The Ship Ashore — Restaurant in Milton Keynes

Honestly the worst experience I've ever in a pub had trying to talk to the staff (female manager) about my gluten free meal choice who could not have been less helpful or more antagonistic.

If you are Coeliac or have any other allergies avoid this place at all costs.

While I was trying to explain that the gluten free option in their complicated allergy menu 'booklet' wasn't going to be gluten free - she outright told me they were going to cook it with gluten containing food - one of the drunk regulars started a fight with my partner who was trying to explain how serious my allergy is!

The staff (including the kitchen staff, chefs and the manager) all collected around the bar and just watched!

After being told categorically that its not possible to make a note of their gluten free items on their menu (its standard practise to have an indication of gluten free options on a menu) I had been handed an A4 file of papers that listed every food item and every allergy. Once I finally found the meal I was looking for and saw it said no gluten I then realised in small print I had to then leaf through and find every side dish it was served with to double check it was gluten free.

They did not care that cooking the items labelled as gluten free in with gluten food would make the food damaging to me and wouldn't make it easy for me to simply have whatever on the menu they could be sure was gluten free as per their allergy guide.

EDIT:

The details you have provided are untrue and I will be putting a freedom of information request in for a copy of the cctv which will clearly so the drunk man run at my partner from across the room as he was walking out of the door. This was while my partner was making attempts to calm down the very angry manager.

While the fact is I did not record anyone the words unlawful recording are a bit of a funny phrase to use here - you can record anyone in public or a place made public by the right of access - just as you do with cctv.

Could you please provide me with the correct email to put my request for a copy of this cctv which I will then use to take further action against the staff and the male who attacked my partner?

I would like to clarify the food side of things for any potential visitors who might have food intolerances or allergies.

In brief my gluten free food was going to be cooked in a fryer with gluten containing food rendering it not gluten free. This is very basic food allergen training and is enough to seriously damage many customers. Had that food actually been cooked and I eaten that food I would have been so badly damaged I wouldn't have been able to digest some foods for up to three months.

The process that we went through in the short time we were there mainly involved trying to help your staff to understand this. Whilst I certainly didn't ask to be served before anyone else the response from your barman when I asked him for the allergen menu was 'just look online'. When I explained that I have a brain injury and I would like the allergen menu to look at I was told 'you'll have to wait because we don't know where it is.'

We have submitted an official complaint to Embers Inn last week regarding all of this and the drunk punter who charged across the room at my partner.

CCTV is going to prove invaluable so thank you for confirming that you have that. We have emailed to ask for a copy of this - please respond to the email...

First of all I don't usually righ reviews as I own a pub myself and know these reviews. Can be crippling however this place needs a wake up call. Has this changed ownership ? As used to be fab. Visited the ship a shore twice in one week and both times utterly annoyed and disappointed. First visit in the week I ordered a spicy chicken wrap and chips which after taking 55 mins to arrive (5 max customers in the pub) the wrap was soggy and the chicken dry, chips cold. I decided today to give it another shot with ,t partner and re visit the place for a roast and Sunday menu . When we arrived at 3pm we were told there are no roasts left although the pub was empty we decide not a fuss and would go for a surf and turf . We paid £36+ for what was advertised as premium cut steak , fried tomato , mushrooms , onion rings /chips and peas. The bartender who was on her first day at the location was left on her own with no bar staff to help her or management couldn't even find the kitchen let alone lime cordial at the bar regretted to inform us half the ingredients were missing from the meals and let us pay for price (overpriced restaurant anyhow for pub grub) and hope we would not notice. When the food finally arrived most items were missing including all vegetables and after paying full price we addressed the issue and were simply told "sorry but we ran out of these items nothing we can do " . The small amount of food that paid £36+ for went as followed. Charcoaled overdone (we ordered medium rare ) that tasted like frying steaks i could buy for a couple quid from the corner store, cold chips , soggy onion rings (I mean wet!!) , the prawns were 100% frozen and store bought baby prawns and no flavour, the food was an absolute shambles and how you have the cheeky to charge these prices is beyond me! We decided we had enough and would leave without even make an complaint to your joke of an establishment and thought that we would leave our food on the table you guys to try enjoy , so the full plates are left there for you guys to maybe try the food yourself and you might really get the message it's time to wake up. Here is a few tips for your future : do correct stock orders -do not leave untrained staff feeling helpless 86 dishes that have not the full ingredients and do not try rip people fire or retrain your chef immediately always have management of some sort on the floor clean your lines correctly , your beer tastes awful and had to move on to bottles.

I'm very annoyed you have the cheek to charge people this type of money and still try rip the, off and ashamed you think you are so successful you do not need to be in your own pub or have management there to represent you, your in for a bit...

A Culinary Catastrophe – More Shipwreck Than Ashore.

If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to be personally victimised by a restaurant, look no further than Ship Ashore. From the moment we sat down, we knew something was off and not just the menu, which proudly advertised their avocado as "ripe" but delivered something that felt more like a bodybuilder's six-pack: hard, cold, and deeply unappetising.

They made us pay before eating, and now I understand why, because no one in their right mind would willingly part with their money after. It's as if the chef used this meal to settle old romantic grudges. Each dish felt like an act of revenge.

My husband, who politely asked for "just sides, but on a plate," ended up with two tiny bowls as if he'd ordered off the toddler menu. The potatoes were so poorly done that I’m confident when our kids were under 10 years old, could have whipped up something better with a YouTube tutorial and a microwave.

The steak? We debated if our dog would even touch it. It had the chewiness of a rubber sandal and the emotional energy of a breakup. Even the peas looked like they’d given up on life: deflated, sad, and somehow gray.

The highlight of the meal? A shared moment of mutual despair with the table next to us, who were going through the exact same nightmare. They at least got a free dessert in sympathy. We bolted before they could offer us the same; it felt more like a punishment than a gift. Instead, we fled to the corner shop next door and treated ourselves to snacks that didn’t feel like a betrayal.

Happy Father’s Day indeed… just not at Ship Ashore. Next year, we’re going for a Happy Meal—at least that comes with a toy and no...