please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Went on a very windy day.had a brillant saausage on bread bread. Iunchtime menu. Would go again
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Went on a very windy day.had a brillant saausage on bread bread. Iunchtime menu. Would go again
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think Fullers who run this as a showcase 'destination venue' as we were once told, must have a policy of not giving much elbow room to guest beers much like Youngs Brewery or rather Youngs Pubco. But having said that the Fullers Summer Ale went down a treat and in any case all irrelevant as most punters are here for the food and the unique setting.
The lunch my wife and I had was excellent - both her cod and chips and my lamb noisettes were well prepared and cooked and not your usual pub microwaved stuff and therefore as you would expect is a bit more expensive. Our meals with desserts and drinks came to £43. The other price you pay is that this isn't a pub in the usual sense of the word and certainly doesn't have any pub atmosphere. A restaurant with a bit of pub in it (bar and pumps) in a very picturesque setting is a better description.
It's still a good experience and we will be back every so often just because it is so different.
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Appears currently closed due to flooding
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Looking for a decent pub in the area? Avoid the Mill at all costs, just read the last few posts to help you make your mind up. This pub is owned by Fullers who are out to exploit the location and get away with the lowest standards they can without completely destroying its reputation. Its regarded as a joke by locals who go elsewhere for edible food and to be treated like human beings. Please, Please, Please avoid and hopefully Fullers will get the message or else sell the place to owners that understand good country pub management.
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Great pub,now even better as musicfan`s buggered off.
7/10
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rubbish food off beer not a good time
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Sunday lunch carvery, food ok, order taken for drinks that didn't materialise so got my own. Even though we booked, our allocated table was in the middle of a queuing area. Not very pleasant trying to eat at bum height to diners in the queue, some of whom thinking it ok to lean on my wife's chair and close enough to smell their perfume....worst meal experience since.....in fact worst meal experience ever.
Additional comment from wife; no paper in the ladies (a bad thing apparently).
Such a bad experience that I even had to register on this site to vent my anger.
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I visited this pub for dinner about 3 weeks ago with my guests from Australia and had an excellent evening. We sat at the corner table for 6 in the bar area and was treated to wonderful service from the amazingly efficient New Zealand girl. An attentive and friendly girl.
To my dismay and disappointment, when I visited the pub last night with family (4), we were told quite bluntly that there was no table service for dinner at the same table and I would have to go to the bar to order. I was told if we took three paces to the right we would get table service. The casual nature of the table setting is its attraction so we stayed there. I have to say that the service attributed to us from the two gentlemen behind the bar was cold and unwelcoming to say the least. I felt that we had encroached upon their otherwise quiet night. Upon leaving the establishment I, and my guests, bid the staff a thank you and a good evening only to be answered with a nod and a grunt. Why on earth were we thanking these cretins? Well, because I am a gentleman and expect to be treated as such. But not here it seems.
Very Disappointed.
Bill Brown
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Interesting old building quite well converted into a pub, beautiful gardens, beer OK when you get it. But the food is fit only for the British and the service worse than nationalized British Railways on a bad day. 8 points for ambiance. 5 points for beer. 0 for food and service. Average: about 3.
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Came for sunday lunch last week & had a wonderfull time, London pride & ESB on draught which I sampled a lot sitting by the river with my family. Ordered from one of the two menus on offer, then watched the chef cook it for me in the garden kitchen. Will be back soon
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Great location,food very hit & miss, beer average. 6/10, 4 of which is for the setting
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Friendly bar staff, but only a selection of the stronger Fullers beers available. As I was driving I had to limit myself to one pint. What has happened to the weaker 'session' ales?
Salmon fishcakes were tasty, but the crust was overcooked and 'crunchy' enough to shatter on cutting. The side salad and sauce were excellent.
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Love the location of this pub and the beautiful mill. I'm rather surprised by some of the previous reviews for this pub. My husband and I visited this pub recently on a lovely day, we were greeted at the bar by friendly bar staff. We ate at the pub and the food was lovely and we did not have to wait very long for it either. We would go back.
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What a fantastic location. Just charming, and especially so in good weather. Nice and clean inside and lovely views of the river outside. Perfect in the sunshine.
They offer ESB, HSB, London Pride and a Fullers seasonal offering on draught.
The food is reasonable. Nothing special, and not bad.
