Rockingham Arms — Restaurant in Rotherham

I have eaten here several times before, each time with family and had very good experiences. I require a non gluten containing menu and on each visit previously I have always felt well taken care of. Sadly that was not the case today. I made it clear on the booking that I can not tolerate gluten and mentioned it again on arrival where there was a sign requesting me to to this. The lady who greeted us was lovely, she said she was already aware and in fact the non gluten containing menu was already at our table at my place setting which I thought was great. I wanted the Sunday roast so I checked each item listed on the menu carefully and then compared with another guest also ordering a normal Sunday roast. The NGC menu did not offer cauliflower cheese which was no surprise, neither did it offer sausage meat stuffing, again quite normal but there was yorkshire pudding which is quite unusual but having had GF yorkshire pudding before, I was happy that it would be OK so it all looked fine. When my meal arrived, it had a GF marker so I was confident that I had the correct meal. I started to eat when I suddenly realised I had cauliflower cheese on my plate alongside my parsnips which I had already began eating. I was worried about this as it was definitely not listed on the menu so I asked the waitress to double check for me. I was shocked when she returned from the kitchen to tell me the cauliflower cheese was NOT gluten free. She quickly took my meal back to the kitchen and said the whole meal would have to be prepared again. We had already waited almost an hour for our meal to arrive and the rest of the party had their meals so I urged them to continue eating so as their food would not be cold. My meal came back about 10 or 15 minutes later. This is a BIG mistake to make, consuming gluten has severe consequences for me and I so now I didn't want to eat the yorkshire pudding or the gravy for fear of them no being GF. My confidence was gone along with my appetite. I understand that accidents happen and that this would of been a genuine if not somewaht careless mistake however what I really felt was lacking was the absolute total lack of concern for just how serious this could of been had I not questioned the cauliflower cheese. When the waitress returned with my second meal I got a statutory "sorry about that" apology. The very least I had hoped for would of been an acknowledgement that the staff understood the severity of the mistake, a brief explanation maybe, of how it happened and some positive reassurance of what they would do to ensure it wouldn't happen a second time. I would of liked the apple crumble for dessert but opted for a scoop of chocolate ice cream instead just to be on the safe side. I honestly don't think that they either cared or have any real understanding of how serious this could of been for me or for other customers that can not tolerate gluten. When the bill arrived it too was clearly marked GF so how this happened I shall never know but it has knocked my confidence for six and I think it could be a while before I get it back again, enough to return to the Rockingham Arms. Update: I have been contacted by the manager of the Rockingham Arms as well as the Customer Service Team and Regional Mnager of Greene King and I am delighted to say that they are taking this very seriously and are addressing every aspect of training and customer service around allergens and the importance of getting it right especially the need for customer trust and reassurance. I can not fault the way in which this is being handled and whilst mistakes can happen to anyone both the Rockingham arms and Greene King are doing everything possible to make sure it doesn't happen again. I have been treated with the utmost courtesy, care and understanding and my confidence in being able to return to eat again in the future is has ...

Overall, Room 11 was good, though slightly overpriced at £98 per night given some key issues. Upon waking in you could clearly see the carpet was in need of a deep clean, with red stains visible by the side of the bed and general ground-in dirt from foot traffic. Another downside was the Wi-Fi router mounted directly above the bed, constant red and yellow flashing lights throughout the night, which was quite disruptive and very bright.

We also found the in-room refreshments very limited. Tea, coffee, milk, and sugar were rationed, which is fine as I understand it must be a welcome offering rather than for the duration of a stay. As non-coffee drinkers staying for four nights, receiving just 2 tea bags per day between 2 people left us feeling awkward having to ask at the bar for 2 more.

Having worked in hospitality, I understand the demands of the industry and the Rockingham Arms has the potential to be a 10/10 destination. A few small but important improvements could really elevate the experience: More attentive and consistently present bar staff. Regular upkeep of the outdoor areas—just hourly clean ups would make a big difference. An increase in general day-to-day care and cleanliness (such as the carpets) to meet guest expectations on arrival. Improved room lighting- while the warm, yellow lighting adds to the character, it’s not bright enough in the evening for reading or practical use.

I’m sharing this feedback honestly and constructively, in the hope that it leads to positive changes. We’d be happy to return, as the place truly has a lot of charm...

Review added after star rating. Detail requested for benefit of comment below

We visited for a family meal, there were 3 adults and 2 under 18s. We were seated in the restaurant. The tone was set by the rather officious server who refused service of a cider to our 20 year old niece as she didn't have ID. A photo of her passport and driving licence were not acceptable as she could have tampered with them! We were having a family meal and she was with two adults. Next problem, the signature burger was not as described but when we questioned this, the food was returned to the kitchen and brought back with the insistence that it was correct and the cheese slice covered the pulled pork (which could not be seen), which indicates how much pulled pork was on the 'signature' burger. The food was ok, but either not hot or too hot and not up to the standard we would expect. Finally, the desserts arrived. Two exploded chocolate fondants with no raspberry coulis in sight. Despite the server explaining they had exploded, but we could see they were runny- they weren't particularly warm although the plate was as the ice cream had melted! I am not a serial nit picker (as my previous reviews reflect) but this was overall an expensive midweek family meal and we did leave underwhelmed and disappointed with the food. I also feel 3 stars is generous given the poor level of customer service we received, I don't think we will return. †Our server was male. The female server with red hair seemed to be better, but she only assisted...