Hobby Horse Farm - Dining & Carvery — Restaurant in Charnwood

Disappointed by the Service at Hobby Horse: Updated below

I’ve visited Hobby Horse several times and usually enjoy the experience, but today was unfortunately one to remember for the wrong reasons.

The food itself was fine, but things took a turn when we ordered sundaes for dessert. Instead of the usual slim dessert spoons, we were given oversized ones. I politely asked a waitress (short, no name tag visible) if they had the proper spoons. Her response was surprisingly sharp, and when I suggested she check the kitchen, she seemed visibly irritated. What followed was even more disappointing she proceeded to complain about my request to two other staff members, one from the kitchen and one from the bar, all within clear view.

She eventually returned with a teaspoon, saying it was all they had. When I pointed out that it wasn’t suitable for sundaes, she sarcastically asked if I’d prefer a bowl to pour it into. I requested to speak with the duty manager, who explained that spoons are frequently stolen and they had “at least 10” on site. Regardless of the spoon situation, the real issue was the dismissive and unprofessional attitude of the waitress.

I plan to follow up with Gary, the manager, who we were told had left for the day. A little courtesy goes a long way, especially toward paying customers. The way you treat people is remembered far more than the food and today’s experience left a sour taste.

** UPDATE 1st September

Following up on my recent experience, I had a constructive conversation with the manager, Gary. I was pleased with how attentively he listened to my concerns his response was both exceptional and sincerely apologetic. The call was highly productive, and I appreciate the effort made to address the issue. I’ll be returning at the end of the month and look forward to enjoying a positive experience and some great...

We visited on March 2nd for a family meal to celebrate my birthday. We used the app to order our meals and I decided to have a small potato and veg carvery. I went to fetch it, assuming everyone else would get their meals soon after, as it fairly quiet, not many customers. The state of the veg for the carvery was awful! What was left of the roast potatoes were burnt black and welded to the pan and looked inedible. The lady behind me was as gobsmacked as I was when she saw them. So we stood and waited and eventually they were replaced by a pan of unappetising looking, soggy , squashed, barely warm roast potatoes! There was quite a few remarks from other people in the queue about the way the vegetables looked. The carrots, were soggy and overcooked. The Parsnips were hard, as was the broccoli. The Cauliflower cheese was mainly hard stalks with very little cheese in the sauce and the garden peas had been in water so long , they were turning yellow! There was also only one option of gravy When I got back to the table and picked my cutlery, it hadn't been washed properly and it all of it had to be cleaned with a wipe. To top it all, the rest of my family had to wait 40 minutes for their meals to be served and my daughter and one my son's weren't happy with their food either . There was a terrible draft, the main door was wide open, so my son went to close it, didn't help the temperature of our food. We've been a few times and it's always hit and miss. We've complained before, but after this time we've decided that we won't be...

Very disappointed with the service & breakfast. We went last week for a Sunday carvery and it was really lovely. (Hence the 2 stars) But we went this morning about 11:10. The website said that breakfast is served until 11:30. The hostess was grumpy and blunt with us. The people in front of us asked if they could have the buffet breakfast, the lady said they stop it at 11am even though it said on the website & menu it’s served until 11:30. So we asked as well and she was super rude and just didn’t seem to care at all. She said we can do a limited breakfast menu but would have to order ASAP if we wanted it. So we went and sat outside and ordered straight away on the app. I ordered eggs benedict. It was really bad, they had obviously rushed it. The muffin wasn’t toasted, egg really underdone, sauce tasted old, ham was kind of grey. I also ordered unlimited tea and toast for £1.99 but didn’t get my toast and they said I couldn’t get anymore because it was after 11:30. My husband ordered the sausage muffin which was meant to come with a 6oz sausage patty but instead he got 2 sausages inside, and again the muffin was barely toasted so it was super soggy. Just very disappointed as we just felt unwelcome & rushed. We noticed at least 20 people after us who were also after breakfast but left the restaurant. They lost a lot of money this morning just within that half an hour! They need to change the menu so it’s clear & also the hostess needs to work on her customer service skills! Unfortunately we won’t be...