The Squirrel — Restaurant in England

We booked The Squirrel to treat our mums for Mother’s Day this year, expecting a special meal to mark the occasion. Unfortunately, our experience was anything but, and we left extremely disappointed by both the food and service. Given the abundance of positive reviews online, we are genuinely baffled as to how our visit could have been so poor. To begin with, our reservation was for 5pm, but we were made to wait outside for 40 minutes before being seated. While we understand that pubs get busy, especially on an occasion like Mother’s Day, this level of delay is unacceptable. Thankfully, the weather was pleasant, and we were able to enjoy drinks while we waited, but we were all very hungry by the time we were finally seated. Once at our table, things initially seemed promising. The atmosphere was nice, and the staff were friendly—both the young blonde waitress and the dark-haired one were attentive and helpful. However, our optimism quickly faded when the food arrived. Starters Three of us ordered the Tempura Scallops, which turned out to be minuscule, overcooked, and clearly left in the fryer for far too long. The batter was hard and crumbled to dust when cut—nothing like the light, crisp tempura one would expect. My husband ordered the Bloody Mary Soup with Artisan Bread. The soup was essentially blended tinned tomatoes, completely lacking in depth or seasoning. To make matters worse, when he requested a spoon, he was given a small teaspoon as the waitress couldn’t find any others. My brother-in-law had the Trio of Fish Platter, which looked promising at first. However, he was disappointed to find that the smoked salmon was warm and rubbery, and the supposedly “fresh” prawns were also warm—far from ideal for a seafood dish. The only starter that met expectations was the Goat’s Cheese. Mains Hoping for redemption with the mains, we were once again let down. Three of our party had the beef roast, which was well-cooked but very thin and sparse. In stark contrast, the pork roast was a large portion, which was at least a positive. However, for five roast dinners, we were given just one bowl of vegetables—consisting of a single piece of cauliflower and a single broccoli floret per person, along with tiny portions of cabbage and carrot-swede mash. Sharing vegetables is common in many restaurants, but this was utterly inadequate. We also had to request additional cutlery, which took so long to arrive that our food was cold by the time we could start eating. When the waitress did return, she only brought four forks and one knife, meaning we had to wait even longer. My mum ordered the Vegetable Cassoulet, which was, quite frankly, inedible. Instead of a rich, comforting dish, she was presented with a bowl of greyish-green mush that resembled a bowl of mucus and vomit! The one redeeming dish was the Beetroot Wellington, which was well-executed and enjoyable. Desserts By the time desserts arrived, our expectations were low, and even then, we were disappointed. The restaurant only had two cheesecakes left, so we also ordered a Tiramisu, a Crème Brûlée, and an Eton Mess. The Eton Mess, in particular, was shockingly poor—three small chunks of rhubarb, a crushed meringue nest, and a dollop of squirty cream. It was so bad that I refused to eat it and asked for it to be removed from the bill. The waitress agreed that it was unacceptable, but it remained on the final bill regardless. Additional Issues Beyond the food itself, there were several other problems that made our visit frustrating: • The bill took over 20 minutes to arrive, and when it did, it was incorrect. • The ladies’ toilets were out of toilet roll for the entire duration of our visit. • Drinking glasses were dirty, with fluff from tea towels visible on them. • The restaurant was clearly understaffed, making service slow and disorganised. It is a real shame that the chefs here seem to have no pride in the food they serve. The waiting staff were doing their best under difficult circumstances, but they were let down by...

Unfortunately today we went to the Squirrel. We ordered five meals, the first two came with no knife and forks. Then two others came out still no knives and forks. Asked for knives and forks and condiments (ketchup, mayonnaise). Next meal came no knives forks. So eventually we got our knives and forks. No condiments.. The meals were below par, meals were missing items from dinner, alternative items were also placed on dinners.. when questioned at bar told they had run out of items. So I believe when ordering meals , the staff should have informed us of missing items due to dietary needs possible allergies, or just because that's their job. Some items on plates were overcooked ,while others were missing . All in all not a nice ,enjoyable meal .. Though I can't speak for all, please be aware , if you were to read this review of possible problems. As not to ruin anyone's day. Meal with no cutlery..... Meal with no condiments... Meal overcooked... Meal substituted by items without knowledge to customer.. Unfortunately we had all the problems.. No cutlery to eat meal until after dinners sat in front of us and asking for them.. No condiments, even though we asked for them. Substitute items on plate without knowledge, not even stating when placing plate in front of customer.. Overcooked food Unfortunately..

Not at all happy with Meals, staff and their tasks It's a nice location, unfortunately we were given a bad...

Service was slow despite hardly anyone in the pub or restaurant. Had to prompt to take order after waiting 15 mins after drinks arrived. Another hour wait to get food (seven people). Food wasn't great, cheap ingredients, old sauce bottles and the ketchup defo wasn't Heinz despite being a Heinz bottle. Sundae desert served in plain white tea mugs and was a combination on squirty cream, bits of brownie and marshmallows. Pizza wasn't good and we left that. We were in the alcove area next to bar and could hear swearing from the people drinking at the bar and see them vaping inside. Also in this alcove area the table / chairs in this area were too big to allow for any moveable space around the table and having waiting and by the time food came each of us had had 2 pints of soft drinks each trying to get out to the toilet was a frustrating affair of people standing up, moving chairs etc. Gents toilet backs onto smoking area and so stinks inside. Overall, prices are too high for what you get, menu too large for one person in the kitchen to cope with, ingredients appear to be cheap wholesale from frozen, service below par and facilities and atmosphere unimpressive. Suggest the proprietors watch a few episodes of Ramsey's kitchen nightmares as they could...