The Sweeney Hotel — Restaurant in England

Visited 17.7.2021 After not seeing my husband parent for 17 months and missing my 60th and father in laws 90th birthday, we booked sweeney hall as we always have done when visiting from London. On arrival we were asked inside or out not hello or where would you like to sit, we sat and were given 2 stained paper menus between 4 people, when we asked for 2 more, they were picked up from the floor on the table next to ours. Covid restrictions were still in place and mask were being worn under the servers chins. We ordered our starters and I asked what the sauce de Paris was which accompanied the stake as I have a shellfish allergy. The waitress said she didn’t know and would ask, unusual that you wouldn’t brief you staff before service regarding the menu. The starters were nice and the main course arrived. we ordered medium rare but they were cooked very well done but very nice the chips were Luke warm floppy and over cooked. We then waited at least 40 minutes after finishing our meal with plates in front of us. Twice we tried to catch the attention of the waiters but they were so busy laughing with each other in the corridor. When we did eventually get the table cleared the waiter who had grey dirty cloths tucked in his trouser that he had been using to serve meals, asked if everything was ok we said it was just ok and that the food was better than 5e service this was completely ignored. I went to the bathroom which was completely flooded,, untidy and slippery. My husband said the gents were exactly the same. The deserts arrived, the “scones” were 1 scone cut in half, a blob of jam on the plate made it look like a 5 year old had put it together, the cheesecake was dried out with a big blob of cream to cover the cracks and was not eaten. Then the worst part of the evening. A couple were eating on a table close to us, (only 6 people in the restaurant) the lad6 said she found a long hair in her food and asked for it to be changed. Her partners meal was not removed to be returned when her stake was replaced instead she ate on her own about 20 minutes later. When they asked for the bill the young man said he did not want to pay for her steak and the waiter Called a manager??? He came to the table and said when advised of the customers complaint his said in a very loud voice we cannot be held responsible for hair loss and she ate the replacement, after further exchange the manager then said I can assure you SHE will be paying for the steak because SHE ate it and that’s that. We could not believe what was going on. We have been customers of Sweeney Hall for many years and up until now would have given it a 5star review. The whole evening was ruined by very poor service, very Average food and having customers shouted at. Such a shame and won’t...

I address my review to the current owners of Sweeny Hall, as after reading other low scoring reviews I have formed the opinion that the management do not take kindly to constructive criticism, which in my opinion can only improve the experience of the clientele. The female members of our family were really looking forward to an afternoon tea in the beautiful surroundings of Sweeny Hall, it was booked a week in advance, we all duly arrived and were seated on the decking overlooking the countryside,👍 we waited approximately 25 minutes so I went and asked if we could be served, the sandwiches and cakes arrived soon after👍, then we waited for the tea😩, after 10 minutes or so I went to ask for the tea, there were two people at the bar waiting to be served but no member of staff , I soon found a young lady who in not a very pleasant manner told me the tea was on its way, so I replied with that it was not soon enough ( apparently I was told later that I had been rude to this member of staff 🤔), the tea arrived, we had to ask for hot water and more milk, the sandwiches and cakes were ok. The young lady who fetched the hot water brought an additional pot of tea and milk, my sister made the comment that here was someone with a bit of common sense( a compliment I would have thought, but no, the manager later said that she too had been extremely rude🤔. It was time to leave, my sister in law paid for 2 people (£30), I was now going to pay 4, the manager asked was everything alright (don’t ask the question if you don’t want the answer), I replied that unfortunately it had not been the lovely experience we were hoping for, he then informed me that he had heard my sister being rude to a member of his staff and I was rude when asking for the tea, and I was raising my voice, I said that he didn’t like what I was telling him, he then said he would not charge me, fine I said, but this is why I address this to the owners, how many businesses can afford to turn down £60 in the current climate instead of just apologising and admitting their inefficiencies, needless to say we shall not be returning or recommending and unfortunately I have a function to attend here in the near future, can’t say I’m looking forward to it 😩. As a footnote to the owners, your thick white crockery is not very appropriate for...

Poor dining experience at the Sweeney Hall Hotel today.

My Mum had been given a gift voucher for her birthday earlier in the Summer so we booked to have a Mother & Daughter lunch at the Sweeney for a rainy day. I have a dairy intolerance which makes eating-out very difficult and I’m often made to me feel like an inconvenience. The waiting staff at the Sweeney could not care less for people with allergies, dietary requirements or special requests. I notified the staff at the time of booking that I’d require some assistance with the menu as they do not have a separate allergens menu. On arrival, the waitress gave us 1 menu to share between us, no drinks menu was available and we were asked what we’d like to drink before we’d even been seated. I asked for some allergen advice from the menu but was told that the ‘options with the stars are for people who are allergic’. The stars on the menu denote items of local produce. I feel very lucky that I am not allergic to dairy, as my confidence in the waitress was little to none. She gave the impression that I was a nuisance, maybe a little more training should be provided to the waiting staff on this matter.

When our food came, the excitement of a nice lunch came to an abrupt end; we ordered honey, lemon and basic chicken and a sirloin steak. The chicken was dry, tasteless and uninspiring. Dried out broad beans and average roasties for £13.95. The sirloin steak was poor; asked for medium-rare but came well done; no side options of mushroom/tomato/salad garnish. Smothered in whole grain mustard. Chips were good tho! My plate was swimming in a pool of oily liquid on finishing. No offer of salt/pepper/sauces or a steak knife.

The waiting service ended at the arrival of the food; there is no opportunity to say that the food was poor due to the lack of waiting staff on the premises. When coming to pay, 2 waiting staff were huddled in the bar/lounge drinking hot chocolates from paper cup. We couldn’t wait to leave. At the till, we were asked if our food was ok, but being surrounded by other diners and arriving guests we felt it was an inappropriate environment to feedback about the problems we have had.

Hopefully, this incident was a one-off and we may return in the future to a much better dining experience, but for now, could do...