"We had afternoon tea which was ok, but for the price I don’t think it reflected well. I also was disappointed that service charge was added on. One of the waiters I feel could do with a little training."
We were staying at the Principal Hotel and had dinner in The Refectory on our first night. The restaurant was quiet. We had a pleasant welcome and thoroughly enjoyed our starters. The main course (pork chop) was marred by sitting on a huge portion of red cabbage but otherwise very tasty. While we were eating our main courses, around 8.30pm, the staff first cleared all the lit candles from the unoccupied tables (i.e. the majority) and then removed the napkins and cutlery. They didn't start sweeping the floor or putting chairs on tables but we felt unwelcome and decided not to have a dessert or coffee. When we left, a door had to be unlocked to let us back into the hotel. This behaviour seems...
We had trouble finding where we were supposed to go the Refectory Terrace was where we thought we had booked, however the doors were locked and there was no one around to ask. A billboard or similar at the entrance would have been useful. We had the afternoon tea in the open room adjacent to the hallway entrance which was pleasant enough but also being used as a meeting room and creche. The food was nice but very few sandwiches, the sweet selection was very sweet, it would have been nice to have had a balance. There was one waitress who was very difficult to understand and we had to try to catch their eye to ask for a top up of tea. Everywhere was clean and tidy which was good. The building...
Beautifully presented small cakes, based on chocolates from selection boxes, mini scones were hard therefore crumbled when applying clotted cream. Cheese savoury tart, served warm was delicious. Did book my 6 year old granddaughter as an add on for the childrens afternoon tea the only way to book it online) but they had not checked the booking therefore she had the same food offering, the description suggested something appropriate would be made as long as there was a 2 hour notice for the chef to prepare, booked 24 hours in advance. Staff were very friendly, made us welcome acknowledged my granddaughter.
The afternoon tea and food was excellent. However it was a shock to arrive to find despite adding two children to the booking via the open table form the restaurant only expected two adults. This meant we were moved out of thr garden room and this took some time to set up. The drinks of tea and hot chocolate were slow to come. Once I discussed the situation with the manager service speeded up. She apologised and we appreciated the complimentary glass of Prosecco. I think the problem is with the booking form and the garden room can be busy.
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The place wasn’t even ready for our 11.00am booking , 15 20 minutes wait , the food was just Luke warm left overs from breakfast , Hash browns rock hard , bacon and sausage the grease had come to the surface where it had obviously all been left on a hot plate from the breakfast an hour earlier, absolutely awful, for a Hotel of this standard , it should be ashamed of itself . Even the coffee was just warm , the staff really couldn’t be bothered, left most of the food and coffee and went .
Table booked for 2pm. Shown to table, both chair seats were stained. Drinks arrived which were not hot. At 2.25 we were informed there had been a mix up and our order was on its way. Food not worth 29.00 each. When we went to pay I was told 72.50 when it should have been 58.00. Worked out the service charge was 7.25 which had been added on per person instead of total amount. Paid the 58.00.
The afternoon tea wasn’t served in the refectory kitchen and terrace it was in what felt like the lobby with people coming and going. There was a wedding taking place and so the guests were in and out taking pictures. The savoury food items were nice but the cakes felt stale. The whole experience was disappointing from the setting to the food and didn’t feel worth the money.
Came for afternoon tea for my nanna an early birthday treat, we all loved it, everything was amazing! The 2 girls that were on shift 2pm onwards on the 25th July were amazing sorry I didn’t catch there names. The food was Absolutely delicious. Would 100% come back. Thank you so much again. Lauren wyard
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Booked afternoon tea for a 50th birthday. Went for the prosecco option. Food was lovely. Sweet and savoury and actually could not finish so was given a box to take away the leftovers. Lovely room to have the afternoon tea and service was friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend.
We had afternoon tea which was ok, but for the price I don’t think it reflected well. I also was disappointed that service charge was added on. One of the waiters I feel could do with a little training.
Tenderstem Broccoli, Chantenay Carrots, Toasted Almonds
Harrogate Blue, Shepherd's Purse, Newsham, Thirsk
Kirkham Lancashire Creamy, Mrs Kirkham, Goosnargh
Finn Cheese, Made By Charlie Westhead In Dorset
Sweet Potato Fries, Smoked Garlic Mayonnaise
Carroll's Heritage Potatoes, Parsley Butter
Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough
French Beans, Shallots, Roasted Garlic
A Glass Of Prosecco Or A Pint Of Lager
Cerney Ash, North Cerney, Cirencester
