Palm Court Restaurant in Cheshire West and Chester

We had afternoon tea in The Palm Court Restaurant to celebrate a birthday. We were met, welcomed and shown to our table by the manager. Enjoyed the lovely warm, relaxed atmosphere of the room, enhanced by the piano player. The food (see photo), was fantastic, as was the service. We were all well looked after. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon was had and are now ready to book again. Highly recommend.

UPDATE: Further to a very 'caring' response and I am now suspecting to make it look as though you take criticism seriously, after a week of following your request to email the the resmanager. Please don't take their platitudes as having made any satisfactory apology. I have received no contact whatsoever in response. There is no out of office or acknowledgement to my email. Sadly this is far from the ideal to fix an already poor service on a special occasion (Of which you were aware of) They say you should judge customer service from when things don't go right and the response and reaction. Sadly I cannot be recommending your venue. I just hope future visitors don't encounter any problems to blight a special occasion Booked in for afternoon tea for a lovely subdued hen do for 9. Palm court is beautiful. All started exceptionally well. We were located very close to the piano and had a member of our group who has hearing aid and unfortunately our voices were drowned by the volume. We mentioned this to staff and they very kindly set up another table at the opposite side of the dining room. Unfortunately, we then waited over an hour and half before we were served our food. Drinks had arrived well before this and had gone before the afternoon tea showed up. We were booked in for 14.15 and brought food at just before 16.00 There was no real explanation for the delay, no attention to ensuring we had drinks topped up or even any real apologies for the delay we had incurred. When the food was finally served it was beautifully presented and plentiful. We were so hungry the eloquent enjoyment was taken away by being ravenous. The service then improved mainly because 90% of the diners had already completed their experience and left as we were just being served. It was Saturday, it was busy but we had booked in advance as I imagine the vast majority of the diners had. Paid the bill, and mentioned to the lady our experience who said she would pass on my comments to management So, what was supposed to have been a very special, chilled experience didn't turn out that way at all. £300+ poorly spend from my experience I'm afraid

When for the carvery. Veg was excellent. I felt the meat portion for £21 was too small at only 2 slices. The Yorkshire pudding were overdone and very dark in colour. Why do restaurants like Palm Court insist on a service charge. We’re not America, where servers are on $2 an hour and rely on tips. It feels like a forced tip for some e just doing their job.

I have always wanted to visit but hadn't had the opportunity. We decided to visit to celebrate a friend's birthday for Afternoon Tea. We were greeted and shown to our seats which were by the piano. The decor was very beautiful, and there were palms and a glass roof that had shades on it, which were grateful for it as it was a very hot day, but the room was comfortable. We ordered the standard Afternoon Tea, but there are other options, including champagne or cocktails. It arrived, and it was beautifully presented on a 3 tier stand. The sandwiches were set options but plenty to choose from and options of fruit or plain scone. The sandwiches were lovely and fresh and very tasty. I was able to choose decaf tea and oat milk, and my friend had breakfast tea and cows milk. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and would definitely visit again. I would possibly not sit quite as close to the piano if I were to go again, as although it was lovely, I personally found it loud while we were talking. Definitely recommend a visit, though.

Amazing decor and ambience The pianist who sang and played all afternoon was amazing and set the vibe Good and drink lovely Staff were amazing especially with the elderly which impressed me Very attentive staff Food was great Couldn’t fault it! We will return x

Top notch food, perfect service and one of the nicest places to eat. The food was cooked to perfection and the bar has great selection of high end whiskeys.

Booked the Palm Court for Sunday lunch with a group of colleagues/friends. We opted to go here for our get together having been here previously and having enjoyed the setting, decor, piano music, and ambience. For reasons unknown, we were sat in the far corner away from the main restaurant where the carvery is served. Immediately we told the Manager that we would prefer to sit within the restaurant as this area was incredibly warm and busy but was told that this was the only table we could have - but we did see other tables empty in the main restaurant. As a result of being 'out of sight out of mind' tucked away, we had to go into the main restaurant several times to ask for someone to place our order and again to pay the bill. Sadly, an unpleasant and very uncomfortable dining experience.

