Toby Carvery

The problem with the Great British Carvery as the gods wish it to be known as is that there’s actually very little that you can do at these places other than pile your go-​XL-​for-​one-​fifty plate as high with food as you can, and woof it down like an insurgent is going to fight you to the death for it if you don’t finish it in under a minute. And, looking around, that did indeed seem to be the general modus operandi.
I don’t usually go to carveries for this very reason but a little peer pressure meant that this was what today’s menu was going to look like. We were close to this place after being too late for the China Garden lunch buffet so we checked in and got a table close to the action after about five minutes.
It would seem that before 4pm is a good time to get seated; after the lunch rush and before the dinner rush. Larger parties and more smaller parties started to arrive after we were seated.
The plates are a tenner on a Sunday and for that you get a decent portion of meat plus unlimited veg and stuff to lump on afterwards. The food tastes good enough; the pork and gammon I had was a little too chewy but, well, meh. I didn’t expect fine dining.
My other half was getting some potatoes that had been sitting in oil (not sure if they should be, they just were) and as she was loading up, a member of the kitchen staff very kindly came and replenished the potato stock for her. Even better was the way they did it; instead of swapping out the dishes, they instead poured the hot potatoes (and hot oil) sloshing into the original dish, with the resulting oil splashes ending up all over my other half’s top and jeans. Specks of oil are now permanently embedded in her clothing as a reminder to us of how mediocre this place is.
We had a quiet word with our table server (who couldn’t be a nicer human if she tried — she was lovely) and the manager came over to hear our story. What I was expecting was for her to do a quick calculation of how much it would be to replace the clothes (about forty quid) versus what we were paying (about thirty quid) and write the whole meal off for us. But instead she just offered us free deserts, which we had ordered anyway, so the tenner that the puds cost us were removed from the bill.
And here’s the grind; the deserts we ordered were the apple & rhubarb crumble (water, sugar, apple, rhubarb — microwave til lava, spread thinly across the base of a dish, and sprinkle with clumps of flour and sugar, then do nothing to it, and serve) and a delicious-​sounding-​but-​mediocre-​tasting ice cream desert (a mass of synthesised strawberry syrup at the bottom of the glass, fill to the top with cheap whippy ice cream, omit the layering of the ingredients that the menu promises, then carefully decorate with four bits of chocolate, and also omit the strawberry on the top). So we’d have complained and got these sent back anyway, as they were bland and unsatisfying to say the least.
By this time we just wanted to be gone. We prompted our server for the bill, paid it in cash there and then, and made our way out, determined to not see the inside of that place ever again.

Well-​priced, and good portion sizes although desserts can be a little small. All very tasty though. Staff are friendly, if a little rushed at peak times. Would definitely go again.

We had no problems in this carvery about 2 months ago when we went to eat there late one Saturday evening.
Food was plentiful and very tasty, staff were courteous and attentive, Price was as reasonable as I would have expected.
No issues with me, thanks.

We just had a carvery here at what used to be the robin hood. They seated us right out the way in a corner, past lots of empty, clean tables.
The guy who seated us took a drink order then left without explaining the menu, how the carvery works or if we had refillable drinks or not. This was the last we saw of any staff.
After finishing our dinner, parched for not having gotten another drink and sat. And waited. In the end i had to ask the chef to send a waiter over.
When she arrived, we politely explained our disappointment. She gave us the meal for free and really profusely apologised — she seemed to really understand the value of returning customers.
If you are looking for a decent carvery then you are far better off visiting the plume up the road, the food is better, its half the price with a simpler menu and the service is right on the mark.

What’s happened to this place? A few years ago it used to be packed and had a great atmosphere and not bad food, but now this really has to be the worst place I have had the misfortune to eat in a very long time. We were a party of 5 who entered the bar area at 7pm, we asked if there was a table in the carvery for 730 and were shown which one we would be sitting at. Alarm bells should have rang, as the restaurant was almost empty apart from one elderly couple. After a round of drinks we wondered into the restaurant to the pre-​agreed table when a supervisor type person (complete with the obligatory huge bunch of jangly keys swinging from hip) literally shouted excuse me where are you going, you can’t just wonder to a table. After we explained that her colleague had told us where to sit, she said that they were not supposed to be having any more bookings. We all just looked at each other wondering what explanation she was expecting us to come out with. One wonders why on earth not given that they were so quiet. Have Toby made so much money that they don’t want trade at 730 on a Monday. If this is the case then they could do worse that send their supervisors on a charm course, and at least clean the filthy and tired upholstery and carpet.
Once seated our (really quite friendly, and apologetic) waitress seemed almost embarrassed to say that the only meat available tonight would be Pork and there would be about a half hour wait. Given little option we decided to wait, and in half an hour she duly retuned to say that the pork was ready. We made our way to the carvery where sure enough there was a joint of pork, and the usual tired looking vegetable options, but no one to serve the meat. Again, embarrassed waitress apologised and went to find the member young man who was apparently the designated carver. While we were waiting there was a somewhat ironic sign advertising that there is even more on Mondays, with apparent but not evident addition of lamb and Pork to the usual beef gammon and Turkey.
The whole experience was shockingly bad, and obviously this is why the place was empty. I couldn’t help feeling for the waitress who was friendly, professional and doing a great job despite of the set up and her colleagues. I only hope she finds somewhere to work that’s more worthy of her skills and personality. The one star would be zero star but for the friendly waitress.
Would I recommend this place? Not a chance.

I have visited here several occassions for large family meals or with just a friend and myslef and I am usually really happy with the experience and the food. There is a large car park outside with plenty of parking. The carvery is £5 and they sometimes have special offers on for a free ice cream or get £1 off any dessert when you buy a carvery. When they are not busy they will bring the drinks to the table to you. SO why only 2 stars you may ask?
On my last visit with a friend and two young toddlers we were seated and when asked if there was anything we wanted asked for drinks which took ages to arrive, for some more custard which is bottomless in the dessert and it did not arrive. The lady showing people to tables and bring out some food was just very sharp and as we were still trying to enjoy our meals she came over and said she would not pick up the food or the mess the children had made and told us to do it.
Firstly, yes young children do make a bit of a mess when eating and things do get dropped on the floor but before I leave I pick them up and usually gatther them in a napkin and leave on my plate, no problem. Yet to be spoken to in a sharp tone when you are still eating is not acceptable, it has stopped me from returning since. This member of staff is a real let down to this usually great place to enjoy a carvery