please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Sadly, this pub went to the dogs under Nigel Walker. Apart from the shocking food, cleanliness and service it became used as a meeting place for ne'er do wells both from the village and nearby towns. Originally just a local lad, William, and his burglary gang used to meet here, but several of the Rose & Crown gang decamped here after getting banned for punching the landlord - mainly the Sadlers. It just got worse and worse from that point. Terrible Greene King Ales and bottom-end microwave meals.
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Down on business and this was the second pub I came across, the first looking a little shall we say - insalubrious. Well the garden is lovely but my beer was cloudy and the glass even cloudier! Hope my drive back tomorrow mornng is not interrupted.
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It's now nearly 2016 and I'm still waiting for my pint.
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It has very mixed reviews and i do not normally go to any pub owned by Greene King because in my view they tend to ruin good pubs they take over,
Attended for lunch on a very hot mid week day.
Good pint of IPA at 2.99 was excellent and a medium rare rump steak sandwich to go with it arrived in 10 minutes or so.
Garden packed. So on one visit only, very impressed. Way better than the nearby competitor. There is more car parking by the tennis courts opposite.
Garden is very large and feeding all those they can get in will obviously be a problem from time to time.
pheon - 11 Jun 2015 16:56 |
As a regular plume goer, I feel compelled to let others know just what a lovely pub it is. Far from being a 'fake country pub' as one previous reviewer mentioned, I can assure you that the main building is very old indeed & certainly not made of plastic beams with carefully crafted 'Disneyland' quirkiness.
All the staff are brilliantly friendly & approachable, the food is well-priced with not much of a wait, averaging around 20mins. You might find yourself waiting a bit longer on busy days, purely because you & another 148 people want their food all at once & the kitchen is fairly small!
The view from the pub garden has to be seen to be believed, it's a view reminiscent of Yorkshire or the Lakes, stunning.
Recently, there have been some great themed nights with a quiz, music & themed menus. Well worth a visit in my humble opinion.
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Rather shabby and questionable hygiene. Grubby fingernails, coughing into hands before serving and no sign of hand washing. Not pleasant at all. Food fairly cheap, but when you think, you can get nicer microwave meals cheaper from Waitrose, why bother? Although the serving staff were pleasant and courteous, the management were quite loud and obnoxious. Typical pub chain I suppose but very disappointing for the area.
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Great Sunday lunch and really friendly staff. After reading the reviews, the missus was a bit disappointed there were no blokes prancing around in leather chaps and feather boas! Can't have it all though can ya darlin!!!
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As others have said - variable. OK for lunch if not too busy but standard ready meals.
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Visited a couple of months back on a Sunday afternoon. Just 3 of us, but service was very good, and the food decent for the price. The ales seemed well kept, and, for someone from Welwyn Garden City, it's a novelty for the bar to recall what you're drinking when you go up.
On the back of this, 5 of us went 2 Sunday after, with a 18 month yr old in tow. It was OK, but the service was much slower, and the food not quite up to the standard of before.
Like a lot of these 'faux country pubs nowadays, I guess it's all about being lucky on the day...
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Would have been good but the evening irredeemably spoilt by the playing of Mumford & Sons on the sound system. What's all this about being a gay pub? No sign of that, just the local rednecks. The manager and assistant manager could be a couple though?
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This was recommend to me as a 'gay country inn' and I have to say that I was a little disappointed. It is obviously very gay friendly and some of the staff are very accommodating but it is definitely not your booze and cruise bar. Maybe some Kylie on the sound system and a couple of dancing poles would liven the place up. Also, there is only one cubicle in the gents and that had a large floater in the pan - a bit of a turn off if you ask me.
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This has to be the most gay-friendly pub we have been to in the area. Our table was lovely and the serving staff fantastic. I think the chef wanted to join us. Maybe next time!
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Had a lovely lunch. Will definitely come again. Toilets spotless which is always a good sign! Friendly service although a little rushed and food good value.
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Stopped here with some friends for a meal. Food is good for the price and the atmosphere and service totally different to when I came here with my family a few months ago. Much, much better service and very welcoming this time.
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We really enjoyed our Christmas meal here. Very friendly, good value.
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Not bad - golf type crowd. Christmas is great here! Food smashing!
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Despite Greene King's best efforts, not a bad pub at all. Food is good value, and so long as you avoid peak times, the service is swift. All credit to the manager, Gary, and his Scottish assistant, Nigel.
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Came here for afternoon drink which was clearly a bad idea.
We approached the already busy bar that had irate customers there who had been waiting 20mins to be served which put doubt in our minds on how long it was going to take to be served. Finally we were served after 15mins waiting to be served drinks in piping hot glasses which just melted the ice straight away and made my hazy ale even warmer than it originally was. The staff were very polite appologising to all customer before serving them and then serving them in order its just a shame there is not enough staff.
