Bucks Head in Winchester

I was inspired to write this review by seeing a Greggs eating numpty slamming the place for price. Yeah, they're not cheap but you're paying for quality ingredients and an amazing product which is value for money. For less than a fiver you're getting a huge sweet treat with complex flavours, a very satisfying, delightfully flaky pastry and a very satisfying and filling experience. If you want a hit of sugar and bland white, air filled bread? There are cheaper options! You won't get a limp chicken pasty here. If you want extremely satisfying bread made with high quality flour and an amazing crust? If you want tasty, sweet pastries with a delicious zing? If you love good food rather than ultra processed? Then this won't bust your budget and will fill you up. The venue itself is a warehouse with some benches other branches are much nicer.

I see someone moaning about the food coming at different times. Our server warned us about this at the beginning it is made at different chef stations and comes at different times. This in my experience is common in Asian countries. Generally the food is...

Bit boring. Ok burger, nothing special, It feels like a helium balloon with half the air missing. You think it must have been quite impressive at some point, but not when I was there.... Also when the restaurant has the word friendly and Phil in the title, I dont expect to meet a guy called Phil but anticipate the staff would be a bit more lively.... They were not..... On a scale of dead to TGI Fridays they were a 3......

Have not been here since pre Covid. Other reviews were not so good, but we had no complaints. We were early on a Sunday morning so although quite a few people the service was not slow. The coffee was excellent, and the carrot cake jolly tasty. The toilets were very clean. For me I trod carefully on the terrace which did look a bit slippery.

£26.50 for a day pass, although asked for £30 which includes donation. Our party was made up of 5 adults - we didn’t donate. To put into context, my husband and I have been members of Marwell in our days before our children. It holds a special place in our hearts. We moved away but always managed to make at least 2 visits a year as the children grew up & still do - the kids are now into their 20’s and often visit with us. Sadly the experience over the last 10 -15 years has progressively gotten worse. Every time we go we hope it will be better. Marwell was always at the forefront of conservation and education & had an extremely successful breeding program for the rhinos and giraffes. Much money has been spent on enclosures that didn’t work, the snow leopards, the cheeta, the walkway over the persian leopard, now cloud leopard, the new tropical house, the gibbon enclosure, kids play areas. Now it is a shell. Few animals, lots of paddocks full of weeds, & plastic bottles & little or no information. The annual membership is a steal but place feels more of a kiddies play area than a serious home for conservation and education. It’s expensive and disappointing. Bit on context - The Cotswold Wildlife Park is £19 for an adult. A much smaller facility but full of animals and information & staff happy to help and answer questions.