But.......the service makes it all fall flat on its face. It took an age for food to arrive (each course), and by the time we were there it was quite quiet. Plates were not cleared when more food was brought. No cutlery was brought (twice).
Ad that's the food service. At the bar was a mixture of surly, abrupt and even down right rude staff, including the chap whom I assume is the manager. Not just to me, but also witnessed to other customers. One exception was a lovely Australian girl.
How does a pub hope to attract customers back when they treat them so badly? Is the location enough? Perhaps, but Fullers, you have a problem.
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Not been to the mill for over a year due to many bad experiences. Visited on Saturday night at the persuasion of friends, and gosh what a change! The newly refurbished pub looks fantastic (must have been done recently), a warm and welcoming atmosphere, the service has vastly improved, with smiley friendly staff. The menu was good and the food quality impressive. Well worth the visit and will definitely return.
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Met an old friend for weekday lunch here about two weeks ago. We'd just had the tail end of that storm that hit Europe hard and so the water level was pretty high but the car park was still negotiable - or should that read navigable!
Sat overlooking the water with the sun streaming in the window. Food was good, beer was good, service was good. Having first visited this building in the 1960's (as a child) when Mrs. Bentley lived here it is good to see that it is still somewhere worth going to.
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Just to add to my previous review, I contacted the Fullers Area manager to offer some advice on how The Mill could improve. He promised to look into my "alleged" complaints and an offer of a free meal to check it it out for ourselves. Imagine my surprise when he never came back.........well ironically, neither shall we!
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Lovely location, great food & interesting menu - The place also looks great after it's recent refurb. The only issue unfortunately is one particular regular - I can only presume he owns some sort of share in the place for his arrogant nouveau riche behaviour to be tolerated. You'll find him by the bar, legs akimbo, puffed up pigeon chest, late 30's - ordering the poor barmaids around like dogs - throwing insulting comments around as soon as their backs are turned, laughing when they trip. What a shame that this pleasant pub is ruined by someone who should be hoping it is successful.
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Lovely location, great food & interesting menu - The place also looks great after it's recent refurb. The only issue unfortunately is one particular regular - I can only presume he owns some sort of share in the place for his arrogant nouveau riche behaviour to be tolerated. You'll find him by the bar, legs akimbo, puffed up pigeon chest, late 30's - ordering the poor barmaids around like dogs - throwing insulting comments around as soon as their backs are turned, laughing when they trip. What a shame that this pleasant pub is ruined by someone who should be hoping it is successful.
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Food was good, atmosphere pleasant and child friendly and service was fine - we had just been to a local run and then got here with plenty of parking space and great scenery (even in the middle of December) and had a great carvery and it was all good.
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We'd passed this beautiful pub in its stunning location several times and also had a drink in the garden not long ago. Somehow we thought that the food HAD to go with the marvellous surroundings. We went with a friend last night and have to say that the food was nothing less than awful. Burger of meat? which tasted odd, ready made chips directly from freezer into fryer. A starter which was inedible (avocado & crab dip, don't like to think what it was made of). Another starter was pat�, which tasted like it had been bought from Lidl. Son's pasta looked and tasted like glue. Person at bar unfriendly and unfamiliar with term: service. Serving girl OK.
Can't somebody take over this fantastic place and serve some food that goes with the territory?
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This is initially very impressive, with its location literally on the River Wey (comparable to, say, the Trout at Godstow near Oxford). The first site on entering is a working mill-wheel which has been very well-incorporated into the pub interior. I visited on a Saturday night and it was actually extremely quiet, so much so that I wondered whether this is really a viable location for such a large pub. We didn't eat (perhaps just as well given the below reviews) - the beer was good and I was pleased to see they were doing Gales' Seafarers' Ale, which I find very drinkable. But the whole effort did leave me a little cold - it's a very clinical job, and once you're inside you could really be in a large Fuller's house anywhere - there's little local resonance here at all, which is disappointing in a village pub.
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I totally agree with Captainpub's review. Nothing more to say but I'll rate it in-between so I've given it a 3.
