Cuckfield Pantry, Tea Room & Diner — Restaurant in Mid Sussex

RUDE, DIRTY CUPS I visited this establishment on the 3rd of July with my partner and our 2 friends who were on holiday travelling from america. We were in the area and they had asked to have a traditional English afternoon tea to get a taste of the culture. My partner and I instantly regretted choosing this establishment upon arrival as the owner simply pointed to a table without saying a word. We decided to get 2 of the scones and tea meal and ask for another cup so all 4 of us could have a cup of tea and a scone. The meal was one pot of tea and 2 scones with jam and cream. It said nowhere on the menu how many cups we were allowed. when we asked for 2 extra cups, the owner bluntly said "NO" And there was an awkward pause and my partner asked why and the owner replied with "'coz that's not how it works" in a tone making us all feel uncomfortable. After discussion he agreed to charge us for 2 extra cups of tea but when it came to it, they were empty teacups so we could pout the tea from the pot into them, so we got charged the price of 2 cups of tea for empty cups. On top of this, once looking into the cups, we found dust in all four of them so they cannot have been recently washed. Finally, if you scroll through the negative comments, you will notice how the owners are bluntly and sarcastically replying to negative comments or simply dismissing the ex customer as mistaken in a way that suggests they can't the  handle negative feedback that may stop customers bieng driven away. I can honestly say I was ashamed that this establishment represented Britain for the American tourists we showed around and we will not be returning or recommending to anyone.

REPLY TO OWNERS REPLY, in fact it was dust as I distinctly remember pulling some out on my finger, as did one of the Americans we were with in her own...

My husband and I called in as we were passing by, just a short whilst after having lunch in Bolney. I needed to use the bathroom and had noticed the board read ‘pot of tea and scone’ £6.95, so my husband said, that’ll do, we can have a quick cuppa and share the scone. On ordering, we mentioned we will be sharing as we had just had lunch, the man said, you’ll need to order another cup of tea (£2.60) as it’s a pot of tea for 1 .. so, we said ok sure. The teas and 2 small scones were brought out and were very nice, we commented to each other that we would visit again and tell the family about the cafe. However, when we went to pay the bill, we appeared to be overcharged by £1 .. when I asked the lady (Sue) about it she told me there is a a £1 ‘sharing charge’, I said ‘really’? She retorted’ yes! It’s on the menu!’ .. annoying really as we had mentioned to the man that we would share the scone/s as had just come from lunch (we were really not hungry, just needed a pee) and yet nothing was mentioned at this time and we hadn’t noticed the extra charge on the menu at all. It’s just a £1 but ..feels disingenuous and stingy, we left feeling actually, we won’t be visiting again! There were only 3 other customers in. I am in hospitality myself so understand costing and time, but also feel, it’s not a good idea to leave customers feeling ‘had over’ all for a £1, it’s just not worth it. Not...

I visited yesterday with my parents and from start to finish the service was 5 star. We ordered the afternoon tea and toastie everything was fresh and delicious! I am rather confused about the bad reviews this has got because it’s like they visited somewhere else. The cakes were delicious and the scones were some of the best I’ve tasted. We are not residents of cuckfield so we did have a little bother with the parking in broad street as it was abit of mystery however we found out that you could buy the parking discs for £1 in the local shops I bought mine in the interior shop and my mum bought hers in the sweet shop, however the balance was quickly restored when we were met with friendly service and fantastic food! Definitely coming back! So I can counteract all these bad reviews that are spoof I will be writing a lot of good reviews because this lovely tea rooms does...