Puesdown Inn, The Reviews

We visited the Puesdown Inn after many years of saying we must go there, it sounds really nice and were very disappointed indeed. The food was overpriced and the portions were small but tastes okay. I paid £12.50 for a selection of cooked meats, new potatoes and salad, when it arrived it was a selection of beef, cooked very rarely, which I could not eat as it would upset my stomach, two small slices of pork and a small slice of ham. Served with this was a small portion of potato salad and some mixed lettuce leaves. When I queried this I was told the new potatoes were in the potato salad and that indeed the lettuce leaves were the salad and I was offered some bread to make up for the lack of new potatoes and salad that I was expecting.

The web site for this gorgeous inn does not do it justice. My family chose this inn to celebrate my father’s 80th birthday - never having used it before. We walked into a warm cosy unique environment, all leather sofas and a big log fire. There were 68 of us. The attention from the staff was exceptional, we were grouped over six tables and the requirements for each table were checked several times to make sure that the staff knew all the details.

The food was good, and very hot. We had a three-course lunch with champagne and canapés to start and there was plenty of everything. Each table was served together - and although there was quite a wait between courses and this was fine as we needed to chat to catch up on all the gossip - it didn't matter as everyone on the table was served at the same time. The desserts are just to die for - I chose the bread and butter pudding - it was fabulous.

The staff not only coped with our party, who took up three fourths of the premises, - but they arranged things so that they didn't let their Sunday regulars down. My dad was overwhelmed - and I can only thank the owners for making this so special. Don't miss the very nice cat who thinks she is the boss. We would certainly go back as everyone enjoyed themselves.

P is for Puesdown. P is also for pretentious food, poorly cooked and poor service. With the hope of enjoying a romantic meal with my wife I was sorely disappointed with our dining experience. The lighting was so dim (candlelight only) I was unable to see what we were eating. Having tasted that, we were quite thankful for the fact. When asked for a glass of merlot, the white wine we received was quite a surprise. The sea bream was off and the bread (which we had to ask repeatedly for) was still frozen. It was appalling.

We arrived at the Puesdown with great expectations as we had seen information the internet and in local magazines. It was Sunday lunch and we were disappointed that the menu was reduced to standard roast dinners; lamb, beef, pork, or salmon. No veggie choice at all! I had a smoked salmon and prawn starter (which was actually a prawn cocktail, with smoked salmon), my wife couldn’t find anything that took her fancy on the starters. I chose beef and my wife chose lamb. She complained hers was a bit tough, but mine was OK and cooked perfectly. The food therefore was on the disappointing side, but passable.

What was less impressive was the standard of service from start to finish. We were a bit early and decided to have a drink before eating, so on arrival we approached the bar. There was a lot of activity, but no customers at the bar. No one acknowledged us for some time. Eventually we did manage to speak to someone and let them know we had a reservation, and get a drink. We took this to the garden, where we sat at a table that had not been cleared from the previous customer.

When we were ready we went though to the restaurant. My wife hadn't finished her drink, but I returned my empty glass to the bar. We were shown to our table (bare wood set with simple cruet, mint sauce and horseradish and paper napkins) and handed some menus.

Eventually someone came to take an order, but was so quick to run off I didn't get a chance to order a drink. I did manage eventually to order a glass of wine which was described as a medium white, but this referred to the size, not the style.

Someone else delivered my starter, and yet another took the empty plate away when I'd finished.

Mains came quickly - brought by yet another new face, and remembering the problems of drinks orders I got in early and ordered a glass of red. The waitress asked what type, but when I asked what they had she didn't know, and instead offered me a wine list. Drinks duly ordered arrived shortly afterwards, but I'd obviously put them off their stride, and vegetables didn't turn up for at least another five minutes. When they did they were OK but unimaginative (carrot, cauliflower, broccoli and new pots).

We ate and then, rather than put ourselves through further pain, decided to pass on the puddings. We got the bill and paid (at the bar and without a tip of course).

All in all, we considered the food expensive for the quantity and quality, and would have expected somewhere with this reputation to be better run. Also when booking they should have made it clear that it was Sunday lunch menu, and that the famed "locally sourced produce" and "outstanding seafood" was nowhere to be seen!

The Puesdown is now our firm favourite in the Cheltenham area. Since John and Maggie took over it has changed beyond recognition. You are always assured a warm welcome and great food. I highly recommend the jazz nights - Ain't Misbehavin are excellent and the set menu very good value.