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The last few comments say it all. I have lived in the area just over a year and initially found this pub to be top notch. The location is superb with the pretty riverside setup and restored building � but that�s about it. The food quality and service has been on the decline on every single visit culminating with an evening meal with some friends on a Sunday a few weeks ago. First, you can forget about any peace and quiet as the staff seem to be incapable of dealing with the seemingly endless groups of noisy out of control children treating the place like a playground. Don�t get me wrong, I don�t mind kids in a pub � as long as the parents are the not the types who seem to enjoy inflicting their badly behaved brats on everyone else. The last 4 visits have required some form of intervention with staff or said selfish parents.
The night with our friends was a complete farce. Starters were brought AT THE SAME TIME as the main course, my steak burger (usually the best option) was disgusting, over cooked and more fat than meat, my girlfriends pasta was so overcooked you could have used it as a pretty effective glue. Then there is the �order at the bar, pay at the bar� policy which infuriates me, oh and the �order your drinks at the bar because we cannot be arsed to employ enough staff� policy. Why do pubs that have clearly gone the restaurant oriented route do this? You are in the middle of your main course and then have to go and queue up for 10 minutes to get another pint and your food goes cold in the meantime.
To sum up � typical brewery owned, cynical relying on location / image establishment with overpriced abysmal food and service to match. Do yourself a favour, try the other 3 pubs in Elstead or the Stag at Eashing if you are visiting the area, avoid this hovel at all costs and send a message to the brewery!
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Lovely pub in picturesque surroundings. Good food and well served beer, we will definitely be going back.
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As a bikers club who have visited this pub 2 years on the trot I have to disagree with the last comment left
for the following reasons yes it can take a while to get served on a busy day but when the sun shines they are rammed as for prices roughly the same as every pub in the area we have always found the staff friendly which is a credit to them considering how hard it must be on a long hot sunny day It Is a shame the feed back some people leave quite interesting if you look at the feed back left by old peculiar he has complained about every pub hes been in may be he should stay at home
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This pub has a good setting, but is let down by the poor service. Long waits at the bar, poor staff training and gross overcharging on the already high prices. Food prices also seem to be high for what is being served!
The only reason I go there is for the Summer jazz evenings, which are very enjoyable.
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Since the last proper landlord left this pub and Fullers took over it has serioulsy gone downhill. Getting served in the most quiet of times is a lottery, even though they employ ample staff. I have been in there a couple of times and actually had four or five members of staff walk past the bar comptetuously, as if to suggest that you are too much trouble by just going in and expecting service.
As mentioned before dont bother with the food, its overpriced poor quality and the service is disgraceful.
The garden and particularly the balcony overlooking the river are very pleasant, but the price of the beer is very off-putting, even though the government upped the tax on alchohol recently this pub decided to add another 50p per pint on for good measure. Just after the budget I went in and was charged �7.85 for a pint of Kronenbourg and a glass of wine, absolute daylight robbery. Recently the prices have relaxed a bit, probably to due to the fact that their clientelle voted with their feet and gone to drink elsewhere.
The food here has never been anything to shout about but the service was, Gordon the old landlord would even give a discount to regulars and make sure that no matter what the press at the bar was like you would get served as promptly as possible.
What a waste of potential, with a decent chef, enthusiastic staff and just a little effort this pub could be a complete winner, but they rely on their garden and dwindling reputation to pull the punters in. On a sunny day it is heaving (so avoid or you may have to wait up to half an hour to get served), and on a wet day not worth paying the prices they charge. I've given it 4/10 should really be 2/10 but I live in hope that something can be done.
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Had dinner with family 23 May. Lovely setting outside BUT food very poor quality, steak �18 was tiny (about 4oz) with dried up chips 1/2 tomato and mange tout?
Was told by testy staff that starters are not allowed if seated outside! What kind of place is this?
Do not go there for food but probably nice for quiet drink.
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Good place to drink in the summer. Nice beer garden. I wouldn't recommend eating there. Food is really hit and miss. The only place I've ever demanded a refund.
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Was a nice pub a couple of years ago but has gone downhill fast. Attractive surroundings, good beer and friendly staff let down by poor and overpriced food. Virtually empty when we have visited on Saturday evenings recently with several menu options unavailable. Tried again last week on quiet lunchtime but waited 45 minutes for uninspiring and burnt food. Wasn't worth the wait. Won't bother again.
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very nice visit.friendly staff.food okay.we will be back.
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Fantastic pub garden to sit in during summer months, have visited recently and still sat outside on decking in the colder months as there are lots of outdoor heaters. Have not eaten here so cannot comment on food but menu always looks good.
