The Peacock Farm — Restaurant in England

A truly memorable 90th Birthday celebration...but not for the right reasons! Generally the staff were pleasant and attentive, drinks and food order taken and so far so good. A party of 12 of us, starters arrived and given everyone's comments the food was okay, if a little tasteless (prawn cocktail) and an overzealous chef in terms of cooking times (Halloumi fries). The main course came (apart from 3 of them), the waitress asked if everyone had got everything, mmm, this is where it falls apart. We told her we were still waiting on 3 mains, she said they'd be out in a couple of minutes, we waited and waited. Guests were discussing and of course eating their food to the point of finishing theirs, then 2 of the other 3 mains arrived. I waited for mine, waited a bit longer and my Husbands patience was really being tested, he left his food to complain about mine not arriving. Apologies were made, a lack of communication blamed and a complimentary drink offered. My main arrived, held aloft I assume so that we couldn't see the extent of the effects of sitting under a heat lamp forgotten. I refused the offering, edible or not, not wanting to eat alone as everyone had finished. Complaint made, we were offered another apology, 25% off the bill, which is exactly 25% of the meals that had not arrived, hardly goodwill but still. The Chef was blamed, the lack of communication blamed but it didn't alleviate the fact that this was a disaster that marred the enjoyment of all there. All in all mistakes are made and we are all human, however, I shall not be going there again nor shall I be recommending the place for obvious reasons. My Husband left a tip, I wouldn't have, he felt sorry for the staff as no cash was accepted and he felt they lost out as a result. Personally I feel tipping should be a reflection of outstanding service, good food and an enjoyable experience and I would not have parted...

My boyfriend and I visited Peacock Farm today (Saturday) with a reserved table for 2. Lovely interior and perfect for a rainy Autumnal day in it’s cosy, warmly lit converted barn setting. We decided to share the veggie Middle Eastern mezze platter and triple cooked chips. The waitress who served us was professional and friendly, despite being a little more attentive to the other table in the room with a large family. The food was a disappointing 2/5- the flatbread with the hummus was stale, more so than any flatbread I’ve had with hummus before (and I’ve had a lot!) and if I’m honest as a sharing plate it’s not overly generous for £12.25. One of the 4 dishes is a bowl of mixed olives which would be better suited with a dish such as Middle Eastern spinach and ricotta filo rolls as it blends in more as a proper food course. I think olives work best as a stand alone bar snack. The chips were ok, lukewarm and not so crispy on the outside/soft in the middle as chips have the potential to be. They also didn’t taste like they had vinegar on them which is part of the menu listing. I really liked the rustic presentation of the food & drink- the plates, bowls etc well chosen for the barn aesthetic. The wine menu is a diverse selection and reasonably priced- both red wines we ordered were lovely. Fudge served on the side with my flat white which was nice surprise, good coffee too. 5/5 for setting, 2/5 for food and 4/5 for service. Will return one more time in the near future, fingers crossed the food is better or it will...

Ordered starters and mains. 20mins after ordering presented with our mains. Politely informed waiter that we had starters. 15mins later the starters appeared. They were pleasant but nothing extraordinary. When the waiter came back I did ask if we were getting two fresh burgers (not kept hot under a light) he said of course. When the mains arrived they were clearly not fresh. The streaky bacon was a sheet mounded together. The burger was embarrassing. Clearly a frozen patty (not handmade meat) and was drier than my sarcasm. My husband had ordered the same and his was as bad. I'm not a complainer and have never sent food back but for £40 I wasn't prepared to eat this. After asking the waiter for the opportunity to remove the mains and allow us to chose something else we decided it wasn't going to end with a better main and decided to forget it. At this point, a different gent (presume manager) arrived with half the bill in cash (I paid on card) and offered something else on the house. Whilst this was a welcome and appreciated gesture we weren't prepared to endure a possible second serving of below mediocre food. Even the seasonal veg said I ordered was aged and tasteless. All in all very very disappointed considering the venue is lovely. Just a shame the service and food isn't. I paid £20 in the end for a bottle of water, 2 starters and 2sides (which we didn't eat as we had nothing to have them with!) So left...