Jack in the Green Inn — Restaurant in East Devon

Gutted! We came here for our 13th anniversary and expected more for £45 per head. The service was okay, a bit slow considering it wasn't busy, around 5 tables. Food took about 45 minutes from order to table.

The atmosphere was meh, with gravy splashed on the wall from a previous diner, and it was a bit plain Jane overall. The waitresses were pleasant.

The meat was good, Duck and Steak were nice. The duck was very good, nice, and pink; despite ordering medium-rare, the steak was closer to medium and lacked the juiciness and bloodiness expected from a properly cooked medium-rare cut. The veg was over seasoned and inedible (too much salt), chips were too salty (way more salt than Mcdonalds and fast food restaurants), and the fondant potato (1 small one) was a bit hard in the middle.

We heard good things about it, so we thought we would try it. We told the staff on three occasions that it was over seasoned and too salty, but they didn't offer any new vegetables, etc., which is fine as I know people like to make a fuss to get a discount and free food but we left about half.

We thought paying more for a meal would result in a better meal, but unfortunately, not. We would rather pay half the price and get a similar meal from the pub down the road.

Gutted more for the restaurant than anything else. I have worked in several places where the chefs over season food and blame it on the customers, which they probably will in this case, unfortunately. If food is cooked properly there shouldn't be much need for salt, only a small amount to bring out the flavour.

Unfortunately, we won't be back and can't recommend it because of the prices and salty food. We are more on the fussy side of things, as we cook a lot at home and know good food when we eat out, so that is a factor to consider. For the average person, it is probably okay, but the prices are on the higher side for what...

We stopped by on the way through to Lostwithiel on a Sunday evening around 6pm. I initially had trepidation at first upon seeing the prices, but we don't mind paying if what you get is well executed. The Jack in the Green team delivered. We had the mushroom arancini to start, which was delicious, crispy breadcrumbs with the risotto the right consistency. Full of flavour. Mains, my wife had the Miso Aubergine, which had delicious flavours again and a good dish. It could perhaps do with some creative elevation in line with the other dishes, but it was still devoured, nonetheless. I had the pork belly. I'm sometimes apprehensive when ordering a roast later on a Sunday, as I usually get left disappointed at the meat not being as 'prime' as it might of been in the lunch service... But this was fantastic, the accompanying vegetables too, braised cabbage, swede, romanesco broccoli, tenderstem broccoli, heritage carrots, cauliflower cheese and of course roast potatoes, which were not measly, but also crisp and fluffy. Each of the veggies were prepared really well, having the correct tenderness. My only regret was not having a dessert, as they too looked delicious!

If people are put off by the price, just remind yourself what it takes to prepare good food and produce everytime. If you find a place that does that, it needs your continued support, through challenging time.

Thank you for the meal, we hope to return next time we are...

10 years ago I had one of the best meals I’ve ever had. I had an opportunity to go for dinner with my partner and was looking forward to going again. My partner’s Risotto starter was just an unattractive stodgy mess but the mains we atrocious. My fish was hideously over cooked, the sauce had been so diluted by the veg that it was one of the blandest things I’ve ever eaten. I had one mouthful and refused to eat it. My partners pork belly was even worse. The presentation was shocking. A huge bowl of rice with barely any sauce and again, massively over cooked, dry pork. When we said we aren’t eating it we were told that 7 people had ordered it at lunch time. I fail to see what bearing that has on anything but I don’t expect to pay for food that I can cook better at home. We left and went to another restaurant. 45 minutes of travelling each way and what was still a significant bill for 2 starters and a few glasses of wine. When people think that the food is so poor they don’t want to order anything else, you really ought to do something more. Not paying for mains was a given. Wasted time and a poor experience shouldn’t be so overlooked.

If you’ve heard the great things of the past, unfortunately it’s not the case any...