Duke of Wellington, Matlock

I visited The Duke of Wellington for a family celebration meal on a Saturday evening in July.
I have to tell you that the staff were most unwelcoming towards families. The food and service wasn't much to write home about either.
I needed to change my baby's nappy and asked where I might find a changing area, but was abruptly told there wasn't one. I asked if I could change
his nappy in a quiet corner of the pub, where no-one would have seen us, but was (sharply) told by the Chef to change him on the toilet floor! As this was a hard cold stone floor, I refused. The Chef then simply shrugged and walked off. I then asked the young girl behind the bar where I should go and she simply said I could not change my baby inside the pub! She suggested outside, but it had been
raining and the ground was wet. So I ended up struggling to change him on the car seat and then walking back through the pub to wash my hands!
Surely they should be encouraging families to use your pub? There was more than enough space for a changing table in the toilet area. Also, there
only seemed to be about 2 staff who were run off their feet on a Saturday evening. Our meals were quite basic and certainly nothing special - except for maybe the steak and lamb dishes. The desserts were mainly frozen bought ones - I've had better from a supermarket freezer - the strawberry shortcake was still frozen! The tasteless dishes were thrown at us by the barmaid and Chef in turn and we found the staff were unhelpful. What a shame, this could be such a nice place! Not recommended until they sort their family policies, staffing and food out!
L Lochrie.

13 Jul 2008 20:58