The Cottage Inn

Went there Sunday just gone. Was instantly suspicious as it was a beautiful Sunday and there was nobody there eating. When I asked if the Steak and Merlot pie was home made I was met with a blank look and a sharp no (I thought it was all home made?).
I ended up ordering a burger as I was told by a friend that all the meat comes from a great butcher so I thought it was a safe bet. Boy was I wrong! It was the worst burger I have eaten since the god awful ones we used to get at school 20 odd years ago. It was light gray (looked like it had been boiled) and like foam rubber. It didn’t taste like beef but more like reclaimed meat. The bun completely disintegrated as soon as I lifted it up and a stream of water ran out.
I did not pay for it and will never be returning. It’s a shame too because the potential there is massive if only they didn’t cut the corners so much!

A lovely country pub atmosphere with a lovely log fire.
Great food, average pub prices.
Nice interior, decorated to a high standard.
Not too far off the main road, but feels like you are a million miles away from it all.
Staff are friendly.
Has it’s own secure car park.

I came here with my wife by accident when we were driving around trying to find a different pub. It’s hidden away up a little lane surrounded by fields so the location is very picturesque.
After entering the restaurant area we loitered around for 5 minutes or so until a waitress asked if we were here to eat.
There was quite a variety in the menu, ranging from pizzas, currys and seafood on the blackboards, as well as the supplied menu.
The starters were generous and we enjoyed them, but the mains was a different story. We waited what seemed like an eternity for our mains, during which time we saw some terrible service being given to other customers.
An elderly gentleman who’d clearly had enough of waiting had gone to the bar to complain to the manager (who I might add had been pouring and knocking back a fair few lagers in a small glass) who didn’t take kindly to his criticism. He told him where to stick his comments and to pay and get out. Up until this point I’d considered complaining myself but I thought better after this!
Eventually our mains arrived, and it wasn’t so much that they didn’t taste good, but rather didn’t taste of anything at all. The veg tasted like it had been cooked for an hour and was soft and floppy. Seasoning was apparently a foreign concept.
We asked to see the dessert menu in an attempt to salvage the evening, which took 20min to arrive, from the table 2m to my left I discovered.
Incredibly the ice-​cream we ordered (for £4) was as bland as the rest of the meal.
To avoid being abused by the manager we paid the bill and left sharpish.
Apparently this place used to be quite nice, it’s not at the moment anyway.