The Elderflower Restaurant — Restaurant in New Forest

We recently dined at The Elderflower (Christmas menu) and were thoroughly disappointed with our experience, especially given the restaurant’s fine dining reputation and the premium price point. While the staff were friendly, their inexperience was evident and, combined with numerous mishaps throughout the evening, resulted in an underwhelming and frustrating visit.

The service was far below fine dining standards. From the outset, we encountered issues, including a hair in one of the courses and a drink spilled on my mum by a waiter who barely acknowledged the mistake, let alone apologised properly. Furthermore, servers wore white gloves that were visibly worn with holes—something completely out of place for a fine dining establishment.

Timing was another major issue. Our first course of the eight-course tasting menu took 45 minutes to arrive, and subsequent courses were equally delayed, taking 30-40 minutes each. By the time the fifth course came out, we felt compelled to complain. To make matters worse, the third course was served while the remnants of the second course were still on the table, leading to a clumsy and messy clearing attempt in front of us. This lack of coordination detracted heavily from the experience.

Adding to the disorganisation, we had to ask multiple times for empty glasses and bread plates to be cleared, and even basic touches like table crumbing were done incompletely, leaving most of the table messy. Despite raising these concerns politely throughout the meal, staff blamed the poor experience on it being the first night of a new menu. This excuse might have been understandable for a less expensive restaurant, but at this level, it felt dismissive and unprofessional.

Unfortunately, the food itself also failed to impress. None of the dishes delivered the “wow” factor we expected, and all the hot courses arrived lukewarm. Burnt elements in the last two courses were especially disappointing, with the final dish so poorly executed that it was impossible to cut with a knife and fork. When we mentioned this to the waiter, we were told, “That’s just how it’s served,” which came across as dismissive.

The wine pairing was another letdown. None of the wines complemented the courses well, which is unheard of for a meal of this nature. This is the first wine pairing experience I’ve had that felt completely mismatched.

Even before we arrived, there were issues. We tried to cancel our booking within an hour of making it but were told the restaurant would keep a £5 per person charge, even though the full amount was being paid on one card. This rigid policy felt unnecessarily punitive.

As for the bill, despite the numerous problems throughout the evening, the restaurant initially offered only a £5 discount for finding a hair in the food—less than 1% off a £550 bill. When we expressed how inadequate this was, they reluctantly added another £20 off, but it still felt like an insult given the magnitude of issues we faced.

Overall, this was a disappointing experience. While the staff were friendly, their inexperience, the disorganised service, and the lacklustre food made it hard to enjoy the evening. Fine dining comes with high expectations, and The Elderflower failed to meet basic standards. Considering the premium pricing, I cannot recommend this restaurant and hope management takes these issues more seriously in the future.

Lastly, after looking at the other 1 star reviews it’s clear that management do not take...

I had high hopes for this restaurant as it was ranked highly in the Michelin guides list of best restaurants in Lymington and the surrounding areas. Reviews of prior diners and the pictures of the food are and look great hence we decided to book into the Elderflower to hopefully experience too.

We opted for the 5 course taster menu and all dishes were presented very intricately which we appreciated greatly. One can also tell that the ingredients used were of very high quality and was handled with care by the kitchen. It was our anniversary too and the team kindly signed a small card to highlight their appreciate which I thought was a very kind gesture.

However, the reason for such a low rating is based on several fronts:

Firstly, the service was extremely lack luster. We may have had a new joiner but she failed to explain the dishes correctly and clearly. I understand nerves may have been present but it made us feel uncomfortable due to the awkwardness of the interaction. Inability to pronounce ingredients and forgetting parts of the dish particularly stood out. We also ordered a bottle of wine but had to constantly ask the staff to refill our glasses as the bottle was put away from our table. The empty plate that the bread was served on was only taken away after being asked which was when the third course was served. Further, the breadcrumbs were only removed from the table just before the desert was brought to us. That being said, this area of improvement was not apparent in all staff. One waiter and waitress (seemed like the restaurant manager) were great with interaction and swapped desert dishes as they deemed it was not up to standard; this was very much appreciated.

To preface my second point, myself and my partner have eaten at top restaurants in both in the UK and abroad with family on both sides being chef's. Photos look great online and our comments are not downplaying the opinions of other diners. We both do not think the taste of the food itself was up to the standard that we expected. This potentially may have been due to the changing menus but the dishes we were served were not memorable. For the price we paid we expected bolder flavours and is not worth the money. In particular the Venison Biltong and the Beetroot Rose dishes were average.

I also think, after reading other reviews, that the staff act unprofessional when receiving negative opinions online. In my opinion I think this leaves a sour taste for the diners that are leaving areas of improvement for the restaurant. I do not think this behaviour truly reflects on the kindness of the waiting staff in the restaurant itself.

We hope this feedback is reflected on as we believe this restaurant has a lot...

It wasn't the setting or perhaps the lunch offering or following days gourmet dinner with one exception that disappointed us It was the so called owners wife and assistant both with charisma by passes and downright rudeness that was the final straw Next to us also with the gourmet 7 course meal they were served their meat interim Ours were left out and the Ladies ignored our Q what happened and said we reserve the right to alter our dishes - well we just didn't get a replacement We asked to see the Chef owner again ignored although I don't think he ever ventures into the restaurant yet on TV last night was on the Quay to collect his fish for presumably the next several days etc He won't know how terrible was our experience The venue should never have been included on the programme unlike the Royal Oak or the Pig Both honest and superb in their own right Over 60 years of Lymington visits so many really good eateries have come and gone I wish Elderflower would go the way of all flesh

Thank you for your reply Chef My dearest wife passed away last yesr unexpectedly The TV coverage of NFrestaurants a few days ago prompted my review of our terrible experience initiated by your wife a couple of years or more ago, relatively you were a newcomer restaurant, for which we never forgave her nor will I ever No you wouldn't have known as I doubt she would have chastised you for omitting our interim dish if indeed it was your fault Nor would she offer excuses for her behaviour The comparison with two superb offers in NF each different in their own right highlighted your restaurant shortcomings in our memory Yet the Presenters waxed lyrically about Elderflower too Previous different eateries over many many years on your site were always enjoyable as indeed were others in Lymington and elsewhere in NF Our Anniversary break approaching 50 years that particlar year in ELDERFLOWER was soured as a consequence of your wife's actions that evening Now sadly I am alone I have many French friends whom I love and admire It simply boils down to your wife's ineptitude and attitude on the night in question Don't forget we had already had lunch with you the previous day so we're at a loss to understand her demeanor and refusal to...