Just lovely. An interesting, unexpected menu of delicious food, very well imagined and cooked in cosy surroundings. What’s not to like?
Just lovely. An interesting, unexpected menu of delicious food, very well imagined and cooked in cosy surroundings. What’s not to like?
I did write a review and for some reason it hasn’t been published so this will be far briefer! Firstly, you have to book in advance that’s fair enough, but they didn’t ask for a deposit which seems a little excessive, but the main problem...is there’s nowhere to pay it and they don’t open till Wednesday so then you’re insecure about where they are actually going to get in! Not the best start! Providing bank details might help? They also ask in advance if there’s any dietary requirements, and we advised gluten-free for one of our members But we then had a really mixed night: On arrival, straightaway noticed very sweet and friendly staff, but no hint of a uniform, wearing branded clothing, (and I don’t mean the Stagg!).. immediately demeans this once salubrious restaurant! Why not just wear black - that’s easy and classy Then we arrived on their first day of week - Wednesday 730 sat down to study the menu. I am gluten-free, ordered the ham hock terrine, but they had no gluten-free bread available! What was the point of asking us in advance then? And what kind of restaurant of this (former) quality wouldn’t cater for somebody with a gluten intolerance?! A couple of us wanted duck but they only had one duck available! I can’t understand the shortage on their opening day first thing! The food was good, but again mixed For pudding, most of our party had lemon tart which was really well received, but I had a smoked cherry and chocolate mousse, which was seriously inedible and everybody agreed - all you could taste was smoke!! to be fair, they took this off the cost of the bill, but it really should not have been served in the first place. Again, this subtracts, from the credibility of what was at one point, a Michelin recommended restaurant. Lastly, as a sweet surprise, they served up a plate with happy birthday piped on it - and three little chocolate cups, but there was 4 of us, so I asked if they could spare another one and was told there was no more in the kitchen! It would’ve been better probably not to have served anything at all! But I appreciate the gesture!More
Oh dear, such a shame. We ate here three times under Shan's ownership and found the food and, particularly, the attention to detail in the welcome and service exceptional. This time we invited a friend expecting to give them the same treat but this was...not a patch on our previous experiences. The staff were friendly but so lacking in training e.g. no offer of accompaniments, we had to ask for sauces, no checking if the meals were ok and a very long wait after finishing our main meal to be asked if we would like to see the dessert menu (the dining rooms were less than a third full). The meat was fine but the tenderstem was anything but tender, the half carrot was tasty but well overcooked and only warm, the roast potatoes were good but, again, mostly only warm and the yorkshire pudding was barely warm and soft, not at all crispy. Overall a complete contrast to expectations and I wish I'd checked recent reviews before booking.More
Staff went way above the call of duty. Great staff, delicious food, nice atmosphere and good beer / sensible wine prices. But best of all, when we rang only the day before to ask about taxis home (staying ten minutes drive away) and explained we’d...tried the local firms - basically we left it far too late! - the response was ‘don’t worry we will get you home!’ So after three lovely courses (duck mains probably the best but rhubarb choux bun for pudding a close second), and another late drink at the bar, Alex the barman drove us home in two shifts in his own car. It truely made our evening.More
I couldn't have been more disappointed by my experience of this establishment which looked so promising. Not only was I asked to pay a deposit of £10 per head when making the booking (which led me to expect a high quality experience), I was dismayed...by the overall lack of professionalism. When it came to ordering our drinks, the wine waiter openly said she knew nothing about wines, that she was virtually teetotal, and she asked that we order wine by number and not by name because she didn't understand the wine list. Some of our meals had to be sent back as they had not been cooked well, and we were told that the chef blamed the poor quality of the cooking on the fact that it had been a hot day and that this had adversely affected his ovens. It had been a hot day, and one can understand that this could have an impact on a kitchen, but I should have expected a professional chef to have pre-empted problems by either removing dishes from the menu that could not be cooked well, or by refusing to send out poorly cooked dishes. The overall impression was that the chef was not properly in charge of his kitchen. It appeared that staff had not been trained to a high standard and it felt like they were doing a 'Saturday job' to fill in. Given the relatively high prices that are charged for wine and food, I expected a higher standard of care and attention at the table, but this was not forthcoming, sadly. Finally, it felt inappropriate for the awards won by the previous owners of the business to adorn the entrance to the inn as they had not been awarded to the current owners and appeared to create an impression of excellence which was lacking for me.More
