Greaves Park — Restaurant in Lancaster

There are so many good eating places around Lancaster, so why did my writing group choose the Greaves Hotel? In early November we decided to book our Christmas meal and someone decided the Greaves Hotel was a good idea. We booked and paid a small deposit of £5 each. As a Gluten intolerant vegetarian I had to ask if they could accommodate my dietary requirements before making a booking. I looked on the website; no mention of gluten free. I phoned; yes of course that’s fine. Why isn't gluten free on your website menus? We don’t need to have it there as people just ask. Nearer the time I was feeling jittery and phoned again and was assured by a different person that my choices were fine except that now I couldn't have the nut loaf. I accepted the quorn steak even though it didn’t sound as appealing. Two days before the meal the person who booked the meal suggested I ring again, just in case... I did and was assured by yet another person that all was fine. Today, the day of the meal, there were hardly any staff or they were hiding. Someone showed me to the table and when the others arrived I showed them to the table as no staff were did. Then, as three of our party had cancelled through ill health, we were told that we had to pay the full amount for the missing people as the meals were prepared and they couldn't sell them. But at no time when we booked were we told that cancellations meant losing more than the deposit. We sorted that out with the manager. No one asked us if we wanted drinks until the end of the meal and we weren't even given water until I requested it so we went to get our own drinks at the bar where a barmaid pulled a face at my asking if they had organic wine, then she gave me brandy in a lemonade glass. After a while what we had preordered were checked then we waited, and waited, and waited... perhaps an hour or more later the food came. Perhaps because I am not a meat, spuds and two veg person I did not appreciate the white plate with potatoes in the middle with a Yorkshire pudding balanced on top and a piece of meat with gravy. Mine was the same but with quorn steaks besides the central pile. I pointed out that Yorkshire pud was not gluten free. The manager (?) went away and came back with a menu on which the word Quorn was scribbled beside a meal. This apparently, was their way of keeping a record of an order! I reminded them that I had phoned three times asking for gluten free, vegetarian food and that I could not eat the quorn and potato now that they had put a Yorkshire pudding on it. 15 minutes later I got a new version that was even more boring than the first as it had no Yorkshire hat on top. I was so under impressed with the taste (slightly singed cardboard and gravy) that I left quite a chunk but having skipped breakfast I had to eat some of it. What more is there to say except that the sorbet (mulled wine flavour )served with no frills, garnish or drizzle, tasted so horrible and was so clinging that I couldn’t wash it away with water and had to buy a snack on the way home to get rid of the taste. What annoys me more than the bad service, lack of organisation or untrained staff is that the business of this place is food but they didn't seem to know the first thing about either making it look or taste appetising. Greaves Hotel, definitely NOT...

EDIT: After my detailed review (below), the Manager responded swiftly here AND responded quickly to a direct email. Not only that, when my Mum called in yesterday with her usual weekly ladies' group she was met by the Manager, personally. Thank you so much, you've gone above and beyond to rectify everything and we both appreciate it.

Original review: Love this place usually; it's one of my favourite places to go, but tonight it was a little 🤏 off... The welcome was exceptional as usual and drinks and menus were prompt. A large party had been in and were just dispersing gradually from a long table. When the last diners left the young waitress literally started almost chucking the chairs back under the tables and moving tables apart, at one point she even slid one back under our table, slightly crashing into the leg of the table😲 in her haste! She didn’t have a clue how much noise across the wooden floors she was creating while people were dining and the bashing she was doing against tables in her super 'efficient' manner! I’ve never witnessed anything quite so bad tbh. We had ordered the seabass which is my favourite; I recommended it to my Mum as it is sooooo tangy and flavoursome, with the kick of capers... Sadly, not so much of a kick this time (apart from when it was literally plonked in front of us by Ms Efficient without a word, then a cursory "Any sauces?"). Knocked one star off as, when she came to ask if our meals were OK, I took the opportunity to ask "Where are the capers? I really can't taste any capers...". She said the menus had recently changed and perhaps it was one of the recent changes so I explained that I'd seen it still said capers on the menu, so she went to check with the chef. "We've no stock so there are no capers in it." she explained. I said it was such a shame as the capers really made that meal... "Sorry darlin'" she said and wandered off quickly to clear more tables and smash around behind the bar! (You always knew where she was in the restaurant 🙉) Unbelievable!!! It was the equivalent of going for a lemon drizzle cake but finding it without lemon!!! Nice enough, but just a bit bland and disappointing. Surely a meal should be removed from the menu if a key ingredient isn't available or at least check if it's OK to make it without, giving the diner the choice?!? I would've had the Salmon Wellington instead! Anyway, when my Mum paid she was asked if everything was OK with the meals and she explained "Apart from there being no capers." and all she got was an "oh dear". I would've thought an offer to make the hot chocs complimentary, as she dines with her friends every Wednesday, would've been the least gesture they could've shown 🤷🏼‍♀️ Next time I will be asking if all the ingredients are in stock before I choose!!!

Note to manager - pls encourage your super efficient waitress to be more appreciative of diners' experiences and the ambiance of the dining room whilst carrying out her duties. She's speedy, gets things done, attentive and proactive, she just needs some smoothing around the sharp edges and it would be a good idea to drop...

Visited here on the 26/10/24 for my sister’s 21st. Where to start, the building itself is old and beautiful, and feels like you are in a castle! The staff were super friendly, wishing my sister a happy birthday when they saw the badges and the happy birthday decor we put in the table where she was sat. I opted for soup of the day which was carrot and butternut squash. The soup was delicious and came with warm bread that tasted homemade! I had the steak and ale pie and as you can see from the pictures of my main, proper portion sizes! This sets a bench mark for other pubs to follow in suite in portion sizes! I was so full after my meal I skipped pudding and opted for a tasty cappuccino! Others in the group had Americano and they offered milk instead of just putting it on the table which is rare nowadays. Service and food were superb! The toilets were spotless and the decor, seats and tables were great, gave a warm, romantic feeling. I will deffo be back and may even have a meal here before xmas! The staff could not do enough for us and were enthusiastic which was great! Can’t wait to come back here and without a doubt the best meal I have had out in a while and is mow in my top 3 places to eat out in! Keep up the great work, and thank you for making my sister’s 21st 1 to remember! On a final note I suspect all the food is homemade and...