The Okeover Arms

Nice room……… comfortable bed… …….great ale……… fantastic food…. enjoyed a full breakfast………friendly staff………in a country pub in a wonderful location……, had a wonderful trip………….and look forward to next time………………………………………………………..

Only gave a 3 because the staff were nice. It's sad I didn't post a good review on my previous visits as they are normally very good. As for this time... they were not especially busy but tried to make out they were fully booked. Hardly any food was coming out of the kitchen. We had to wait an hour for our food after 3 rounds of drinks and asking when the food would arrive. When it did it was obvious the roast dinner was microwaved. Chewy meat, 1 carrot, one parsnip and a flat yorkshire pud that would have been fine if it said pancake. As for the tandoori chicken... a small leg of roast chicken with less meat than a small breast of... sort of 2 bites and it was gone but the worst bit was it was plain chicken with a splash of non indian seasoning added to the skin that offered no taste at all. Also asked for no veg beyond the chips so they added minted onions which I can't have. A half reasonable portion of chips would have done rather than an amount you could almost count on one hand. Could you spare them? And they have put their prices up. They were nice enough when we complained but honestly tried to convince me the chicken was marinaded. Only if the marinade was water. I have been to enough indian restaurants to know what tandoori chicken looks and tastes like. Admittedly they offered a curry sauce to go with it which was okay but I had eaten all the chips and had cold chicken by the time it turned up. I didn't want to send it back as I figured I would be waiting another hour for it. We won't be back anytime soon. One piece of advice. If you have a chef or kitchen problem, just be honest about it and we can go elsewhere. Don't make people wait an hour when you aren't actually that busy and then provide poor value and poor food and try and convince the customer it's something it's not. You only hurt your own reputation and loose customers.

Absolutely love this pub! Such a beautiful location and lovely traditional feel, but not old fashioned. Good selection of ales, including Plum Porter which is a particular fave. The game pie was to die for, fabulous chips. But the best part was the ambience and customer service. You really need to bottle this and share with other establishments as it's so rare right now. The team are a real credit to you - friendly, fun and professional. Can't wait for my overnight stay later this month.