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We went to the kings head for a meal a couple of weeks ago. We also found the garden to be disgusting with dog turds spread all over the grass. however the landlord was so nice we decided to eat indoors. He took our order and promptly passed it to the chefs who where both dressed in a way you would not expect of chefs. the food arrived and it was ample and tasted very good. we enjoyed the meal and left hhappy. We are not 'drinkers' as such so we can say that the j20 and appletis are perfect. Within a few hours we were both throwing up and pooing for England! we dealt with that but after we thought about things we see. The chefs werent dressed right, they were playing with a dog and they both went strait from the bar to cook without washing there hands. We have rang the council and iwe hope they learn from it. Sorry landlord youve been let down by your staff
jedi1 - 20 Apr 2014 18:11 |
I wrote a review on this Public House in March 2014, some of which was complimentary, other parts not so. Having read the follow up reviews, I decided to return, with an unbiased friend, for her honest opinion.
The toilets are still pristine; the real ales are excellent, given a choice of three.
However, the man with his finger up his nostril still has his hot drink served to him, on a chromed tray, with a bottle of milk taking pride of place.
We asked if there was a garden and at the same time, could we look at the menu? We were given the menus, and directed towards the “Beer Garden”.
The journey to the Beer Garden required a negotiation through what appeared to be a scrap yard. (It transpires it was the smoking area) The Beer Garden, benefiting from grass in some areas, was festooned with garden tables, none of which were free of bird droppings or clean enough for someone to sit on.
However, we persevered and sat down at the ‘cleanest of the tables’. The menu, though not extraordinary offered promised. That is until my partner, for the day, spotted various dark mounds of, one assumes, dog faeces, scattered around the garden.
It is such a shame! I have been into this pub, on my own on a number of occasions. The bar staff, all dressed in black (it’s a pity it only suites the sour faced female who serves on a Sunday – and I’m not being sexist, a smile costs nothing) are always pleasant, the real ale, as previously stated , is well kept and presented.
However, I do object to the total denigration of this pub by the mindless idiots who cannot string a sensible sentence together without reverting to expletives (Use of obscene language, for those mindless idiots who do not understand the correct use of English)
The Kings Head is a reasonable pub; it could be a great Public House, if certain ingrained, out of date attitudes were to change. Gone are the days when customers were ‘reliable regulars’. Customers can, and obviously have, taken their business elsewhere.
“The true characteristics of ignorance are vanity, pride and arrogance”
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Whats up with you all? The pub is clean, the food is great with huge portions, the beer is the best kept beer for miles, the toilets are hotel standard, the decor is way above pub standard, and the staff are welcoming. As well as all that, the prices are very competitive. What else can anyone ask from a village Pub?????????
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Hi
I have been reading Beer In The Evening and am very surprised that the Kings Head, Sutton Valence has got negative comments.
My Husband and I regularly eat here as the food is excellent and reasonably priced. The last comment by "Southernhappiness" about the Courage Best, I was wondering what he meant, as its my husbands drink of choice and is kept in excellent condition. The staff are always courteous and I feel that the Landlord and Landlady run a clean and good traditional pub.
Keep a good pub alive and don't let negative comments from a disgruntled customer and his friends spoil my enjoyment and the reputation of the pub.
As to the comment made by "Benton" they are clearly talking about a different pub.
My husband is a proud member of Camra
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We look for Real Ale pubs as we enjoy well kept Ale. After reading the latest reviews we noticed one paticular thing about the Kings Head,the ale is great. So we head off to the pub on sunday which is a 20 mile journey for us. First impression was the car park which looked like a scrap yard. however when we walked in we were hit by lovely decor and furniture and a hearty welcome from the barman. The ale was absolutely spot on!!!!! Well kept,perfectly poured with laces down the glass for every mouthful. Maybe a little colder than i like but then you cant have everything. We did wonder why they had courage best on offer but again thats personal taste. The London Pride and Youngs were superb. We were careful about eating because of the reviews but we then thought we should. If the ale is that good then surely so is the food. My wife went to powder her nose and as she walked past the carving unit she saw the chef carving meat and picking bits off the joint with his fingers and eating them while talking to the customers. She came back and firstly said how lovely it was to see such clean toilets but then told me about the chef. We decided not to eat!!!! I went to the gents and like my wife I cant remember a pub with such lovely clean toilets. As i returned to the bar I could see a woman in the kitchen doing some cooking and licking her fingers. That did it for us both. No food. I will add that the reviews say its a quiet pub. From our visit I would argue that case. It was very busy and they were taking money. I gamble they could take more if they ironed out a few creases. We know pubs show sport but the TV was to loud but again a personal thing. Mr Landlord if I were you I would get your kitchen staff in line and play a more active role in your business. Well done you. The Ale is great the pub is great you only nned to sort out your kitchen staff and you will be rich. We will moniter this site and we will definately be back for some more of your perfect Ale. We hope you take our criticisms in the manner they are meant. Lovely pub !!!!!
