Old Mill Pub & Dining — Restaurant in New Forest

Having seen mixed reviews and with some apprehension, my wife and I decided to revisit this restaurant (we had been to years ago), booking a table for lunch on 23 June at 12:30. This visit, however, proved to be an unexpected disappointment. Upon arrival, the restaurant was almost empty, and we were shown to a corner table, despite requesting a window seat during the booking process. The atmosphere lacked vitality, and there was no background music until about 30 minutes after we arrived, suggesting it was initially forgotten. We were handed the à la carte menu without being informed of the fixed price set lunch menu, which we later had to request. Moreover, we were only offered bottled water, when we requested tap water none was provided until we followed up. While the staff we encountered were polite, they seemed disheartened, which further detracted from the overall experience. For starters, we ordered chicken satay. Unfortunately, the chicken was underwhelmingly prepared, with the meat being very pink. When this was brought to the manager's attention, we were informed that the pinkness was due to the use of thigh meat. The menu, however, had only mentioned "chicken," leading to our assumption it would be breast meat, as is typical elsewhere. My wife, who does not eat thigh meat, sent hers back after barely starting, while I had already consumed half of mine. For our main course, we ordered fish and chips. The portions of fish were thin, the batter was overcooked, and the salt shakers across three different tables were all empty. At no point were we asked about our satisfaction with the meal. Adding to the disappointment, the fish served to another table was significantly thicker than ours, though it was supposedly the same dish (even though it was from the à la carte menu). As the restaurant gradually filled, we overheard other diners trying to order desserts, only to find that a number of options had run out already. This lack of availability further highlighted the lack of preparedness and attention to detail. The overall cleanliness left much to be desired. Dust and cobwebs were visible, and the state of the toilets was unacceptable. The bins were full, used toilet paper rolls and paper littered the area, and there was unflushed debris in the toilets. When we received our bill, an unexpected £3 supplement per person for the fish and chips was added. The menu did not clearly indicate this charge, as it lacked a pound sign and appeared as though it related to allergen information. Additionally, the starter my wife could not eat was not discounted, and a discretionary service charge was automatically included. After raising these concerns, the manager discounted my wife’s drink and removed the service charge. And when I outlined all the other issues he offered little more than “budgets” as an explanation for the poor experience. This visit was a far cry from the enjoyable experience I remembered from years ago. The quality of food, service, and cleanliness has deteriorated significantly. While some diners may have had a better experience, such inconsistencies only amplify the shortcomings. Regrettably, we will not be returning to this establishment...

Beautiful setting, sadly food and service greatly lacking.

My husband and I visited The Mill at Gordleton to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

Firstly the menu choice I personally felt was very limited. I have a dairy intolerance of which the restaurant was informed on booking, but they did not advise their menu was not suitable for me. Unfortunately their online menu was a sample so couldn't be sure what would be available on the day. I chose the soup of squash with feta, which I found to have an unpleasant taste. I like feta, but this tasted unpleasant.

For my main meal I chose stone bass with fettuccine in a lemon butter sauce. Unfortunately the menu did not say that they included double cream in the sauce which was evident when the dish arrived We complained, the waitress advised that they were not told of my dairy problem. Serious lack of communication that could have caused me tremendous pain and vomiting issues. I was asked if I wanted anything else, but to be honest the thought of what had happened made me feel uncomfortable and really not hungry. I ended up accepting a swap to vegetables and some form of potato. What turned up was a dish with my uneaten fish plus fettuccine minus sauce and sloppy overcooked vegetables. Really unappetizing, so I left most of the dish. For dessert there was no choice that I could have, everything included dairy. In the end I asked if I could have sorbet without the dairy pudding that went with it. No non dairy ice cream or fruit options. What turned up was laughable. I was served with 2 teaspoon size scoops of sorbet in a butter dish and one strawberry cut in half for which I was charged almost £3.00 for the pleasure. Plus I was charged in full for my main meal which I couldn't eat after being served in a cream sauce that turned my stomach, even though they were told no cream.

This experienced absolutely and totally ruined our wedding anniversary.

My husband and I eat out quite a bit. Considering most restaurants I have visited recently are offering a good range of options catering for most dietary requirements on their regular menu, this restaurant absolutely does not cater for people with dietary issues. Having said that there was one main course option labelled v/v which I assume is vegetarian and vegan. Their choice, in my opinion is really poor and I would encourage anyone considering booking to call the restaurant for their menu options beforehand. Their communication to their kitchen and waiting staff is appalling and could be considered dangerous if anyone suffers with a specific food allergy. I believe the restaurant seriously needs to rethink their...

We have just returned from a wonderful 2 night stay at The Old Mill. Our usual hotel was full and even though we had never been before I am so glad we booked! Everything was perfect from the warmest of welcomes, to the beautiful gardens, immaculate room and the hotel and pub interior, right down to the fuss & love given to our dog Basil! On arrival the parking was plentiful and easy, the check in was so warm and we were made to feel at home straight away. There was no pressure to prebook a time for breakfast or dinner which was great for us as we really didn’t want to feel restricted and could enjoy our day exploring the New Forest and return when we wanted to eat and they clearly had thought of these little details again to make us feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible! The room was beautiful and immaculate! I am very critical and I do have high standards and this met them all! The staff at the Old Mill really make this place very special and the Gem they it is! Everyone we met were genuinely lovely and went above and beyond to make us feel at home and nothing was ever too much trouble and this made our stay so lovely! I particularly loved how welcome Basil our dog was made to feel, that was such a big thing for me as he is part of our family and we felt so comfortable with him being there and he was more then welcomed throughout our stay! I was also amazed at how although being so very dog friendly how immaculate it is throughout and I know as a dog owner how hard that is to achieve! The Old Mill is very popular with lots of people eating at the pub for lunch and dinner or visiting for a drink in the beautiful setting, we ate on both nights and the food was great especially the roast on a Sunday! The staff were very busy but always took time to give us attention and make us feel valued and that really does go a long way, this place really has the most loveliest homely feel! Many other establishments could learn from the team at The Old Mill, their management should be very proud of the amazing atmosphere they clearly work very hard to create! A special mention to Sydney who was exceptional during our stay and she really is a credit to The Old Mill! I honestly cannot fault anything! We had the most wonderful stay and didn’t want to leave, now we are home we are already looking to book again in the autumn as we cannot...