The Queens Head — Restaurant in Rother

Still a lovely building in a fantastic location but sadly the food we had in December was far below the standard that I have been accustomed to in previous years.

I especially enjoy the deep fried brie with cranberry. In the past, it has been served with a lovely, thick slice of fresh granary bread. This time, it was a nasty, thin slice of cheap supermarket, mass produced seeded bread.

We were seated in the seperate room which is nothing like the main area which is full of wonderful character, plus it was frankly freezing to the point where even our little girl who is always too hot refused to take her coat off. When we asked if there was a heater that could be put close by, we were moved to sit in front of the fake fire place. Granted, it did produce a little heat from the bottom, but it was still cold. Not to mention that we went from a table for 4 which suited our family group of 3, to two round tables or 2 which were pushed together, meaning we didn't have the cozy family meal that we had looked forward to when we booked a week or so in advance.

On arrival, we had barely sat down when we were asked what we'd like to drink - no chance to look at the menu or wine list. We did ask for a few minutes - eventually the waiter did come back. Without wanting to be rude, or personal, he had none of the personality or warmth that we would expect in anyone serving tables.

Aside from the bread issue, the food was reasonable and good portion sizes.

The lady who brought the food to the table also lacked the warmth that we would have expected from any table staff.

Being in the quiet, almost empty room, we could clearly hear what other guests (clearly regulars) were saying and it was very clear that their pre-christmas meals were cold. But they said the food did taste good. They didn't feel able to mention this at the time and ate most of it. We ordered from the regular menu and our food was hot.

I feel here that we have a sad case of an establishment having worked very hard for a much-deserved fantastic reputation but is now currently resting on its laurels. This is a very dangerous attitude to take. I have spoken to friends and family who have also very much enjoyed The Queens Head in the past, and we are all in agreement. So here I am, trying to turn this around with my honest review.

I very much hope things improve going forward, as the journey from Canterbury simply isn't worth it at...

We saw the sign at the side of the road for this place on our way from Hastings to Camber sands... thought we'd book it up for our wedding anniversary and we're glad we did. Situated in the countryside, with gorgeous, vast views of the local landscape, this place is easy to find via Google directions. The outside is what you'd expect from a 17th century Inn and the garden and car park are well attended. The pub itself is full of charm, with quirky old-fashioned bits and bobs everywhere you look and strong references to royalty (well, it is The Queen's head after all!). The staff were very friendly and helpful and the locals made us feel very welcome too. It was incredibly popular - no table was left empty for long and speaking of tables, they are just as higgledy piggledy as the floor spaces (there are several little areas in the pub, including a nook, a room with a huge fireplace, the bar area and a lower seating area, all seperated by old beams to give plenty of light inside. The food was all cooked perfectly - reasonably priced and tasty with large portions and the chips were amazing. The only little thing we'd comment on it that the mixed grill has 2 very overpowering flavours - that of the mint on the lamb and the smoked gammon, which detracted slightly from the natural meaty flavours from the chicken and steak. The sausage was huge and flavoursome and herby and the egg was cooked perfectly to our liking too. We would definitely recommend this place if you're in the area. Thank you for having us, we hope to visit...

Feel sad that I can only put 3 stars this time as this was and still is our go to pub for family events and meals. Food is excellent and generous. Service is usually with a smile. The location and the pub itself are really great. BUT!! We specifically asked when booking to be seated in an area that is more private and has a droppedfloor because it was for my 66th birthday. When we arrived we were not seated there but in a spot that was near the open door which was quite chilly at 6 30/7pm in the evening and we queried this. The poor guy serving us was surprised and went to check the booking. He said it was plainly written against our booking. I said how disappointed I was and also that I was quite chilled. He couldn't apologise enough but said there was nowhere else to move us. He could see I was disappointed so sent the woman who took the booking to apologise as he could see how I was feeling. The woman came and apologised but was quite blaise about it at times not even bothering to make eye contact. We will go again as it is a family gathering place but I will have to double check our booking when making it and explain why, which I should not have to do in a qualty recognised...