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I have called into this pub a few times during the last few months. The real ale is excellent, always three choices at the bar. The bar staff (I've only ever seen one) are excellent, but who is the fat guy who sits at the end of the bar, with his fingers up his nose?
I can only assume he's the owner, as he barks out orders like a 2nd World War Obergruppenführe, and what is with the milk bottle when he's served with a hot drink. Surely, the milk can be decanted into a jug.
The decor and furniture are very good, and the menu looks OK, although I have not tried it, as the chef appears to be the man who stick his fingers up his nose, very off putting.
Could be a good public house, if digits and nostrils were not the 'orders of the day'.
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i have driven past the Kings Head many a time when i finally thought i would pop in for a pint, on entering the pub it looked very inviting and cozy but i did wonder why it was so quiet, till i saw this very large scruffy looking man sitting at the end of the bar which looked like he had his finger stuck up his nose. i thought he was a customer till i herd him talking to the bar man(which i must say was very polite and professional)he was barking out his orders like a gruff beach whale. I sat there while the landlord ate his dinner in the bar which i must say put me off my beer so to no avail i finished my pint and left, I was going to bring my family down for a sunday carvery but after watching the way this man eats i don't think i will bother, to be honest i wont be going back to the king head till this man is no longer owner of this pub, totally off putting, shame as a lovely pub i have sinc spoken to friends who have told me that he is the reason why that lovely pub is empty.. what a shame...
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What a miserable horrible man runs this pub!!!! No wonder its always so quiet in there. You walk throgh the door to be met with a grossly overweight lanlord sitting at the bar, finger stuck up his nose and his belly hanging out. And HE is the Chef!!!!! He then gives everyone a display of how NOT to eat. He looks like a pissed off gorilla eating his grub b4 someone else nicks it. Really, how can he be allowed in a kitchen?????? Surly he is a health risk all on his own!!!! Mind you, look at his family and the dog, none of them can spell diet let alone go onone......Then to make it worse he has the manners and temprement of the same pissed off gorilla. Why dont you sod off and let what is a lovely pub succeed. Youve lost most of the people in the suttons. there cant be many left. I bet he has to pay his staff tons just to work for him. We wont be back and I will be calling the council as he cant be allowed in the kitchen surly....
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I have never been so disappointed with any pub in my travels as this. We have eaten out extensively and had our share of mistakes but this pub is the worst. Let me start by saying I wasn't expecting much from the reviews here and on Yelp so that isn't the problem. I was expecting clean and simple.
The carpets have never been cleaned, they are smelly and grey. (so are the curtains). The main TV didn't work and was small and old. NO Sky TV here. My two year old found a crack pipe on the edge of the adjacent table. I have pictures of the crack pipe also.
The wifi internet required a “password.” The landlord did not know what the password was. I explained that a screen said “password required” and was told that no one knew what the password was and got a rant in "foreign". Finally I was given the number of Dishwad, the computer person. I called and left a message with my name and phone number for a return call. To this day, I have not received that call.
While settling down in the pub garden, I nearly bashed my leg against a metal bar that was protruding from the table next to the wall. By this time, we were so distraught we decided to demand our money back and we would find another place to have a eat. We were told that the first round would be withheld no matter what.
When we were leaving we noticed a dead bird in the parking area which had obviously been there quite sometime. Above our vehicle under the pub sign were huge leaking holes. The holes exposed pipes that were dripping, causing liquid to pool on the top of our vehicle and dangerous puddles all over the ground.
There is NO draught beer, not even Harveys. The plumbing backed up in the toilets (several people were in the lobby complaining with us) and was filled with someone elses brown floaties...ick. There were prostitutes roaming the carpark, and rubbish strewn under the stairs. There were really too many issues to count. We ended up being sick all the way home (literally vomiting in the car).
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What a lovely pub! Looks a bit drab from outside but what a shock inside. Well done to you, its changed a great deal. The Ale was spot on. Kept well, poured well and went down well. If you need a lesson on keeping Ale just speak to the Kings Head. Only 2 negative comments - Its a shame the place was so quiet for a weekend and secondly, a lady (who it later transpired was the landlady) was chatting to customers. Now she seems to be a very nice lady and im not knocking her as such. It was the content of the chat. She was telling them that she was facing some sort of investigation and going on about the takings and various people chasing her for money. If you read this my dear, please remember that customers come to you to get away from troubles not to hear yours andit does not paint a nice picture of the pub or youurself. Again you seem very nice and I hope you take that in the polite way its meant. Lovely Pub!
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Is that Bill King the brewer ?
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Talk of the village at the moment so I had to registar and take a look. My only bad comment is Thanks Bill!!! At least we all knew where he would be drinking but now hhe could be anywhere. Thanks a blooming lot !!!!
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Am I Mr King exo are you barling ? Click on my name and see where i`ve been.
