Travellers Rest — Restaurant in Ashfield

Just a follow up from my Grandmothers review on her 60th Birthday. We had came up a week before (Saturday) for a meal in which wasn't up to their usual standard and my grandad ordered a giant yorkshire with 'seasonal veg' without the meat, we expected a giant yorkshire with mash, peas, carrots, cabbage, maybe brussels however instead what we got was a yorkshire with just mash and peas. After the meal we put it down to a bad day and booked for a party of 18 for the 2 weeks following. When we turned up on the day we was informed we should have pre-ordered the food, which we was not told otherwise would have done and that it was the cooks first day and it was a party of 14 so food might not come out at all the same time which is fair enough.

When it came to ordering members of our party tried to order a mixed grill, mega mixed grill and giant yorkshire however this wasn't available so they picked otherwise. The food did all arrive at the same time which was very impressive however the quality was not good. The gammon was extremely salty and seemed slightly undercooked, the cottage pie was cold and tasted off to the point of it being inedible (was not eaten at all), the portions of chips were burnt to the point of a lot of the chips being black and the overall standard of the food wasn't great.

The reason most of the plates was empty was because we cannot afford to spend £150 on food to then not eat it as this was a rare treat for the family. Over the course of the next day multiple members of our party are ill with stomach issues, with the food taking a hour to come out (understandable with the party size and not having pre-ordered) we didn't want to complain to have it remade and have to wait another hour as some members of our party had to get off and we are not usually the type to complain.

The standards being bad once is a bad day, twice is when we find somewhere else.

The food was the main and only issue, the staff were very friendly and helpful and the atmosphere of the place was good which is why we are so disappointed after in previous years this be our go-to place when we went out...

The pub looks beautiful on the outside however inside is a different story, and it is clear the current owner no longer cares. The ladies toilets are always filthy, smelly, bins not emptied and not checked. Last night I came to support a band with friends, it definitely felt like we were outsiders, the decor is very dark and dismal, the service to get drinks is very poor due to only 2 staff members working and serving both sides. The drinks are very overpriced, even in this current climate, my friend paid £27 for a pint, and 2 doubles. I have previously paid £8 for a single with coke, I vowed never to do that again. I had to change my cider as it didn't taste right and was very flat, I'm not sure how often the pumps are cleaned, or if water has been added to save money. Sorry to say, but I think it's time the pub was loved by someone who cares, and was given a new lease of life inside, with happier owners/staff, I won't be going again in it's...

So my first time to the travellers arms tonight and met with a small group of people for a meet up!

It was really cozy, homely feels to it and automatically felt a good vibe from the pub. I like my pub grubs and going to places to eat, to chill from time to time. I'm neurodivergent and often find pub atmospheres to be a little overwhelming, but this one wasn't for myself.

It had seperate rooms, the volumes in each wasn't bad at all, and the option in food and drink had a variety. The service was lovely, David and Elaine were incredibly welcoming, friendly and had great banter too!

So, it was easy to relax with them, and also enjoy the atmosphere with the people I was with. For any PIZZA lovers, I recommend this place 100%.

The pizza is bootiful, can tell it's homemade fresh, the taste, temperature and texture was 🫠🫠 and the side wedges and chips 👌 cheifs kiss.

I will definetly be back again for pub grub, and for the atmosphere...