Plume of Feathers — Restaurant in East Hertfordshire

I have been going to the Plume for years and it has never been a consistent great experience. When we first went there was something special about the place and you could not fault the food, service or location.

Whilst the location is superb - great views over the local countryside and a village location and lots of parking - it has slowly declined with regard to service, quality of food and service. The garden area is lovely, laid out nicely with plenty of tables and chairs and a super area for children to run around in and play safely. It has also been extended inside and this new area is bright and inviting, having taken over some of the patio area.

I went again yesterday, hoping it had improved, but was yet again disappointed with the over all experience. Whilst the staff were polite, there were only 3 on duty. There was no soup - which my friend wanted. We landed up ordering jacket potatoes which were a little over cooked, the side salad and coleslaw was almost non-existent and the salad looked as if it had seen better days. My friend ordered a sparkling water with a slice of lime, but instead it came with lime cordial so had to be returned! We didn't bother with dessert and asked for fresh mint tea. Well, what arrived had to be seen to be believed. It was literally stalks of mint thrown in hot water and just looked horrid. We pulled the leaves off and left them to fuse, but they were not fresh and to be honest completely undrinkable. No idea what was going on. We were then asked if we had asked for the bill - which we hadn't, but said they might as well bring it over.

We did not have to wait long for our food, it was not overly busy and whilst it was great to catch up with my friend I certainly will not be in a hurry to return there to eat in the near future. You may find me there one Saturday or Sunday afternoon enjoying a drink with the family in the garden during the summer months, but that will be it.

I also don't like the two enormous boards which are on the roadside - one would be sufficient if they have to. Just gives the wrong impression even before you step inside the lovely old building that has so much character and a history to tell I'm sure.

Such a shame and I do hope they pull their socks up soon and bring it back up to...

My wife and I visited the Pub on Saturday night for a meal, our table booking was 7.15pm . We sat ourselves at a table in the empty restaurant. There was one occupied table in the corner of about 6 people we should have guessed then it was going to be bad . We reviewed the menu and decided on the Prawn and Avocado cocktail to share as a starter followed by Steak deal which was Two 28 day aged steaks either Sirloin or Rump, with two glasses of wine £30 . The accompaniments were grilled Tomato, skin on fries and Onion rings. We placed our order to be then told that they only had one steak which was a Sirloin and they had no lemons for the Avocado and Prawn cocktail. This should have sounded the warning bells as a restaurant on a Saturday night at 7.15 which is early with only one steak, unbelievable!! Not wanting to leave the restaurant we ordered the Sirloin steak medium and a Cheddar and bacon burger. The Avocado and Prawn cocktail came out, I thought there was a hidden camera and someone was going to jump out it was so bad!!!. Why we didn’t send it back I don’t know? the Avocado was black and stunk the prawns were so swimming in thick pink mayonnaise and the Prawns simply tasted of the mayonnaise and nothing else. The garnish was well thought though it consisted of the dark green outer leaves of a Gem lettuce stuck down the side of the glass. Something that a 12 year old home economic’s student would create not a so called chef!!! Needless to say we only ate a tiny bit as I don’t like shop bought mayonnaise and old lettuce leaves and black avocado that stinks. The main course arrived surprise, surprise no skin on fries, our fries were the frozen type no tomato at all and 2 stuck together onion rings. The steak Oh the steak!!! That I had ordered medium I think just stopped mooing. !!!! It was Rare I do not like rare steaks if I did I would have asked for it rare. That was the least of my worries it was so tuff it was unedible. No wine the burger was disgusting it was dry thrown together and tasteless. My local kebab shop burgers are one thousand times better and one tenth of the price. Never again all for the bargain...

In summary, an okay place to go for a bite to eat. We booked a table for 9 on a Saturday late afternoon. Nothing particularly good or bad to highlight, but seemed to be suffering from a lack of availability of stock.

Comfort: The venue is of a quaint village pub style with a beer garden and children's play area suitable for kids aged 4-10. Adequately comfortable and spaced out inside.

Service: Not the quickest nor the most attentive despite the venue not being full. Our server was friendly enough once we were able to attract her attention.

Food quality: Accompanying this review is a photo of my 8oz steak which was cooked to medium-rare. It was decidedly under-seasoned and on the chewier side compared to other similarly cooked steaks I've had elsewhere.

Food choice: The menu selection was reasonable for a pub. Unfortunately, out of our party of 9 we had quite a few of our first choices unavailable including their own namesake draught beer, apple juice, mussels, and the gluten-free option off the menu (fortunately, we were offered an alternative). There was a children's menu available with typical pub fare.

Value for money: Typically priced for the area, but as my choice of starter was not available, I was still quite hungry after my steak and chips with a side order of onion rings. Expect to go for at least 2 courses, if you've a good appetite.

Hygiene: The men's toilet consisted of a single self-contained, lockable cubicle. Given the venue's capacity, queuing is likely and did occur during our visit. There seemed to be a leak within the cubicle somewhere and the floor was quite wet throughout the duration of our visit. From a COVID safety perspective, some of the staff and guests were masked and there was alcohol based hand gel...