Ye Olde Red Lion — Restaurant in England

We have visited and stayed overnight here for the past 12 years and always loved it but sadly not this time..When we arrived for our overnight at the end of June this year a power cut had happened in the area, so we had no electric in our room which had a bathroom with no window which made it very dark indeed, so we waited in our room expecting someone to come and explain the situation and may be supply us with at least a couple of candles but no one arrived. We had also booked dinner which of course did not happen and was told the chef had ben sent home at 7.30pm. We asked at the bar if there was was anything else available as we had been travelling all day and explained that my husband was diabetic and I was concerned about getting him something to eat. The Manager was sat at the bar and said that he had crisps and nuts for sale or we could get a takeaway but as we are not from the area of course we did not know of any takeaways in the area and no information was forthcoming so all we had was a packet of crisps each. In the morning we had booked breakfast for 8.30am and along with a delivery driver we had to wait outside for the manager to arrive and let us in for breakfast. We have never had half a field mushroom hidden under a piece of tomato on a breakfast before, no offer of more toast or coffee top up. On checking out the manager made no apology whatsoever for the inconveience we had experienced and not even a small reduction as a gesture of goodwill. In fact we felt that he was not really interested in our custom at all .It was always something we looked forward to staying there but not any more the new magement have a lot to learn about customer service...

Relaxed quality pub with new decor and management. We joined friends and young teens for a late Sunday lunch, who had eaten at Ye Olde Red Lion before under previous owners. This was our first experience and it was absolutely wonderful! Felt in good hands with just the right amount of relaxed informality together with correct orders and really delicious, large portions of classic food. We ordered a full range of mains and pudds including vegetarian, kids, salads and Sunday Roasts. Our roast beef was akin to 3 tender steak fillets on a plate (wow!), succulent pink inside & tough around the outside. Perfect for us. Mixed fresh tasty veg; cooked broccoli still bright green and firm, with a surprise large dish of cauliflower cheese on the side. All our plates were pilled high, even the salads and vegetarian dishes. Teens were happy with Kids menu burgers and chips then realised chips & peas were included and with ice cream deserts too. Happy days! With a steady stream of drinks served by Elliot, a smiling tall teenager with graceful confident manners, it was a really leisurely relaxed get together. They even had Oat milk for our vegan friend’s tea! Almost forgot to mention the warm melty Sticky Toffee Pudding which was honestly the best I’ve ever eaten! Hard to believe the new owners have only just bought the pub and opened that week after some updating and decorating. Congrats and good luck all. On our way from London we will most certainly chose Ye Olde red Lion again, instead of the M4 Chievely service station and maybe try their B&B rooms when meeting up with our mates from the West...

The Red Lion was suggested to us by a nearby pub in Leckhamstead (shut on Mondays) as a meeting ground for two groups coming from Oxford and Hook, Hants.

I believe my companions found their meals better than average, but mine - gammon, chips and peas - was definitely sub-par. The chips were acceptable, the peas hard and bullet-like and the slabs of gammon tasteless.

But it is the attitude of the owner that I wish to comment upon. I had scarcely reached the bar when he appeared and virtually ordered me to remove my cap. My normal practice is to do so when I sit to eat, so I was somewhat surprised by this demand and the tone it was couched in. I asked what the reason for removing it was. There was, it seems, no reason and my question was absurdly met by an attitude of hostility. I then asked some local people why the rule was insisted upon and discovered that they had no idea but did as they were required.

It seems that it is a whim of a man who, without rhyme or reason, wants to exert his petty power over visitors to his pub. It is a trivial and unreasoning ultimatum and I would have left except that friends had come from a distance to our meeting. I cannot however, let this ignorant rudeness pass without noting it. As one of my companions commented: "Our forebears fought a war to defend democracy and ensure that people can exercise idiotic and irrational behaviour such as this."

Fair enough.

The unpleasant personality's performance was more than countered by the delightful young Hungarian woman I chatted to about her country afterwards. There's always a...