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Interesting thought Mr Pilgrim but you have not thought that some people, like me, have to feel really wond up or have someone start for us to speak out. I am one person and assure you that im genuine. Are you a friend of THAT so called man or are you him? Ether way please let people speak. It helps.
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Well well no comments since 2009 then all of a sudden 6 within a month of each other !!!
Smells of Haddock to me.
Mr King it looks like one person has a problem and just keeps coming on here with different names.
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Once again, Thank you all for your kind words and comments. I am shocked to see the depth of bad feeling toward one person and only wish it had been brought to my attention earlier. Regards Bill.
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you are all being a little bit too much over this. I too, know who this person is and yes he has problems. I was around in the area he lived when he had the problems. Let him do what he needs to do. He will play out his life and eventually answer to our lord as will his son. Leave him alone and he will show hes colors. a definate ting is taht he will carry on drinkin at home or away . dats hes problem .
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we follow this website and we were relieved to read that the old drunk at the end of the bar was ONLY a customer and even happier to read that he has been kicked.We have been to the carvery before but stopped going because of that man that we thought was the landlord as he was meeting and greeting customers and dishing out orders to the staff in a rude manner. We went to lunch today to see if it was true that the local drunk wasnt there. What a difference! The staff were great, the Chef was Great, the food was great and even better knowing the chef IS the landlord. Great time had and we apologise for thinking that sad old man was the landlord. We will be back. Well done Kings and beer in th evening for putting this right.
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Well well at last mr little big boring man gets wat he deserves. Anyone else from round here will know who these people are on about. He is an alki no mates. Im happy he has overdone it at last and i ask the kings landlord to put on here the pub he is in next so we can avoid that now instead of kings. Maybe now mr alki wll spend time with his kids and teach them a bit about natur. oink oink wink wink eh mr little big man? love (not) Persaz shepway ps. what goes around comes back and bites your a@@e mr little big man.
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Hi. I have read the string so far and I am actually sad that i didnt complain as well. I took my wife to the Kings for a special evening (the anniversary of our daughters death) last december. We were impressed with the staff and the pub and the food was superb. We sat at the bar after, having a drink and reflecting on the past year and the way forward. We were pestered by what we thought was a drunken landlord or would not shut up. I asked him at one point to leave us be but he couldnt shut up. I thought theres no point complaining as he was the landlord so eventually we gave up and left, never to return. He was steaming drunk and with his knowledge of the pub, what else were we supposed to think? He ruined what was an emotional but lovely evening befitting our baby. I hope his liver gives out and he doesnt bother anyone else and im glad he is now history. I apologise to the landlord and i assure you we will come back now he has been booted. What a nice relief to find he was just the town p***head.......
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Again, Thank you for your comments. I can assure you that the person you refered to as the drunk will not be here again as he has been invited to go elsewhere, hopefully to one of my competitors. Please feel free to return anytime you wish. Regards Bill King (THE Landlord)
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Thanks for taking the time to answer but unfortunately I wont return in case that drunk is there again. Shame really because you have a great pub. Sorry but put off now. How many other people have had similar experience? I would kick the silly man out if I were you. Good Luck.
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driving on the out skirts of maidstone looking for a pub lunch.my family and i came across this pub..THE KINGS HEAD..we had excellant food ,excellant service and the staff and land lord treated us like long lost family..we have since returned on a sunday and there carvery was the best we have ever had,so much so my wife is refuseing to cook on a sunday lol...such a family friendly pub that its one of the only pubs i would take my grand children.
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I would like to thank the person that wrote the last review for their kind words and compliments about my pub. I would also like to clear up one misunderstanding, the Chef that served you was the Landlord. The man at the bar was just a customer. If anyone else has had a similar problem, please let me know as you can see how it damages the image of my pub and affects my business and staff morale. Regards Bill King
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I took my family to the Kings Head at Sutton Valence after friends told me how good the food was. We arrived and were happily shocked by the lovely decor and friendly staff. we sat down and were taken to the best carvery spread i have ever seen. The Chef was lovely and great with the kids. I will say the food was superb and the portion was massive. we were so impressed until we met the landlord. He was sat at the end of the bar and very obviously had been drinking for ages. He was repetative and swore alot. My kids were not happy and so we left alot earlier than we would have done. He should leave his staff to do the great job they do and if he did they might have more than just us in the pub. A great shame really.
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This was the briefest of visits I'm afraid as having paid for a pint, I realised that I was in the wrong pub - the rest of the team being in The Queen's Head which is almost literally next door ....DOH!!
Timothy Taylors Landlord was acceptable even if it was rather smashed down the back of the neck in the circumstances.
As for the place itself, I've certainly been in worse places. Tidy enough decor - big screen on the wall which is fine if you like that sort of thing. Not always a good sign but horses for courses I guess.
The carpet felt like had just been laid and was probably the plushest I've ever come across in a pub. I guess that's the sort of thing you notice if your visit consists only of walking across it to the bar and almost immediately retracing your steps :-)
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