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Picturesque pub in lovely setting; the mill wheel churns away, the lakes are home to beautiful swans, and there's plenty of good walking to be done locally. Excellent food, great selection of pies. Fullers Beer, well kept. Lots of nooks and crannies so you can find a seat to suit your mood. Recommended.
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Good choice of Fullers beers. This included the much superior tasting Chiswick bitter, which I prefer to the London Pride that the brewery supply to the "free" trade!
The setting is great, I must go there fo a daytime visit, when the sun is on the tail race side of the mill.
The Redwing Jazz Band is performing there on the 24th August, 2007, in the evening..
anonymous - 20 Aug 2007 14:49 |
As everyone says it's worth it for the setting alone, but it could be so much better. It was very quiet on Sunday afternoon when it should be mobbed out. At ten quid for a burger and chips I'm not surprised. Even the sort of people who live in this area have to draw the line somewhere. And it didn't even look nice, a couple near us were battling with plates of grey slop masquerading under the name of lasagne. If you just want a sandwich they don't want your trade. The service is pretty slow too. The bar staff were too busy nattering to their mates to to do any real work, indeed none of the tables were cleared in the 40 minutes we were there.
On the upside, the beer is fine. Well worth a trip out on a sunny afternoon, but have you lunch first.
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We tried to get into the Donkey Inn but that was packed so we called in here.Last time we where here the food and drink were very average,got to say this time both have improved greatly.Its a great setting, service was very good and friendly well worth recommending.
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Really nice pub in nice surroundings. we were there on a Sunday and had been walking in the surrounding countryside. Were slightly alarmed to see loads of large expensive looking cars in the car park, and wondered if we would be a bit underdressed. The staff were really friendly and nice beer. The food was delicious. Nicely cooked and served hot - not always guarenteed when ordering a Sunday roast! They were lovely with our 8 month old baby girl, heated up her meal in a microwave with no fuss and found us a high chair. The fire was warm and the pub surroundings very nice. We're looking forward to going back in the summer and sitting out by the millrace.
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have been using this quaint pub now fo some time and it only gets better.
great choice of fullers beers.
ate here last week and was fascinted by the new menu that they have, looks fantastic and has a lot of great choice.
i tried the mill muffin and my friend had the bubble and squeak ,both great tasting and portion size was excellent. for mains i tried the organic chicken great value for money and tasted excellent, my friend went for the wild mixed mushroom and rice, look fantastic and my friend enjoyed it. there really is so much more to choose from and i love the fact that they have taken some classic british dishes and made them more updated.
all in all i would highly recommend that you pay this pub a visit soon you will not be dissapointed
anonymous - 16 Oct 2006 17:52 |
I love this pub - lovely food, generally quick service and beautiful to sit outside in the garden overlooking the water.
Very chilled out and they always have some lovely specials on the menu. Game Pie anyone?? Delicious!
Jo984 - 28 Sep 2006 15:26 |
Summer 2006 we held our wedding reception in a marquee in the grounds of the Mill. It is a fantastically idyllic location which was also supported by a beautiful day. The mill staff were very helpful throughout the organisation process although I expect that as we were the first couple to use this venue they would hope to improve on some of the co-ordination.
We organised the marquee to be decked out with flowers and plants ourselves which worked well. The food was lovely and not too fussy - the Hog roast worked well. We organised a band ourselves but due to licensing limitations they had to finish at 11pm which was a little early for some.
On the whole all the staff gave us a fantastic day and we thoroughly recommend the location.
anonymous - 24 Sep 2006 08:10 |
Fantsatic location and setting in old watermill on the River Wey just west of Elstead. (Drove past it by chance, but turned around after half a mile and went back - it just looked so nice...). Decent pint of Fuller's Discovery, sipped watching the swans on the mill pond, but the staff didn't seem too interested.
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A beautiful pub which is cosy and welcoming in the winter and beautiful and peaceful in the summer. When here in the winter it almost feels like your in a small cottage where you'd happily curl up on the sofa with a bowl of their leek and potato soup and just sink into a world of your own where as in the summer (if your lucky to get one of the tables outside) you can sit on either the decking or the green and watch as the ducks swim buy whilst enjoying a nice cold shandy with your friends. The only thing i would recommend is that if your a fussy eater don't eat at this pub as the menu isn't at all plain and is very traditional with a twist so plain eaters will have difficulty to choose something. The times when i have eaten here i cant fault or complain about always well present and delicious....a truely gorgeous english pub.