The bar is large enough to have a least 3 bartenders on not 1.
I just hope the managment take note of all of these reviews and staff accordingly for the future as it looks to me they are losing alot of trade because of this.
In regards to staff posting comments on here i feel thats very unprofessional and it should be done by the managment to reply to the posts as the staff member clearly is not promoting the pub well and not helping the already bad reputation it has for its service. At least let your boss about the site and rectify these regular occuring issues.
I will be returning again as the garden is lovely on a nice day but be pre-pared to wait a while for your drink and food.
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Went in to grab a late Sunday Lunch (around 5pm)
Went to the bar and waited and waited and waited and waited.
Why CAN'T you get MORE STAFF ON THE BAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
As there were at least 5 people who were in front of me to still be served - I gave up and walked out.
Ended up at the White Horse - Short wait to be served and lovely food.
P.O.F - Please pull your finger out - I may try again in 6 months - If you are still slow I'll leave it 12 months till the next visit and so on.
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it's quite funny reading all these, because I actually work at the Plume! I'm not saying that its an amazing pub, but every single member of staff puts in a huge amount of effort to make sure that customers have a good time! And if you dont want to wait two hours for your food WHY BOTHER STAYING?! Theres about 4 other pubs in the same area! And have you seen the size of our bloody garden! How about all of you try satisfying 150 customers at the same time! As for our manager, you are all making him out to be horrible, he is actually a really lovely bloke, he just gets annoyed when customers complain about the wait! OF COURSE ITS GOING TO BE A WHILE IN THE SUMMER!!
P.S THE FOOD IS ACTUALLY VERY NICE!
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Had a really nice meal on Mother's day. Staff could not have been more helpful. We got our reservation on time, the food was good, attentive service and the bill wasn't bad either. Faultless organisation. Will definitely eat here again.
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Nice enough pub. Lovely garden. Haven't tried the food but the beer is nice. Friendly staff and get quite busy in there.
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OK. Wish we had read these reviews before spending over 4 hours there for Sunday lunch today. They are pretty accurate. It was a nice day and the pub was busy with a fullish garden. First impressions were that the operation was slick and the garden setting was perfect for our group of 6+2. BUT then we tried to order food, having already started a tab and were told the kitchen couldn't take any more orders for 20 minutes. Fair enough (not enough staff for a non-rainy day, clearly), but they would not even take our order to get it in the queue ("it'll get lost" was the daft reason). Needless to say, after waiting said 15-20minutes, we were able to order (but behind several newcomers - like I said - daft). 1 hour and 22 mins later the food arrived, which matched our table spoon number of 82 - by this time it was a 4pm Sunday lunch. Food was OK, but clearly microwaved. Even the sliced bread they brought was delayed because they had to microwave it from frozen.
Staff tried, but were clueless really. Advice was - don't come when we are busy. I'd say don't go at all until they correct staffing levels or the way they manage service. It simply was not that busy to justify the delay serving chilled and re-heated food. The problems come from the top, down to the local management.
Luckily, we amused ourselves by being fascinated at the chaos and had a good time as a group.
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I have been here several times over the past few summers. It has a fabulous garden with lovely views and the inside is cosy and traditional-feeling. However, they are victims of their own popularity in that as soon as the garden gets crowded, as it always does on a sunny afternoon, the kitchen falls apart. One day we were told there was a wait of one and a half hours for service, which we actually did wait, only to be told they'd run out of food! Another day we waited over an hour and a half after ordering food because they were short of staff. Another day we were told they were not even taking any food orders because they could not cope. To be honest, when you do get the food it often isn't worth the money or the long wait. Today it was quiet (Germany v England on TV) so we got served quickly, but the Wensleydale, grape, honey and mint salad, which sounded gorgeous on a hot day, was just a joke. A pile of wilting leaves out of a salad bag, a few cubes of cheese and a handful of grapes. A drizzle of honey dressing, no sign of any mint. I felt gutted, even though the price was only about £6.95, because I could have thrown it together in 5 minutes for about a £1. The food here is always disappointing and does not live up to the glowing descriptions on the menu. The ice cream sundae described as Swiss chocolate blah blah blah is 3 scoops of choc and mint ice cream with chocolate sauce on top; no cream, no wafer, no extra bits and pieces to warrant the title of 'sundae'. In short - go there for a drink, but as for the food - don't bother.
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As promised I returned here in the evening. Admittedly it was early evening, six o'clock to be precise.
The guest beer (I say guest - but it is still from Greene King) was Morris Mayhem. Nothing special - but still better than the IPA.
