The Hope and Anchor Pub

We visited for my mother in laws birthday. She's coeliac so we had checked before that they could accommodate and they said they could. We arrived and we were taken to our table, it was a party of 6 but for some reason the table was set for 8. On the table was a happy birthday card which we thought was a nice touch except it turned out it was for someone else who was having a 50th (they were a different table) so no card was actually provided for my mother in law. The girl who seated us said she would come back with drinks menus so we could order drinks which she did over 15 minutes later and then only brought 1 menu and seemed irritated that I asked for another drinks menu, after ordering drinks they arrived with an item missing and a cold cappuccino. We weren't offered any water or any of the "while you are waiting" nibble bits. After being there for over 40 minutes our food order was finally taken for us to specify gluten free for one of the party. We were told she couldn't have the roast potatoes as they were cooked in the same fat as items containing gluten so she was offered mashed potato instead. Another 40 minutes later our food finally arrived with her plate containing roast potatoes. We told them and they took them away and we reminded them again that she's coeliac and can't have anything off the plate so they said they'd make a new one. Her correct food eventually came out with what appeared to be correct, the food was OK but her carrots were hard and just covered in oil. Most of us had the fish and chips which was very nice. The place is let down massively by the basics of service not being followed. At the end of the meal they brought out a candle on a brownie for the mother in laws birthday only for us to ask is it gluten free and..... It wasn't. Luckily she didn't eat it but was offered a sorbet instead which she couldn't finish. She's currently ill in bed as it seems she has been fed gluten in some or all of the meal so it's obvious either the kitchen weren't told that she was coeliac or they just don't know how to cook cleanly. I would say if you have any allergies DO NOT EAT HERE!

Lovely place, great food, great service, spoiled horribly by the obnoxious yobs on the table behind us. Management says they like to have it as an all inclusive environment. Not wishing to entertain establishing any standards or code for those that enter. They did end up kicking them out but not only after I had had enough of their verbal attacks and took matters into my own hands which shamefully, I wished I hadn't had to do.

Waited 90 minutes for the food to arrive. The half lobster was the size of a small crayfish. Surely the size would have been an illegal catch. There were 2 portions of chips with it, this was possibly to make the meal look larger. Very expensive, service not up to much no-one knew which side dishes were theirs.