Smiths Arms

We went for happy hour tea time and were extremely pleased with the whole event. Friendly greeting from somebody who really knew what was what. Food is all real home made traditional fare. Very good. Cold evening and a warm log fire burning set the scene. Highly recommended.
Woops! Fortnight later the price has gone up 40% for tea-​time special. Still nice but at the new price there is a lot of competition which beats it on price. After all, a tea time special is a tea time special, is a tea time special.

As a couple we were looking forward to a nice evening meal on a Saturday after hearing good reveiws about this pub/​restaurant.
Got there early for about 7.00pm just incase it was fully booked, to find the restaurant to be empty with just one table of 8 rowdy people with a dog tied up in the corridoor. Not a good start! The atmosphere was dreary and depressing but after moving table away from the rowdy bunch we decided to still go ahead and order.
We ordered starters and mains from a not so imaginative menu, not a lot of choice, nothing particularly jumping out at us.
For starters the «thai fishcakes» were rubbish! Didnt taste of fish or potato. Were tiny squashed flat round things and tasted of oil theyd been deepfried in!
The other starter of «prawn wontons» was nothing special, just like those from an Iceland party pack. Both starters served on a tiny plate covered in overflowing salad and with a sweet chilli dip. We really didnt think £4.95 was a suitable price for these two pathetic starters. Totally dissappointed!
But we continued on to the main in which I ordered «chicken in white wine» and my partner ordered the special «sirloin steak with garlic prawns».
Upon getting the main dish my partner told the waitress that his order was wrong… no garlic prawns with the steak! The waitress who was inexperienced went back to the kitchen and returned with an answer of.“the order is wrong but I dunno what to do”. It was a farce! The poor girl didnt know what she was doing and no sign of the management or the chef!
My partner agreed to forget about the prawns, as it would take longer to wait for them, and if the price could be rectified on the bill. The other waitress agreed, but no apology given for this rubbish service!
Upon a couple of mouthfuls of the steak my partner told me to try it… it was disgusting!!! Unedible! The steak tasted off, it tasted of blue cheese! Whether it had been cooked in «off» butter or the meat was unfresh it was absolutley disgusting! Horrified we told the waitress who took it back to the kitchen and asked us to order another dish, which at this point we were appalled that there was no apology and no sign of the management.
I could no longer look at my chicken in white wine because the bad taste of the steak had made me feel ill! My partner was feeling disgusted too, our night had been ruined with no empathy from the staff!
Upset and very angry we had to leave the restaurant and were even asked to settle the bill in we which we only agreed to pay for the starters and drinks, even though it wasnt our fault the meal was disgusting and had ruined the night!
No apology, poor service and inedible food! This was the WORST restaurant experience I have ever had, and Ithats saying something as an experienced traveller around the world!

Warm welcome. Varied menu which offers quality food with value for money. On a recent visit with a party of eleven the staff ensured that all guests were served at the same time.
Relaxed atmosphere. It’s a favorite with our family

The Smiths (As The Smiths Arms was renamed about 2 years ago) is my favourite pub meal in the area. The restaurant is small and intimate with a relaxed atmosphere and a varied but easy to follow menu with under 10 options for each course. Some of these are starred, meaning you can get 3 courses for around £10. The food is filling and original, quite gastro-​pubby. Around a year ago they did an awesome steak with madagascan green peppercorn sauce that I wish they would bring back! The menu changes seasonally, and the sunday roast is hearty and filling. The side of the pub for drinking is seperated from the more modern dinign room, and contains sky tv and is busy and reasonable.