The Bull's Head Inn

Firstly the lady who greeted us for our stay was lovely and the Guinness in the cosy and warm bar was excellent. However the room was not great. We were put in a room just off the car park and not in the main pub. We were greeted with an overflowing ashtray and several cigarette ends right outside our door. The windows were filthy and the carpets dusty with cobwebs in the bathroom. The pillows were much used and flat and the rooms are in desperate need of refurbing. The only good thing was the heating was good and easy to control but the lampshades were cracked and we expected a basic level of cleanliness. I understand it’s not always easy for hoteliers to upgrade their rooms with the costs involved but you would expect the rooms to be clean. Such a shame as gorgeous location but generally run down.

Unfortunately we had a very disappointing Christmas dinner that wasn’t worth the price of £62.50, I was realty upset as we love to support local businesses. The starter of Pâté was not homemade and looked shop bought and the toast looked like bog standard wholemeal bread not fresh crusty loaf toasted and the French onion soup was cold. The main was awful, the roast potatoes were not cooked fresh and were soft, chewy and cold, the Yorkshire pudding was cold and burnt. The minature pigs in blankets were burnt and the veg was plain bog standard veg that came as more of a portion not for 3 people. The pudding for me was the best part of it all and that wasn’t the best. What we got was a Wetherspoons type of meal not a local country pub! Really not good enough. We never go out as a family as it’s far too expensive but thought we would treat ourselves this year for Christmas Day and had high expectations for the price but we were extremely disappointed and felt robbed. The waitress was lovely and apologised and offered me something else but I just wanted to go home. I was refunded £20 off the bill. We won’t be going again.

Fantastic place, visited many times, however not had the requirements to stay overnight, however we are assured the accommodation is very good. The staff and owners always make us very welcome, the homemade food is always good and plentiful, the bar is traditional with a vast selection of drinks. They regularly have live bands on at the weekend, mostly suited for the middle aged group, we have always enjoyed our visits.

We were, as a large family group, staying at The Dinney, a superb self-catering property nearby, and decided to book The Bull's Head for Sunday lunch. Reviews we read were good, and on the phone the booking was taken without hesitation (we worried at the size (19) of our party. Oh dear. As Sunday lunch is traditionally roast beef etc., several of our party ordered this. One expects to get succulent pink beef, from a large joint. Not in our case. The beef was more suitable for shoe repairing! This was bad enough - but the reaction to our complaints were something else. It was said, in no uncertain terms, that the proprietors father was a butcher - and they knew how to cook beef! If that is the case, we are glad it wasn't our butcher. No apologies, and a very reluctant offer to replace the beef dish with an alternative (after some discussion). In fairness, the pork and the vegetables were fine. But the customer service was greatly lacking. We may try to use The Dinney again another year - but certainly not The Bull's head!

We stayed for 4 nights and were very impressed with initial welcome by Norma who took us to our accommodation and checked if everything was okay. All the staff in the pub are so friendly, particular thanks to Rich and Steph. The food was excellent and service by the waiting on staff was efficient and friendly. It is so nice to go into a pub with lots of locals who made us feel very welcome. Thank you everyone. We will return.

We stayed here recently whilst attending a family wedding at a nearby venue. Very pleased with the room, good full English breakfast was filling - set us up for the return journey home! Hosts were very friendly, going out of their way to assist us.