Fox & Barrel at Cotebrook

Jack (7 August 2008)

The Fox and Barrel did go through a period of decline and eventually closed for a long period. It has now reopened with a good pedigree. We will be trying it out on a Sunday and the car park has been busy, which is a good sign.

Mr Willcox (30 September 2007)

This was not the first time any of our party of six had visited the restaurant. Hence a thirty five minute drive in two cars did not seem too much to ask. A work colleague of one of our party had in fact visited the restaurant few weeks earlier. They too were making a return visit, and wished they hadn't, surely not. However, we still went there.

1) On arrival one of the guest ales was not available because the pipes had not been cleaned. After approximately forty five minutes it was sorted out. So why was this not done before opening.

2) Not all meals on the menu were available-we had booked for 7.30 pm on a Saturday evening.

3) We ordered our meals and ten minutes later had to ask for side plates and butter to accompany the bread with the starter meals.

3) The mains came but all on cold plates.

4) The food was only warm on all meals apart from the fish and chips.

5) We asked to return the meals and requested hot plates and hot food.

6) One meal (fillet steak) came and was unaccompanied by vegetables or the side order of chubby chips for almost 20 minutes.

7) The returned warm plates and meals were exchanged. The plates were hot but the food even cooler than before, so had they had just warmed up plates while the meals sat and waited.

At this point now 9.00 pm, the manger was approached. After explaining in a polite manner though most disappointed that the evening was intended to be a special family thank you given by a senior lady of the party and that almost anything that could go wrong had in fact gone wrong-twice. He offered his apologies. It would have been more sincere had he taken the trouble to approach the table from the bar area and offer this to the lady who chose the restaurant for the special evening and who would have been covering what would have been a considerable final bill. At now turned 9.00 pm we explained where would we be able to get into a replacement restaurant without booking and try to salvage our evening. He then offered to correct things. Understandably after those two attempts at what are basic restaurant procedures we declined. Our evening ruined. He cancelled the bill for the food, only two starters and the fillet steak minus the vegetables and chips were consumed. He also cancelled the bar bill. Upon returning to the table, the waiter was also then offering to correct things with a third attempt explaining that the plates were only warmed in the centre where the food rests and not at the edges. Nobody told the waitress, who had brought them to the table with cloths to avoid burning her hands. So he was then informed that the manager had been approached and given clear examples of our disappointing evening and the restaurant’s poor shortfall, with almost everything. That the bill would not be served and that we all would be leaving immediately.

It was an embarrassing evening of total disappointment for all. We were just glad it was not a birthday or other special event. We can at least take this evening again at a different establishment and enjoy it as it should have been enjoyed. We feel that the out of date signage outside this establishment displaying that it was a winning restaurant in 2007 is with our experience misleading and should be removed. We will not return to the Fox and Barrel.