Stump Cross Inn, Restaurant

I haven't been in the rooms so can't rate them. The location, of course, can't be faulted. It's beautiful around here. Outdoor seating. Plenty of parking. It's a bit squeaky clean for my tastes but that hardly qualifies as a criticism. The staff are friendly and - the best point, for me at least - is that they serve a perfect pint of Timothy Taylor Boltmaker. One of the most satisfying pints I've ever enjoyed. Nice Malty tones and far from being overhopped, which seems to be the fashion now, unfortunately for my pallette and, I suspect, old geezers like myself. (Go Freedom Pass Boys!) So, yes, a quiet pub with good service and a 5 star ale. I shall review the food when I eat something there!

Thankfully we only went for dinner, or at least we tried. It would seem that the Stump Cross has gone down hill since I last ate there in 2016-ish. The interior now looks very tired, there is tape sticking down carpets, it feels very sparse. All in all, it feels like a down-market Toby Carver but more expensive (and you don’t get any food, more to follow on that)! We went for a Sunday roast however it was just a bog-standard carvery. Not to worry we thought, the menu online seems to imply quite “posh” food. On the contrary, the Sunday offering is variations of carvery meats with vegetables, and a small selection of other less impressive dishes. Ultimately, we both decided on the Yorkshire pudding wrap, containing beef and gravy, with some roast potatoes on the side. I can’t tell you what it was like, because we waiting almost an hour and no food arrived; we had asked several times and were repeatedly told it was coming out in five minutes… In the end, we rang another restaurant to ensure availability, and told the waitress to cancel the order and left. I don’t like leaving negative reviews, but my question is, how can it take almost an hour to put some already cooked meat, in a (most likely) already prepared/cooked Yorkshire pudding and put that on a plate of already cooked potatoes… the pub was serving a carvery! The nice lady at the bar was sympathetic and waved the cost for the coffee and coke we’d had. Some sort of service recovery there at least? We definitely will not be returning or recommending.