The Wellington Inn - Real Ale Pub & Restaurant — Restaurant in England

I wanted to love this place, but the owners manner was strange throughout, the vibes were off, and the veggie roast was not good. Positives first: it's in a beautiful spot, a historic pub right next to the most stunning walks along the Malvern Hills, lovely views, small beer garden facing south for the summer, roaring log fires for winter and a cosy, rustic interior with board games in the bar. However, the trouble started when we walked into the bar and said we'd made a reservation for two (with all the reviews glowing about dog-friendliness). Bear in mind our single dog is tiny, very used to busy restaurants, and never allowed to cause trouble. The landlord was NOT pleased to see him and declared half the pub was out of bounds to us. "oh, I should have mentioned having a dog on the phone, I will next time" I smiled, hoping to defuse the situation. YES YOU SHOULD HAVE, came the glowering response; a strange way to treat a brand new customer. No matter - he found us a table in the smaller, dog-friendly bar area. Not that we'd know, as we were told to sit down first at a truly tiny bar table, around mid-calf height. He then dropped off some menus and disappeared without a word, leading the landlady to ask from over the bar: "Are you fussy drinkers or do you know what you want? We need to know before 2:30." It wasn't clear if they'd stop serving food, alcohol, or what within the remaining 10 minutes. I enquired as to the ciders. Stowford or nothing. A shame for an area with so many good ciders, but no matter, two of those please. She overheard us saying 'well the reviews did say very dog friendly' and replied "We are but you have to go in the bottom section." As if to prove it, she brought some treats over for our dog, and then the landlord came back. "She's let that fire die down", he declared, putting a single cold log onto an unlit hearth without a hint of embers or having been used recently. Unsurprisingly, it stayed unlit. He disappeared again to fiddle with the wood stove in the next room, moving some other guests on a bench around to get some wood. We wondered if we'd be able to have the empty table for two next to the stove. "No, your table's the other side of that room", he declared. Is it ready for us to move to?... we wondered aloud, before he replied YES as if we were thick. Finally seated, the food came quickly and I had high hopes, with clearly marked vegetarian and vegan options throughout. It was a stuffed butternut squash roast which sounded delicious. Unfortunately the execution was... not good. The butternut had been simply cut in half, without any of the pulp or seeds scraped out like you normally would, and the 'stuffing' turned out to be a very thin garnish. It was also under-roasted to the point of being quite chewy. At this point the landlord comes to ask if everything is okay, and we said it was fine. He then starts talking to the (until now quiet!) dog in a funny voice and staring him down, which really scares him. Not taking upset barking at a stranger for a no, he continues with this a lot longer than I would have. I paid, left a decent tip for the younger staff who were all lovely, and left,...

We dropped in at the Wellington at a mid week lunchtime when Herefordshire was still in Tier 1. It was a truly awful day weather wise, we were fed up and decided to visit the Wellington partly as a trip diwn memory lane having visited there many years ago. We weren't disappointed. Firstly the whole place is warm and welcoming by both the landlord and also the decor and ambience. A nice open fire and lots of different sitting spaces including a very nice dining area. We had intended to have a sandwich but in the end we were tempted by the full menu and had the most delicious sit down meal with great service, great real ale. My partner is a beer connoisseur and the beer here was given top marks. I recommend the lamb and home made pheasant pie but I was also tempted by the vegetarian option. The vegetables served with our meal cooked to pefection. My dessert was heavenly. The whole place is Covid compliant, very clean and in our very limited world at the moment our lunch at the Wellington will be in our memory for a long time. On the practical side plenty of parking, and we also bought some eggs which were being sold there. The pub is set back off the road on an incline and so people with mobility issues would need to take extra care. I highly recommend. I'm sure you won't be...

5/4/2025 - the worst meal I've ever had! The "Hake" , done in garlic sauce was a very small piece, and the mashed potatoes about 4 teaspoonsful! I asked for vegetables as what I had been given was more like a starter than a main course! The vegetables, which were hardly cooked and very crunchy, turned up some time later - hence I ate the fish separate to my vegetables! My friend had a pie which was very dry. She had a small jug of gravy which she ate with half of the pie, when she asked for another jug of gravy it never came! If it wasn't for my friend kindly sharing her chips with me, I'd have left the pub hungry! Definitely not worth the money I paid! Please avoid if you're looking for a decent meal, as it appears main courses are the size of a starter! Very...