The Five Horseshoes, Maidensgrove

I was at this pub 8 years ago (see my piece from 01.06.06) and gave it a positive review. Unfortunately different people run the business now and they cannot cope with the popularity of the place. Whereas before the staff had pumps and barrels outside and a BBQ going to cope with the garden customers, now everyone has to queue at the small bar which is like being below deck on the Santa Maria. The staff have to dodge round customers with hot food and drinks in a not so merry dance. We were told we would have to wait 40 minutes and ordered soup which came in about 25 minutes and was cold. Staff's response to this was "sorry" and then to walk away. They came across as fed up with so much business. Strange. Some of our order was forgotten and the bill was totted up wrongly. Some people arrived after us to be told that they were no longer serving as the had run out of food and they were trying to "honour" the customers who had already ordered. Another couple nearby complained about various things and finally the waitress was called over to examine a miniscule amount of meat on a plate: the honouring reduced to eking out. Do the pub a favour and leave it out of your itinerary. Until the management get a viable system it's going to be like this or until a new bunch can make it work like the previous guys in 2006. On the plus side the beer was good but then Brakspears should be when it's only come up the road from Henley. The view is great.

5 May 2014 21:43

The Fox and Hounds, Walton On The Hill

There are a number of things to be said about the eating and drinking experience in this pub that lead me to give a negative review.

I chose this pub after reading the earlier reviews. I booked it a week in advance, intending to eat here after a brisk walk from Epsom racecourse via Headley.
The pub is small but tidy and the decoration modern. A log fire was burning in the grate which gave a welcoming feel. Unfortunately positive first impressions gave way to doubts after we were served cloudy pints of Youngs, splashed into the glasses, creating big heads and short measures. I asked the barmaid to top them up which she did willingly but in truth I should have handed them back and asked for something else. The beer tasted Ok but looked like the end of the barrel which it was, as later we were told there was no more Youngs to be had. Self respecting beer keepers would have switched off or switched over barrels and not served the last dregs.

However, worse was to follow as were kept waiting for 1 hour and 15 minutes for our meal. After about 30 minutes we were wondering what was going on when the waitress who was also the barmaid announced there was a delay in the kitchen and that we were to be offered drinks on the house. We accepted the offer when we should have walked out. However we were with friends whom we hadn't see for a while, were deep in conversation and not easily inclined to upsticks and find somewhere else. But man it dragged on and on. Then there was a flurry of activity as waitresses emerged with meals and several other tables received their food. It became clear that everybody was waiting and we were at the end of a queue of 20 others dotted at tables around the room.
When we were offered the free drinks it was an apology and an inducement to stay but the waitress said it would be another 5 to 10 minutes and it wasn't. It was more like 45 minutes.

We stayed; we ate and the food was good enough but hardly worth the cost, coming as it did from a kitchen where the chef was under pressure and tension must have pervaded the ovens.

The waitress remained calm and was as accommodating as she could be. But she should have been honest at the outset and told us how long it would be so we could have made an informed decision to stay or go. The story was one of the chefs had not turned up for work and the kitchen was understaffed. It seemed more than that. Whatever, the staff would have known how much of a delay that would cause and should have relayed this to all their customers.

I would not use this pub again, given the cloudy beer and huge delay in being served, not withstanding the offer of a free drink. The staff need to be more transparent than that in their customer relations.

On this day this pub gets 3 out of 10.

8 Jan 2012 19:17

The Golden Ball, Lower Assendon

Pleasant situation just off the main road and on the outskirts of Henley, with a country feel enhanced by the garden and a gravelled entrance and parking area. The building is also attractive and inviting. We went as the pub was opening on a Saturday evening so it had that quiet anticipatory feel, a prelude to revels to come. The landlord is friendly and there's a good natured dog which behaved appropriately. However the beer was cloudy, perhaps off the top of the barrel at the beginning of the night but the landlord should have checked that before his first cutomers came through the door.

7 May 2006 08:08