Food wise, there is a decent choice, ranging from about �7 upwards. Or go for the 2 meals for �9.95. I chose the Hunters Chicken. Time from ordering food to receiving it was about 20 minuets. Thankfully not 2 hours like the previous reviewer.
I wouldn't say I was a big eater but, apart from the amount of chicken, overall the meal was fairly small. Adequate for me but maybe not for a bigger eater. Don't get me wrong, it was hot, tasty and very enjoyable.
Were there any annoyances? The staff were very friendly and attentive - maybe too much if anything. They did keep asking if everything was all right and did you want a sweet? But hey, it is better than being ignored.
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AVOID THIS PUB FOR FOOD!!!
We went to the Plume of Feathers last night (Wed Eve) for a meal for my cousins 21st Birthday, we used to go there years ago and it was always so nice, excellent service. Well how its changed. After waiting from 7.30 until 9.30 for our starters, they had forgotten 2 off them!!!! We then waited until gone 10.00 for our mains and guess what they also forgot 1 of the main meals, when it did come at 10.15 the "Well Done Steak" was still alive!!! We got there at 7.00 and didn't eat our mains until 10.15, appauling service and the manager didn't give a hoot!!! When the food did come it was nice and hot and was tasty but by that time we could have eaten anything we were that hungry!!!
All 14 off us will NEVER eat there again and we have complained to the brewery.
AVOID!!!
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Irredeemably obnoxious service. The guy behind the bar did eventually serve us but he obviously didn't want to.
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Its quite interesting reading these comments, because I actually work there! I get why some people have quarms about the place; yes food can be questionable at times, the service isnt always great and no, the bar isnt always spotless! But in all fairness, this has a lot to do with Greene King. They hold some rather tight leashes on what we can and cant do, and serving proper food or employing a lot of staff are the main things. A few years ago we actually served home made meals, and we have actually introduced a few dishes recently that are made on the premises. But what with Greene Kings management, serving food fresh from the microwave is a must unfortunately! Personally I dont think there is much to complain about, i know im probably seen as being really biased here. But come on, we have one of the best gardens for the summer and the fact that its always full or "we've sold out of food" just proves how much people actually do like the pub! And as for the manager, he's actually a really nice guy and he knows how to run a pub. He also doesnt let his staff drink whilst working. Make of this what you like, but i think i had a right to try and dispell any negative thoughts
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Tried this pub for the first time last Saturday lunch time. I did not know this pub existed so I had not seen the previous reviews - and I'm glad I hadn't.
The menu had lots to choose from, at reasonable prices. Bar staff were pleasant and welcoming.
The beer is Greene King - damn, just when things were looking good. There is a third hand-pump which offers a guest beer - so all is not lost.
The food arrived fairly quickly (whether it was microwaved or not I don't know). All meals were hot, as were the plates. I found the food to taste OK - not fantastic - but OK.
Maybe the bad reviews refer to the evening trade. I will try a second visit and report back.
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Service is slow and the bar is often covered in beer. Guess this is down to the fact that it is understaffed - dificult to spend money if no-one there to take it off you!!
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The trouble with The Plume is that they are victims of their own popularity. Last summer I visited more than once on weekend when they were unable to take food orders because of no staff in the kitchen, or when I ordered food and had to wait upwards of an hour to receive my meal. The garden is lovely but always rammed at weekends. as a result, the temper of the staff and the quality of the food both suffer. The food is pretty uninspired anyway. What they need is lots more staff and a better chef!
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I dine at Plume of feathers from time to time and i have always had a good time there, And i have to say something about the comment about the manager,He always seems to be well polite and talking to the customer. I or people i have recommended to go there have enjoyed the food and all had a good time there.and that person commented before should stay in is ownPub
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Microwave food like lava and too overheated in a microwave, had been pulled out of a freezer ala blue peter and whacked on nuetron factor ten for five mins before being served up with a retro chicken in a basket garnish and costco oven chips, avoid food and just drink and have crisps or even cook at home and then drink. I came here last year and the food was 10 out of 10, it did take time to come, but, it takes time to cook from fresh. AS to 5 mins of ping. Nice beer garden not nice staff. I think the manger should not be drinking when working as I have a pub and if my staff were drinking, I would kick they ass out of the door. Go to the plume, get a beer, then run outside!!!!!!
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Things have not changed a lot since the last comments were posted. We recently went for an early Sunday pm lunch to be told they had "Run out of food" ?
It was a glorious hot Sunday afternoon - They have some of the best views in Hertfordshire from their lovely, lovely gardens - and they had "Run out of food" !!!
Talk about the costs of lost opportunities !
