May 2024 by Serialglobetrotter
As other reviews have testified the surroundings and building are truly inviting therefore I won't add to that. We booked dinner in the 1530 restaurant and to be fair the food was to a good standard when it eventually arrived. The crab tablets were excellent and the mains of duck and trio of lamb were enjoyable. I will say the lamb was pink how I liked it, but with the only downside being the fat was not rendered down enough. The drinks/wine were reasonably priced too. It seems that you have drinks in the bar beforehand and pick up menus when you go through to the restaurant, whereas in a venue such it would be nice to view the menus in the bar and have your orders taken beforehand and be advised when the table is ready. This convention would seem more normal to us. It might avoid what followed. After taking our seats in the restaurant we had to wait 20 minutes for our order to be taken. Consequently it took a good 15-20 minutes for each further course to be delivered after plates were cleared. While I would not attach blame to the mainly two young visible waiting staff, occasionally augmented by another young staff member, because mostly they were trying hard to cover at least 40+ covers of which there was a party of a dozen. Furthermore, they were quite young and appeared to be little more than senior students. It was more about them being provided with sufficient training by the management team to cope and being able to engage better with the diners. Occasionally, there was another lady who helped out with serving, but she just had her head down all the time and didn't engage hardly at all. It was a shame about this as Seckford Hall could be a great place to dine given a few small adjustments.
March 2024 by Veronica L
We booked for the Easter family lunchevent for 12 of us. On arrival we were greeted by friendly staff and a huge rabbit - some of our party liked the rabbit, others found it freaky. When we booked we were assured there would be activities for all our children aged 7, 11 and 15. The magician said they?d come back to our table once the children were there - didn?t happen. The focus was definitely on younger children with only the outside egg hunt for all ages. The meal for families was in the conservatory - pretty and decorated with an Easter theme. Unfortunately it was uncomfortably cold with a draft around the ankles. We were told the heating was on. We were all too cold to hang around for coffee . The food was mediocre. The cold room made everyone uncomfortable. Make sure your table is in the main building which was lovely and warm, otherwise take leg warmers and coats.
March 2024 by CJS9864
Decided to try this for lunch . On arrival we went to the reception and asked if we could get a sandwich for lunch we were directed to order in the restaurant , at no time were we advised of where we could sit and didn?t realise until leaving that there was a bar with tables you could sit at so ended up sitting at very low lounge chairs and a low coffee table . Our order was taken ,my hot chocolate was luke warm my mother?s black coffee Undrinkable as it was so hot . We ordered a baguette with honey roast ham , cheese and chutney , this arrived with knives and forks on a wooden board ( unhygienic) with salad with dressing on and a pot of crisps. The baguette had been toasted and was so tough my mother found it impossible to chew . It was made with cheap spread / margarine and I had to remove lots of fat from ham which was not good quality . The cheese was grated and had no flavour with little evidence of chutney . On paying we were asked if everything was ok and said no and the member of staff said ?oh dear ,sorry about that ?!!! Beautiful building but you need to up your game the price was over £29 and definitely not worth it .
March 2024 by daveinkent44
Came here early when the restaurant opened at 1830. Really nice menu. Food was very good and really enjoyed. Desert was lovely, but we we?re waiting to attract someone to get us our bill and 30 minutes later, we gave up and paid at the till. To be fair there was an event going on next door, so staff were very busy. But overall it was a really pleasant birthday meal.
February 2024 by Polly G
I never usually complain but this was the worst meal I?ve ever had. We started with the soup. Does the chef think pouring it infront of you at the table will make it taste better? Because it didn?t work, you could tell this pale slop wasn?t going to be nice and it wasn?t, it was like flavourless baby food. Then we had chicken, again they pour some bizarre oil/liquid all over it in front us at the table which tasted horrible, as the chicken came with some sauce on the side, this mixed with the liquid and made the most vile combination, the chicken came in a bowl which made it impossible to cut, and it came with one slice of a mushroom which had a horrible texture. There was supposed to be a lemon sorbet pallette cleanser between courses which we never saw. We didn?t bother staying for dessert despite it being included with our hotel package. I left starving. None of the food seemed very well thought out and lacked the right textures or flavours. I can?t believe a beautiful hotel could get their food so wrong.
January 2024 by Robert Budd
We went for Sunday lunch. Main courses were okay but not exceptional. Desserts were beautifully presented and delicious.The building is splendid and the dining room nicely traditionalUnfortunately the staff had not been properly briefed about the 'Black Friday' promotion we had gone for, which rather spoilt the overall experience.
January 2023 by maggielanchester65
I have a dairy intolerance and the chef cooked the mushroom risotto dairy free for me. My husband also commented on the excellent food
October 2022 by Both-like-travelling
The restaurant is very pleasant and comfortable and the food is amazing. We were there for two nights and had different meals and every one was exceptional. Really nice. Definitely recommended
