The Hare and Hounds, Corsham

Oh and by the way - unless you grind your own beef, too order, prior to cooking, restaurants are required to cook all prepared meats thoroughly.

Solid pieces of meat such as steaks are exempt from this, because they are... solid pieces of meat, the only bacteria that needs to be killed during the cooking process woudl be that on the surface of the meat.

When meat is ground or minced, the meat has a larger surface area to come into contact with air and hence bacteria.

Whilst we'd love to grind our own beef, we simply do not have the room in our tiny kitchen, so instead we buy ground, organic beef and make our own burgers, by hand, with a little finely chopped onion, a tiny pinch of salt, a good pinch of ground black pepper, a small dollop of wholegrain mustard and a little bit of beaten egg.

The meat is then made in to patties that are then cooked... all the way through...beacuse if they weren't then the environmental health officer would want to smack my bot bot beacuse i would have allowed the staff to break the law. As I do not want my bot bot smacked, you get your burger cooked all the way through.

Ooh and WTF is a bit rude, don't you think? Please check the postings policy...

17 May 2012 22:14

The Hare and Hounds, Corsham

Dear "Prask," I'm very sorry to hear on this website that you didn't enjoy your meal, and the comments you have chosen to make. Myself and the staff at The Hare and Hounds try to go out of their way to accommodate customers who like yourself turn up as the kitchen is about to close.

Inspite of the kitchen staff finishing up form what had earlier been a very busy day, we still prepared for you a whole baked camembert (normally serves 2 people to share) as well as a 20oz Rump Steak - served rare, in addition to this we also prepared a separate starter and main course for your companion.

All 4 starters and main courses were prepared and served to you at the same time as per your request.

Throughout your meal, the staff and I regularly checked on your table, to see if everything was to your satisfaction and if we could bring you anything else.

Each time you both said how everything was lovely and that you were fine.

You only chose to comment on the steak at the end of your meal, simply claiming that the steak was undercooked.

It is my belief that you made the same mistake my 7 year old son used to make when he was younger and tried to order more than you could eat, you then felt a bit embarassed by just how much food you had ordered.

Our team are trained to go out of their way to ensure that our customers enjoy their meal when dining with us, and as we are only human and life being what it is - in the rare instance there is something that we have overlooked or messed up, then we will happily refund and replace the meal immediately.

Your 20 oz rump steak had come from Organically reared, free range cattle than are raised less than 4 miles away, using traditional methods, allowing them to graze naturally. Prior to butchering, the sides of beef are hung for at least 28 days, to allow the beef to become utterly tender.

Once your steak was grilled, it was allowed to rest, prior to being served to allow the meat to relax and become, even more tender.

The Hare and Hounds prides itself on sourcing the finest ingredients from outstanding local suppliers, so that we can provide excellent food as well as offering fantastic value for money.

Whilst, I apologise that you feel you didn't enjoy your meal, perhaps in future you might consider voicing you r concerns at the time, so that something can be done to correct the situation, instead of publishing ill-considered, inaccurate and defamatory comments in a public forum. Should you wish to contact me directly, please feel free to email the pub directly, via our website, or feel free to telephone instead.

Until then, perhaps when dining elsewhere you might consider ordering smaller portions, sharing meals that are intended for 2 people, or at least pacing yourself between courses.

And hould you ever have any reason to be upset about your meal, tell the staff immediately.

17 May 2012 22:05

The Hare and Hounds, Corsham

Oh dear, you do seem to have a bee in your bonnet don't you... well let's see if we can help... First, whilst it is always nice to be recognised for our efforts you are quite right, The Hare and Hounds hasn't been awarded Pub of the Year, (yet), however we DO and have previously featured in the Good Beer Guide on a regular basis. Mark WON Pub of the Year for West Middlesex for his previous pub The Drayton Court.

As for Cask Marque...
"To gain the award each pub undergoes at least two unannounced inspections by one of our forty-five qualified assessors.

Each pint is tested for temperature, appearance, aroma and taste and all pints on sale to the consumer must pass" This has come from their own website.

Whilst we do pay an annual membership fee, if we fail these unannounced visits we have the award taken away and must return the plaque and certificate to the assessor. Unannounced inspections are carried out by a selection of experienced brewing professionals suh as the outstanding stalwart of brewing Mr Reg Drury - former chief brewer for Fullers. Unannounced inspections are used as they ensure that the the beer used for the assesment is exactly what any other customer would receive.

Next up, the EBCU is simply an organisation looking to co-ordinate the activities of CAMRA and other similar European organisations, it has very little to do with outlets, more over beer itself.

As for the BBPA, this is for the promotion of Pubs and brewing as a whole from a lobbying point of view, hence why you here about it in the media when the Government are taking a pop at the trade.

The Daily Telegraph chose to write about us in a feature that it ran in April 2009 as part of British Pubs Week and it featured a wealth of the best loved pubs from across the nation.

As for being chosen as Wiltshire's Best Pub, this was voted for by the readers of The Gazette and Herald, as part of a feature focusing on The Best in Wiltshire and covered everything from Pubs to Shops and next time you go in for a pint, you are welcome to have a look at the certificate.

But what we are proudest of is knowing that as a team we have and always will strive to provide the best in quality, service, value and pride. Seven and a half years since we took over, each year has seen continued re-investment and improved trade, show us a pub nearby that can honestly say the same...

18 Aug 2010 21:50