Fox and Hounds, Neasham

Although this pub is often fully booked, I just dont get it.

My partner and I went there for Sunday lunch yesterday. We were there at opening time.

The food was served to us immediately - all pre-plated with 1 Yorkshire (dry and tasteless, cheap cuts of pre-prepared beef and a couple of roast potatoes plus 1 boiled potato. A tiny side plate of vegetables for us to share, with some peas, carrots, 2 pieces of cauliflower and some cabbage.

The food was totally bland - not a single flavour in the whole meal. Meat was stringy, vegetables, although perfectly cooked, simply had no flavour. Put it this way, including waiting to be served at the bar, sitting down, being served our meal, and leaving - 20 minutes! Price? �21.40!! And despite being busy - no atmosphere at all in the place!

The bench seats where we were put were saggy with an uncomfortable back, I had to sit on the edge to get to my food. The Gents toilet was about as grotty as you can get. Service was minimal. Not unfriendly but certainly not friendly.

We then went to sit outside in the gorgeous sunshine. The bench seats and tables were filthy and sticky. This might not be the pub's fault as it is a public garden. Nothing to have stopped them washing them down of a morning though!

My partner and I were discussing the poor food and 'own brand' soft drinks when a lady from another table (who works there) rudely chipped in on our conversation to lecture us about the brewery's own brands.

This pub is in a lovely setting, on the river and with a nice beer garden. What a pity everything except the setting (and the prices) are so incredibly average. I wont be going back there again.

1 Jun 2009 10:27