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This is a pretty unpleasant establishment. I don't go here anymore on principle after an episode where a lone female customer was very aggressively abused and sworn at by the assistant manager - her face was covered spit from him. Apparently another customer wrote to the brewery about this and received a fawning apology. Despite this, the management and service has not improved. Give this one a miss.
spode - 18 Nov 2006 15:49 |
Ha ha! I came here to post a review of this place and seeing the comments, there's not much I can add. The place has been taken over by zombies! The pub down the road (Rose & Crown I think) is just weird. Stay in Hertford to drink - Tewin is zombie country.
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My wife and I first dined at the Plume of Feathers over thirty years ago, and following many years away from the area we were looking forward to returning to a warmly remembered pub. What a disappointment! The fine old inn we remembered has at some point been converted into a rather characterless establishment, and is now owned, apparently, by Greene King. The staff were not especially welcoming, and did not give a good impression (one barman wore shorts and a football shirt!). Both our starters and main courses took far too long to arrive, and the food itself, though adequate, was over-priced. Our evening was further spoiled by a crowd of very boisterous young men quaffing beer and swearing loudly at the bar. When we last visited there was a public bar area for such behaviour. A sad sign of the times, I fear. Not recommended.
anonymous - 19 Sep 2006 01:04 |
We also have visited this pub & are quite surprised to read some of the comments. We found the staff to be attentive, friendly & went out of their way to make our celebration a success. The food was lovely & the 28 day hung sirloin melted in the mouth. See what you mean about the keys though!!
anonymous - 6 Sep 2006 16:21 |
The summer day I went to the Plume of Feathers at Tewin it was unseasonally cold and rainy. I could see the garden and view was very pleasant and would have been stunning on a sunny day. The garden is presumably why people keep going to this pub � if you�re just looking for a pint in the country then the Plume of Feathers MAY be alright. Having said that I can�t speak for the beer because I didn�t try it.
I CAN speak for the food and service we received on a Saturday lunchtime and it was awful. Really, really, really depressingly awful.
We arrived before the lunch time service had begun, eg before 12.30pm and were pretty much ignored by the staff. After 12.30pm we received some attention � what I would call the bare minimum necessary to get us in, take our food orders, feed us, take our money and get us out again! All done with little courteousness.
Unfortunately the food was not good at all. The Plume of Feathers is NO GASTROPUB. There was nothing classic or classy here, it was just �pub grub� with inflated prices. My friend�s duck salad contained very little duck but lots of raw onion � I�m not sure who said duck meat goes with raw onion but it doesn't. My pasta was overdone and overcooked; lots of things had been thrown in, in an attempt to make it interesting. However, the dish just became a plate of stodge. Edible but uninspiring and without joy. My other friend had a sausage sandwich but couldn�t eat any of it. A main course of roast lamb was again, edible, but nothing special.
We were sitting near the kitchen and I�m afraid there were several flies buzzing around our table as we eat. Our waitress crashed around with a huge bunch of keys hanging from her trousers. Personally it made me a feel a bit like I was being served by a trainee prison warder. At the very least a big jangling bunch of keys makes you think of the cellar, locking the doors, keys to the till, staff lockers � whatever � surely it would be better to leave them somewhere else when waiting staff are serving customers?
�Walrus�� review (below) is from 2005 � perhaps the Plume of Feathers has changed hands since then. I can�t agree with anything he/she wrote.
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Caters to the 4-wheel-drive set so can be a little brash. Managed rather than tenanted so the service reasonable but unpredictable and sometimes downright rude. Late licence to midnight on Friday and Saturday, but drinkers must arrive by 23:00. Food is OK but overpriced. The Greene King ales are often off. Nice,large garden with beautiful view over the fields.
Originally an Elizabethan hunting lodge. The freehouse was bought and 'knocked through' by Marstons some years ago. Greene King now own the pub. The interior decor has some incongruous styling - a mix of old oak beams, TV-makeover lighting and colours, Habitat sofas ... desecration.
spode - 21 Jul 2006 12:29 |
Food was ok (nothing to write home about)
service slow
lets leave it there!!!!!!
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Sadly, another disappointing Herts pub food location. Disappointing on my visit in Sept 2004. Poor/slow night service took one hour for the food to show up and almost 15 minutes for drinks. Big plates but poor quality food. The rabbit had no taste. The other dishes had lot of volume but was rich and unappetising. The meal for 5 was almost �100. Not recommended on my experience. Hopefully the management has woken up. Not the place to impress.
anonymous - 4 Jul 2005 22:33 |
Has a very good menu - really delicious (and fairly pricey) food. Good little wine list. Seems very nice and relaxed place to have lunch.
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