The Beckford Arms — Restaurant in England

Terribly disappointing experience. Had a table booked, which was not available when we arrived. This meant that we were left hanging around the waitressing point and ladies toilets for 15 minutes (feeling very much in the way) before again being asked if we were being seen to by a different member of staff. 5 minutes later, a third member of staff showed us to our table. We then had to ask for menus after waiting patiently for them to be brought over and a drinks order wasn't taken. We ended up ordering them at the same time as ordering our food which is not a massive problem but i did feel as though we had already been ignored for some time and should be being attended to.

The food itself was good..not amazing considering the price, but good. I was disappointed to be told after ordering the rib-eye steak that there were none available and was offered a sirloin as an alternative, which I accepted. The meal itself was tasty but unfortunately I did have to mention to the waitress that my steak was disappointingly tough. She apologised and I did assure her there was nothing wrong with the flavour and was sorry to have to say something negative as I am not usually one to complain. The rest of our meal was enjoyable but I was appalled when it came to paying the bill that not only was I charged full price for my steak, after having complained at how poor it was, I was charged MORE than the price of the original rib eye and I can only assume that this is because the sirloin (actually, cheaper cut of meat!?) is more expensive on the till and the price wasn't changed.

To top it off, a 10% surcharge is included in the already overpriced bill, to account for the service..which was disappointing from the start.

After having had this experience, I have spoken to others who seem to have had a very similar experience. Not a case of 'you get what you pay for'. In future, I will stick to the other top quality establishments...

The Beckford Arms—a place that once whispered promises of rustic charm and countryside sophistication. But, do not be fooled by the unchanged charming stone facade the internal organs of this once great pub have rotten. What now awaits you is a culinary catastrophe so profound it makes you question if any of the staff even know what a decent pub looks like.

Let’s start with the burger, a dish so fundamental to a pub that it should be impossible to muck up. And yet, the new chef in the kitchen at The Beckford has managed to create something that could only be described as a taste-free hockey puck between two fat soaked buns. This double pâté burger was so dry it made the Sahara look like a lush oasis. As for flavor, it had all the zest of a damp dishrag. Was it beef? Was it cardboard? The line between the two has never been blurrier.

And then there was the pork chop—a piece of meat so brutally overcooked that I feared for the welfare of the pig’s descendants. I’ve seen ceramic tiles with more give than this. One bite and you’re met with an experience so dry, so arid, that you can’t help but question all the life choices that led you to this exact moment.

But the pièce de résistance, the absolute cherry atop this dreadful cake, our waiter. He had all the charm of a door-to-door double glazing salesman and the overfamiliarity of a childhood friend you’ve been trying to avoid for the past 15 years. His demeanour was that of a coked up divorceé who’s taken up waitering to hang around with the kids and flirt with customers. The Beckford might have had a lot going for it, but it seems this is no longer the case.

In conclusion, if you find yourself meandering through the Wiltshire countryside, driven by the romantic notion of a quaint pub lunch at the Beckford of old, do yourself a...

Superb Stay To receive a call from Rene shortly after my online booking to confirm my booking and check if we had any special requirements, to the relaxed and friendly welcome from James, we knew we had made the right decision to return to The Beckford Arms after a number of years.

We had reserved an extremely comfortable medium double room on the first floor with a lovely French window to the side of the building. James showed us to our room and helped with our bags it was a nice touch to have the radio quietly playing Classic FM in the room as we entered and a personalised letter with guest information.

The room was elegant and calm with a wonderfully comfortable bed. A kettle with ample coffee and tea was provided. The separate bathroom was well lit with Bramley products. There was good wifi throughout.

Dinner was excellent and served by really friendly, attentive staff, who were able to help with menu selections. We never felt rushed, nor did we feel we were waiting too long. We shared a couple of starters, followed by Char grilled chicken breast, sautéed potatoes and aubergine puree and Plaice with jalapeño and lime butter, both were well cooked, delicious and very reasonable, there was a good choice of wines to accompany the meal.

After a great nights sleep we had a fantastic breakfast (loved the make your own Bloody Mary).

The Beckford Arms has truly managed to get all the components right for a fantastic stay - great staff providing excellent, warm, unstuffy service, chefs cooking wonderful, flavoursome food set in delightful, relaxed, comfortable and elegant surroundings.

Well done to the whole team, You managed to make us feel like we were escaping the rat race and staying with good friends. We could not recommend staying/dining with you...