Totally awful. We had really high hopes following the re-opening of this previously Michelin-starred dining pub. The menu promised much but the actual result was shocking. To start with they demand £10 per person up front payment; I have never known a dining pub do...this. The room we sat in was dilapidated: the ceiling was falling down and part of the wall decoration was falling off. Contrary to the recent review the cheese souffle was terrible. It was flat and burned. Also it came with chips for goodness sake, and a salad that included a bottled gerkin! When we complained the waitress accepted it was not good enough but said the kitchen was too hot. They then brough replacement souflees which were so cold you could put your finger in them without any pain. Another member of our party had fish and chips; the fish was so over-cooked that in places the batter was almost black. When we asked to see the chef to express our views he declined to meet us and instead sent his partner who was apologetic but her explanations simply didn't hold water. Interestingly by 8.30 the place was almost empty - and this was a Saturday night when you would have expected a full house. The only thing worth eating was the bread. Prices were outrageous for quality of this level - £20 for the soufle was double what it would have been worth if it had been any good. We won't be back under this ownership.More
Dear Steve, First of all- a lot of restaurants ask deposits even for tables of two, we do it for parties of 5+. Nothing more common than that. Second- rudeness is not accepted in a restaurant. You were so rude that other tables talked about...More
Appropriately priced and selected wine list. Seating very comfortable, relaxing atmosphere. Genuinely the best cheese soufflé in the area. Scallops are fantastic, seared just right. We really enjoyed our chat with the Front of House team.
The food was excellent, especially considering they had a gas problem. The scallops were divine and the slow cooked beef was melt in the mouth and very tasty. All in all. Great experience will definitely be back and will recommend The Stagg to friends. Back...on track after a brief hiatus with the previous owner who was rude and the food was poor, burger and chips! Looking forward to our next visit.More
Very friendly and welcoming.We’d had breakfast (no idea how superb the food was)so just managed a couple of starters.We had chicken liver parfait with popcorn mussels and aioli.These were both delicious as was the homemade bread with marmite butter.We’d been on a fabulous circular walk...from the village and this pub was the icing on the cake.Back tomorrow with no breakfast 😋More
From start to finish, this meal was very disappointing, both in terms of cuisine and service. Historically, the Stagg Inn has been a first class gastropub, but the new team has much to sort out. Our main courses were overcooked, in some cases to the...point of being inedible. The un-risen cheese soufflé was burnt on the top and side but undercooked in the centre with an unappealing layer of onion on the base. The sole was swimming in butter and oil with a flavour of curry. The pork belly had been cooked until it was rock hard and the dish was very salty. The crab arrancini sat in a hollandaise sauce which had a dominant vinegar taste which killed any sense of crab. Deserts were equally disappointing. The staff were inexperienced and had difficulty understanding our wine order. If you are looking for something special, the Stagg Inn is, unfortunately, no longer worth considering.More
#williisthebest Such good service he was so good right on top of it and he didn’t miss a thing was unbelievable and didn’t miss a thing in the table
Excellent meal! Great service, friendly, helpful and humorous. Will recommend to others and will be back.
Came for Saturday night dinner and Sunday lunch. It was obvious to us it has changed hands. The food was not a patch on what it used to be. I didn’t like the open salt and pepper going stale and covered in dust (there are...grinders if you ask). On both occasions I couldn’t have my starter as they had run out. The lamb was tasty but tough and nearly cold. Too many flavours with wild garlic being used too liberally. Husbands rare roast beef was cold, the plates need heating more and the outside fat would have been well cooked and slightly crispy if I’d cooked it but it was inedible. As for the rum baba pudding we couldn’t get our spoons through the sponge, it had been turned to rubber by overheating it in the microwave and the pineapple wasn’t cooked. Staff were nice and efficientMore
We found ourselves in Shropshire area for 3 days, and researched where we could eat. Having booked the Stagg inn after reading reviews, we visited on Wednesday night. From the warm greeting on arrival and throughout the evening our experiance exceeded all expectation, the food...was astounding matched with the lovely ambiance and service, and all at a very reasonable price. Thank you for a lovely evening, we will most definatly return.More
Visited after a gap of 4 months. Fabulous food. Had the cheese tartlet Chicken and blondie. Husband had tartare and steak. Fabulous food and service.