"This place used to be so much better. It's lost its buzz. New rules food no longer served in the bar after 6pm (why? , combined with the fact the lighting is too bright (bright spotlights all over the bar not dimmed at night , no log fire burning any more, means that the bar has emptied and become sterile. That feel has spread to the whole hotel. The food used to be so much better before James Martin took over. It had interesting healthy options, gone. Local produce and game, also gone. All the imagination replaced by steak and chips, lamb shank, fish and chips. A glorified pub with all the character stripped out. Remarkable that you can do that to a characterful building with so much history in so short a time. Almost an achievement to marvel at. Add to that the near 400 per cent mark up on some wines...which I can stomach in a Michelin star restaurant, but not when I'm being served glorified pub food in a sterile environment whilst being told where I can and can't eat. The only redeeming feature is the staff, who are all excellent and friendly. But with fewer customers to serve in the bar at night, I'm sure they are kicking their heels and wondering what went wrong. We won't be going back in a hurry, and we have stayed there on numerous occasions previously."
