The Ship Inn — Restaurant in England

Bit of a mixed review as we’ve been several times on a Sunday and always rave about how good it is. Food, staff and selection is always great.

But recently we booked as a table of 8 for a family birthday get together on a Tuesday. Again, the staff were great, made an effort laying the tables for a birthday but the disappointment was the “Tuesday Pie Night” that’s advertised as that’s what swung our decision to come here as a couple of the group wanted to try this.

When we turned up at 6pm there was one ‘pie’ out which had no pasty at all left just filling. The veg selection was really in its last dregs a few boiled carrots left in the bottom of the pot, a couple of portions of cabbage, a few potatoes, plenty of red cabbage and leeks and plenty of parsnips. Before ordering I asked 2 of the waiting staff will the carvery be replenished at all as what was left wasn’t the most appealing looking and both assured me yes there would be some fresh bits going out. So 4 of us booked the unlimited pie/carvery option and 4 ordered off menu.

Here I must be fair the food ordered from the menu, x2 pork belly, ribs and burger were all great and all plates were cleared with everyone super happy with their choices.

The other 4 went up to the carvery to see it was still pretty much in the same way (potatoes had been topped up and a fresh cauliflower cheese). I asked the chef were they bringing out any fresh veg and was told no that’s all they had. I asked was there a fresh pie and was told ‘no just this one, but I guess it’s more of a casserole than a pie now as no pastry’.

Disappointed we got our plates and got the standard carvery, here again I must be honest the meat was still tasty and generous in portion size, but the cold yorkshires that had been sat on a plate above the counter for a while and lack of veg choice was disappointing alongside the main factor of no pie.

I am only writing this mixed review in the hopes management see and improve this on the weekdays as it was a let down.

I’ll still recommend this place for a carvery but I would say only on a Sunday when it’s busy so it’s constantly restocked and fresh and if you go during the week to be safe order off...

I held my mum’s surprise 60th birthday party/meal at the ship last September and it was absolutely fantastic! The team were really accommodating and we couldn’t thank them enough for all their help and hospitality

We have had meals at The Ship in the past prior to their refurbishment and always thought it was ok, but since having their refurb things have massively improved. The venue is looking much more modern and nicely decorated, especially now there is the new conservatory area. The food is of great quality and the portion sizes were generous. The staff were friendly and helpful in all of our requests

Due our big party size (nearly 40 people) I spoke to the manager beforehand and she let us know our options; we were given some food menus to take away and look at. We decided to pre-order our food choices and have a set menu – there were a range of options to choose from including some vegetarian and a carvery option. The set menu prices were reasonable around £16 for 2 courses and £20 for 3 courses. The feedback from the guests was really positive and they speak highly of the quality of the food and service

On the day they allowed me to arrive early at the venue and decorate the area with a few banners and balloons. The staff also helped us in organising a surprise birthday cake for my mum which was brought out during dessert

The only minor negative is that we were meant to be within the conservatory area of the restaurant but due to bad weather and a leak in the ceiling we were unable to use this area as planned; but luckily the staff rang us beforehand and offered us an alternative room (the back room near the carvery area). It was helpful of them to ring me in advance to let me know about the room swap and realise that not much could’ve been done about the bad weather. The room that we had was a big enough size to accommodate us all and it was secluded away from the main restaurant which offered us some privacy from the other diners

Overall my mum thoroughly enjoyed her party and I would highly recommend The Ship to others - we will continue to diner there in future,...

Visited the Ship Inn on Valentine's Day for the set menu. The menu had a very good variety of choices. The main course was definitely star of the show, we had the Halibut and was delicious. However, due to being short staffed the service was extremely slow. We arrived at 6:30pm and we had to leave without having the 4th course as the desert didn't come out until 8:30pm. The desert was a bit disappointing as it was advertised as a chocolate fondue with homemade biscuits and strawberries. However, what we received was a bowl of digestive biscuits smothered in chocolate and one strawberry cut in half. As we had to leave after desert due to being in the restaurant over 2 hours and therefore missing out on the 4th course (petit fours and coffee) we did ask if our 2 glasses of lemonade could be removed from the bill in place of the fourth course but unfortunately the manager said this was not possible as once the drinks are added to the bill they cannot be removed. Unfortunately, the couple who were sat on the table next to us waited over an hour for their starters to arrive. However, to end on a positive note! Our waitress was absolutely lovely and was doing a great job considering she was busy going back and forth to the kitchen to chase people's orders. She was very apologetic about the delay in food being brought out and she was always polite. All in all, a bit disappointed with the way the night went. I know it's not always possible but perhaps have too much staff on shift on busy nights like these to allow for staff sickness if possible so that it doesn't...