small portion too. My guest chose steak but was not asked how he wanted it cooked. It arrived very rare so it was sent back. It was cooked a bit more and returned to the table. It was very very tough. By this time I had finished my main course and my drink. I was not asked whether I would like another. After quite a while, we had to ask. The cheese board was mediocre to say the least. The restaurant was cold and uninviting. Rather sad as it is a lovely building with great potential. Why they only had three options on the menu is beyond me. It was not even busy! The owner was in jeans and a cowboy shirt.... there was no attempt to make this night special in any way. We were told that two staff had called in sick. Poor excuse. This restaurant has been open for exactly three years. It should have made its mark by now. The owner did make a reduction to our bill. However the evening was ruined and I came home feeling hungry. I think the owner is in the wrong job. Just a final comment.... having read the glowing reviews of this place before I booked I suspect the owner has a lot of friends! Such a pity."

Little Hallingbury Mill

Little Hallingbury Mill

Old Mill Lane, Uttlesford, United Kingdom

Coffee • Chicken • English • Chicken


"How on earth this restaurant acquired 5 stars is utterly beyond me. It doesn 't deserve one star. I looked at the menu and the reviews and booked. As it was Valentine 's night there was a set menu. 3 options on each course. This was not stated on the website. We were greeted when we arrived and were served drinks. There was no ambience whatsoever. A rose/carnation on the table or a glass of champagne/prosecco on arrival might have been an idea.... I would have chosen the crab and salmon ravioli. However we were told than ten minutes prior to our arrival the chef had 'dropped the whole tray of ravioli on the floor '. So the ravioli was off. We then chose the pate. We were given one piece of toast Main course was dreadful. My salmon was lukewarm. Very small portion too. My guest chose steak but was not asked how he wanted it cooked. It arrived very rare so it was sent back. It was cooked a bit more and returned to the table. It was very very tough. By this time I had finished my main course and my drink. I was not asked whether I would like another. After quite a while, we had to ask. The cheese board was mediocre to say the least. The restaurant was cold and uninviting. Rather sad as it is a lovely building with great potential. Why they only had three options on the menu is beyond me. It was not even busy! The owner was in jeans and a cowboy shirt.... there was no attempt to make this night special in any way. We were told that two staff had called in sick. Poor excuse. This restaurant has been open for exactly three years. It should have made its mark by now. The owner did make a reduction to our bill. However the evening was ruined and I came home feeling hungry. I think the owner is in the wrong job. Just a final comment.... having read the glowing reviews of this place before I booked I suspect the owner has a lot of friends! Such a pity."

The Mainwaring Arms

The Mainwaring Arms

Road, ST5 5HR, Whitmore, United Kingdom

Pub • Fish • British • Vegetarian


"My second visit here and possibly my last. Unable to book tables, however upon arrival the staff worked quickly to find us a table depite being busy. Drinks: Ordered a bottle of white wine which was promptly served at room temperature and then placed on top of a layer of ice in a wine cooler. Had to ask for an ice bucket and then for some water to be added to the ice. Staff member didn 't seem too happy about this. Clearly no training has been given on how to serve wine. Wine tasted cheap; possibly my fault for ordering a bottle of French wine sub £30. Food: Ordered a sharing plate which was described as being served with granary bread to accompany the pâté and cured salmon. It arrived without any bread. When questioned, a plate of pre-sliced white bread arrived. Informed our server, who checked with the kitchen and returned saying they don 't have any granary bread; no apology was made and they didn 't seem to know how to handle the situation. We ate the pâté and salmon on thin white bread horrible! Butter was served straight from the fridge and was impossible to spread even at the end of the meal. Seriously, if you can 't pull-off a simple dish like this then I would suggest removing it from the menu. I should mention that this menu item was incomplete on our previous visit too, so no lessons have been learned. How hard is it for a restaurant to order a few extra loaves of bread? Ambiance: We liked the pub décor and the candles but the area where we dined featured rail spotlights which were flood beam, as opposed to narrow beam. This made us feel like we were on stage and was certainly not condusive with candle-lit ambiance they are trying to achieve. Also, despite the log burner, we all felt cold for the duration of the meal with most of our party unable to remove their coats. Overall a very disappointing visit."