K3RR1 - 14 May 2006 21:56 |
Only visited once since Fullers took over but first impressions count.
A poor attempt at producing "quality" food at extortionate prices. Having read some of the glowing reviews I wonder where those people normally eat - Mc Donalds?
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Here,
A bevy of beautiful barmaids
Compose copious collations
and deliver draughts of delightful ale.
Need I say more?
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We had not visited this pub for a meal since June 2004 when we were very disappointed.
However we arranged to eat there in March 2005 and what a contrast!
We found the staff friendly,the quality of the food was excellent and good value for money.
Our rating of 8 is maybe a little unfair but is brought down a little by the limited selection of beers.
We had a very enjoyable evening and we consider The Mill currently to be the best place to eat in the village. An experience to be repeated.
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been using this pub for a while now and things are definatly looking up for this site, fullers have definatly got it together now a great management team, friendly staff and a chef that seems to know what the public want. food is very reasonably priced and always arrives quickly even when very busy. nice to see some great british classics appearing,homemade scotch egg salad, bubble and squeak,never thought i would see them on a pub menu again, . just got back after a good meal there tonight and i would definaltly recommend the mixed grill, you have got to see it to believe it, just about managed to finish mine, with a little help!! all this and a perfect pint of real ale, what more can a man ask for.
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All I can say about the staff, food and service is BRILLIANT!!!!!
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Went to the Carvery last Sunday and I must say it was brilliant! Lovely Food, excellent Staff. Will definitly go back. Recommended to everyone, also well catered for families.
anonymous - 3 Jul 2005 21:36 |
What a great pub!!! The Food is very tasty and served with such style, The Staff are Friendly and always willing to help. The general atmosphere is very welcoming. One of the best pubs I have been to for a long long time.
I will be going again VERY soon.
anonymous - 30 Jun 2005 08:13 |
was taken here for fathers day. what a pleasant treat it turned out to be. arrived at 1pm to find the pub in full flow, extremely busy would be an under statement. what choice on offer, upstairs carvery, garden menu, pub menu and daily specials, all very reasonably priced.
decided to eat in the lovely surroundings of the garden,4 of us in party,as i said it was very busy so decided to order immediatly. to my surprise all our food arrived within 15 minutes.
i chose homemade crab and salmon fishcake salad, my wife had whole lemon sole and my son and his wife had BLT salads, all the food was hott and excellent espcially my fishcakes.
food and drink are very reasonably priced and the staff are friendly and effeciant.
this is definatly one pub i will be returning to very soon.
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Went last year to the mill, totally disappointed by the over priced food for what it was. This year my friends and I heard that it is under new management so gave it another go, and found the food was at a good price and good quality along with quick and friendly service. It was a nice surprised to see a cravery on the second level of the mill. So looking forward in trying it out with friends. Appears the new management team knowns excatly what they are doing to create a friendly, and high quality of service and food. Could not have ask for a better afternoon.
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wow! very nice place to relax, drink and eat on a nice and sunny day. Food can be a little bit long to arrive, but the overall presentation and the quality worth the wait! Tasty salads ans awesome fish!
Cristel - 30 Aug 2004 19:32 |
Have never dined there, but great beer, fab selection of wines, and worth a visit even if just to see the enormous Mill wheel in the entrance!
Brilliant in summer time, as grounds are unutterably beautiful. Plenty of grassy verges for picknicking nearby, also
Helen, Farnham - 25 Mar 2004 11:43 |
The staff led by Angus, Claire and Singe make this pub. What more do you want than a pint and a smile.
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Bought by Fullers in April 2003. Great beer, position and premises. Food operation leaves a lot to be desired - it's almost as though they work hard to be somewhat disorganised. Regularly runs out of food - ask the Woolpack up the road who frequently feed ex-Mill arrivals. Were very disappointed over several visits; it promises so much and I keep hoping they'll get their act together ...
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We were out for a drive last Sunday somewhere near Farnham in surrey, and we found this amazing place. I can heartily recommend it.
JohnnyOG - 24 Sep 2003 05:21 |
