Rest & Be Thankful Inn — Restaurant in England

Reserved a table for Sunday carvery, was seated right in front of the carvery in a dining room area away from the main bar which was decorated quite old fashioned and not very appealing. Although being very close to the carvery we then had to wait in a queue for 45 mins (not even joking) to finally get our food as there was only one guy serving and cutting meat. Trying to squeeze and manouver around tables and other diners and queue in the awkward queue that wrapped around to the toilets (right in the way of the toilets for people to then cause more traffic jams in the sea of people queuing) and near some stairs which I saw a few people nearly get shoved down while people tried to pass (for the toilet!) was not a fun way to spend 45 mins and I suggest the layout gets changed as it was a complete mess. The solo guy cutting meat stopped and left altogether to top up other foods on offer i.e potatoes, veg. This was weird as there were other staff around and a few times ten kitchen door would open and you would see staff standing around drying plates (maybe get them to carry food out instead?) I'd like to say the food was worth the wait but once we got our meat a lady appeared and started plating our veg for us which is annoying at a carvery as that's the part I'd like to do myself. Not sure if this was trying to speed up a 45 min queue for food or just to stop people taking too much?! Anyway the food wasn't the best after all that - the roast potatoes were really odd... Dry and tasteless. After two hours of being there we all left still hungry and annoyed. Many other diners were annoyed by the whole situation too. Not sure if this was just a bad day for the pub but we won't be coming again to find out. Update as Google have not made it easy to respond to review replies: The response from this pub has 100% made my mind up to never visit again due to the 'get over it ' attitude like it's my fault we have such a bad experience. Also, and a massive ALSO... The excuses they have about it all being rubbish because it was Mother's Day? It was about 4 weeks before that we visited so those excuses don't work. Nice to know you run such a shoddy experience on Mothering...

So only went for a Sunday carvery. We were seated in what is also a skittle alley. Good and bad points here so stick with me... Quite traditional in its decor throughout the building, some may say outdated but I think they may want to try and keep it in with the age of building so not a criticism, an observation. Could it still do with a lick of paint in a number of places and a bit of finessing, absolutely.

However...

Was the building, tables, glasses, plates and cutlery clean, absolutely!

Was the service good? Oh yes, very efficient and friendly.

How was the food? So here is the tricky part...food is subjective, so to break it down a bit...

Was there enough? Yep, more than. A very generous portion indeed, (it is carved in front of you and served to you, so not self-service) with a selection of four meats, veg of many types, stuffing, gravy and sauces.

How was the taste? Awesome! Meats cooked well, (I had a bit of each) veg cooked right, not over, not under and in the case of the cauliflower and broccoli cheese, the bite was perfect and the cheese sauce balanced well so not overpowering. Other notables, horseradish sauce, whether purchased or home made as don't know, again sat perfectly, not overpowering but had bite.

Would I eat there again, for sure. If I was in the area again, how far would I drive to eat there...

The rooms were clean and decorated to a decent standard. The beds were very comfortable. Breakfast was served between 8am and 9am with items selected the day before. The first day of our stay I requested sausage, bacon, poached egg, beans and mushrooms. When the food arrived I was very disappointed. The bacon was dry and like plastic, the sausage was dry and only one half was warm, as though it had been partially reheated in the microwave, the poached egg had been done in a poaching cup and was overdone. That evening I asked to change my breakfast order for the following day, to which the gentleman on the bar seemed amazed! I ordered porridge for the following day, that too was dreadful stodge that made me feel ill all day. On the last day I had toast. I had asked to change my breakfast order the previous evening, explaining that the porridge wasn't great. The following day, the gentleman who was normally chirpy and friendly was very off hand.

Overall I think the venue offered value for money, although the £20 bottle of wine we bought from the bar tasted like vinegar.

If, like us, you're looking for a base to use to explore the beautiful exmoor area then it's not too bad, but I'd recommend skipping breakfast altogether and visiting one of the many local tea...