The Great Northern — Restaurant in Amber Valley

'Ask a simple question' I came here with my partner and his partial family. I have had experience in pubs after running one myself for over a year. Customer service is key in places like this. At first we was invited wadmly but shortly onwards the atmosphere went sour. I ordered food as did my partner; the chicken I had was dry and topped with packet sauce and mash that had no flavour at all. His gammon was half gammy fat half meat. Not something I expect from a pub. Seasoning could not salvage this poor meal. We then decided to order the strawberry cider and it was poured out the back so it was questionable as to what she was actually serving us. No smile, no greeting. I tried it and asked at the bar as to why it was flat and was answered shortly 'it's supposed to be'. just plain rude. I then sat down and was accompied by the sounds of the bar maid slagging us off and making degrading comments. This sort of behaviour in a 'family pub' is disgusting. After spending over 60 pound here you would at least expect a smile. I suggest if others come here not to ask questions as they will be degraded. No wonder pubs are getting a bad...

Nipped in yesterday for a bite to eat after the dreaded shopping trip, to relax and unwind. I was very surprised not to see management about, but the very welcoming bar lady quickly explained they was on a well deserved holiday. Our visit was a enjoyable experience as always. Hence the 4, down to the lady mentioned above. Our only concern was at times she looked under pressure, while what I believed to be the kitchen staff just sat in the bar area watching on, while loudly gossiping. A little bit of team work would of made this a 5 and a tip being left. As when we asked about the tip system, we were told that the tips are share equally between all staff. Unfortunately in my opinion I work hard for want I have and only one member of staff...

Carvery on a Sunday is £9.50 approx for standard "classic" size. There was a choice of three meats (tender stringy type of beef, dry turkey, and roast pork), and they made some more broccoli for us when we arrived at 2pm. There were burnt offerings of Yorkshire puddings and small burnt potatoes, scraping of cabbage, some carrots which were OK, the cauliflower was a bit past it, and I think there was a separate cheese sauce which I didn't try. The gravy and horseradish was good. The cider I had was not chilled as it is from a bag in a box type setup. The staff were friendly and the atmosphere was friendly also. I would recommend arriving early like 12pm if you want to visit, by 3pm the staff are sat down eating all...