The Shepherds Hut, Ewelme

Good: The pub was happy to take our booking on a "pencil in" basis (we were travelling on a Bank Holiday Monday over a few hundred miles, including M25, and I wasn't sure where we might be at lunchtime). Look, location and atmosphere of the place was good too. Great beer (and other drinks - MIL requested cranberry juice which they had) and good menu (our party of 5 had roasts - beef and pork) choices. (More available than their website seems to suggest). Attentive service
Not so good: Meal was a bit hit and miss, we all recognised that some meat was barely cooked (I'm not a fussy eater) which is (slightly) acceptable with beef, but not so with pork. Also the gluten free gravy consitituents had run out the previous day (fortunately my wife had appropriate cornflour and stock cubes to hand following our few days away). Y/shire puds were burnt in some places, fine in others, but veg and gravy tasted great. That said there was plenty of food that was edible per plate - so not a great issue - just a tad disappointing and means we'd probably not visit again (even though on a regular route we travel).
I mentioned the food position to the staff, but felt they weren't really prepared to listen and they weren't prepared to consider any reduction in charge.

30 Aug 2011 13:43