The Greyhound

I have been here a few times with my family, cosy country pub very close to my sister-in-law’s house. We’re quite a large group so it’s been great knowing we can get seated all together. We booked for our second Boxing day lunch. We had good expectations but were completely let down.
We arrived at 2:15pm for our 2:30pm booking to have a drink. When we spoke to the manager about our table we were told due to the size of our party we would have to be seated on 2 tables. We booked 4 months in advance because we wanted somewhere we could all sit together like we have before a few years ago on Boxing day! The manager made no apology and never once mentioned this when we pre-​ordered and paid in advance for our food. They had basically decided to cram as many tables and bookings in as possible. To annoy us even more we didn’t get seated until 3:10pm.
Service was abysmal, they were so under staffed. All the staff looked exhausted and run off their feet. There was only one person on the bar which made waiting for our table more painful. We were finally seated on a table of 9 and 6. The tables were barely laid. The poor waitress looking after us couldn’t apologise more. Then my niece had a whole glass of wine spilt down her back as the tables were so poorly laid out there was no room for the waiting staff to move.
Our starters came and went. Pretty forgettable really. Our mains came in dribs and drabs, we had to make the decision for those who had their’s to start so they wouldn’t get cold. Our mains looked like they’d been served in a canteen, plonked on the plate. Very over cooked veg, burnt potatoes and pigs in blankets. The turkey and gravy were the only decent things in the plate. At this point were we all ready to ditch dessert. These were ok but again there was a long wait and half of us were left waiting.
Unfortunately we won’t be coming back here again. Which is a shame as we had a lovely Boxing day here before and we surprised my husband here for his promotion in October this year. £25 a head for a 3 course Boxing day lunch was very reasonable but it wasn’t worth it at all. This year the pub decided to cram in more bookings and it failed miserably.

Meeting some friends, who lived miles away, we searched for a pub in between for a Sunday lunch. We came across this hostelry, online, and decided to give it a try. It turned out to be a really good choice. Arriving early we sat, with a drink, in the garden but the weather turned a little cold so changed our minds and sat inside while we waited. Pubs that have turned from the usual pub into restaurants forget their bygone era and do not have a ‘bar’ area for those that wish just a pint. This pub was different. A nice seating area with comfy armchairs and sofas. Bar service was fast and efficient with a good selection of ales and standard beers.
Our friends arrived and we were shown to our prepared table which had been booked weeks before by a very charming young lady. Service by our friendly server, Maria, with help from other members of staff was second to none. As I have said, friendly, yet extremely efficiently and professionally. Most of our table ordered a Sunday roast which had a choice of beef, turkey and pork with all the usual trimmings. All of these plates were delicious with the beef, to my estimation, reaching a HIGH. I heard no complaints, either, from my other five friends. One broke away from tradition and had steak. Cooked, he said, to his liking. Deserts were outstanding with my cheeseboard a meal in itself.
I repeat, service was perfect. Even to the extent that as we left we took a few photos of our group. The waitress rushed out into the garden and asked if we wanted a photo of all six of us and obliged by taking a couple of shots. A lovely girl.
Thanks to all the staff it was a great meeting of old friends and you made it memorable. THANK YOU, all of you.

Having vowed never to go back after a very disappointing lunch time experience (lack of table and cold food) we received a 25% discount voucher and thought we’d give it another try. Booked online on Friday night, confirmed by telephone on Saturday, arrived on Sunday to find there was no record of the booking and no table. The table had been originally booked for 6.30pm and when a table was found at 7.15pm the restuarant had run out of all Sunday roasts, all steak dishes, and another 3 main dishes from the classic section of the menu. Food arrived hot which is more than can be said for us! We were seated directly opposite the kitchen doors and we sat through our meal with our coats on due to the draft coming out of the open kitchen doors. Although portions were quite small, the food was delicious. Our waitress was excellent and provided good service throughout the meal and the tip that was left was in recognition of her service only. It seemed to take a long time for food to be turned around and we didn’t leave until 9.10pm which is late when you have children who need to go to school the next day. Whatever voucher is sent from this group of restaurants in the future, I can honestly say, we won’t be tempted to try again!

This is the best place I’ve eaten at in a while. I tried one of the specials: Lamb shanks with roasted butternut squash and something else… it was awesome.
I went with 4 others and everyone was happy with their dishes too. The dessers were huge (at least the Cheese board, and the Profiteroles anyway… can’t remember the others)…
It’s a place with the feel of a real old english pub, with a cracking restaurant to boot (they obviously cook the stuff onsite — not just microwave premade meals like many pubs these days)
I think main courses were priced at around 7 – 13 pounds each, with one dish costing a few quid more, though I can’t remember what that was now either

The Greyhound is part of the Vintage Inns group. It is a pleasant restaurant for a good wholesome meal. A very large choice of food so I guess most dishes are bought in already prepared. Generally very busy and a wait for a table is not uncommon. Friendly service in a good atmosphere.

A busy, pleasant pub with nice food at reasonable prices. I was with a party of 7 for Sunday lunch, & got there early enough to grab a table by the roaring fire (which, though in January, made the area too hot — the pub staff had to open the door — but it looked nice! This was also a less crowded part of the pub, I was suprised to see how packed other areas had got by the time we finished our meal. Service was pretty quick, considering how busy the place was, and our waiter outdid Gavin from Gavin and Stacey in the charming, helpful, lovely ‘Essex boy’ stakes. Most of my party had the Sunday roasts, enormous platefuls with all the trimmings. I chose fishcakes from the lighter menu, very tasty. A good dessert menu too. Only downside was that the toilets were a long way away, up steep stairs, which wouldn’t be so good for the less mobile, or the more elderly patrons there for lunch — though there may have been a disabled toilet I didn’t see.
There look to be nice walks in the countryside around, though it was rather too wet for us to take much advantage of that.

The Greyhound Inn is located what seems like out in the middle of nowhere, but it is fairly close to Brentwood. I don’t think I’ve ever been here when it has been less that absolutely packed! The car park is always busy and it can be difficult to find a space outwith the car park. Well you think — if it is always so busy, the food must be really good — and it is, the food is lovely — never had anything I’ve not liked. The service can be slow and you may wait a while for a table when it’s really busy but you can have a drink at the bar while you wait. I would recomment a turkey Sunday lunch.