Friends had kindly given us a voucher for afternoon tea with prosecco So we booked it at our local venue - the Grosvenor Pulford Hotel. Previous experience of other settings has taught us that you can never tell quite what you're going to get until you get there. Suffice to say that the Palm Court Restaurant far exceeded our expectations. The setting itself is beautiful with lots of palms that make each table feel secluded. There is piano playing a mixture of classical and contemporary musicin the background. The staff were welcoming and very attentive throughout our stay. There is a great selection of different teas and all the sandwiches, scones and cakes were really delicious. We will certainly be going again.

My husband booked a sparkling afternoon tea here for my birthday. We visited on the 23rd December and I loved it! What a treat. The staff were lovely and the atmosphere was magical. It was really special. We loved it so much we're going to take my mother in law for her birthday in March.

We visited Palm Court for a ‘Fizzy Brunch’ as we had bought a voucher from the hotel. On arrival we had to find someone to seat us. No team members were around. When we were shown to a table we ordered the ‘fizz’ and asked for a Bloody Mary to which we were told - no one can make us a cocktail until after a certain time as they have no one on the bar… the brunch menu advertises brunch cocktails. Not the best start. Our drinks took a long time to arrive, by this time another couple arrived who were seated almost immediately and offered water / served a bottle of champagne. Anyway, the brunch food was beautifully served and tasted delicious. When we had finished we asked for the bill for the cocktail (which was not included in our voucher, and we had already given them our voucher before being seated), and we then received the bill for the full amount of everything. We had to flag someone down to rectify this (which took a long time). When we worked out the cost of brunch, plus a glass of fizz each, the voucher was basically the same price. So useless. 😂 A lot of messing around for what should have been an enjoyable brunch in a beautiful setting (which is really is).

Amazing restaurant and great service from Mari, very tasty lunch, had the croque madame and some potatoes parmentier. the place is stunning, the team very friendly, absolutely loved it.

Very disappointing food. Been a while since eating here, after which we vowed not to eat here again, but everywhere else locally was booked so thought we’d give it another go. Never again

Over priced stake and chips very small portion, for £19.99 no condiments unless you asked an arrived when meal was almost eaten ,ice creamy over priced and extremely over sweet ,staff trying ,yet didn't understand that French mustard was not the same as English mustard ,water was £4.99 ,won't be returning + a service charge of £ 4.45 its their job

We love this place the Sunday lunch is amazing, the staff are also amazing, the girl that served us had long dark hair a lovely staff member indeed . This place gets better if that’s possible every time we visit the tasty food is 5 star ⭐️. Yum yum.

We visited Palm Court for our Anniversary as it was recommended by a friend. We were made to feel welcome from the moment we arrived, it is a beautiful setting. We were sat by a palmed water feature and a lovely touch an Anniversary card was on our table, Jack our server was lovely, very attentive, apparently he had only been there for 2 days as he normally works at the Bears Paw which was having some work carried out, you would never know it, it was like he had always been there (you should keep him) Also Yvonne was lovely, very bubbly and friendly. We had the Foccaccia with balsamic and olive oil as a starter it was delicious. I had Ribeye Steak which was cooked as I asked and the chips were flipping gorgeous, my husband had the pan fried chicken which he said was nice but maybe a little on the dry side. I had the pineapple souffle for desert, it was lovely, very light and my husbands peach melba sundae looked delicious. Thank you for the complimentary desert with sparkler and happy anniversary message, it was a really lovely touch. We ended by having a drink in Nelsons bar, where Hannah made me a lovely Pina Colada (that wasn't on the cocktail menu) Great staff, lovely food great service, hope to see you again, from Linzi and Paul.

I wanted to write a separate review as opposed to just mentioning the restaurant on my hotel stay. From the moment we were shown to our table - service was excellent. We were placed on a lovely table overlooking the oasis of water fountains and baby grand piano - there was no pianist on my visit but it was played through an iPad which really added to the occasion. We opted for a bottle of red wine which was good value if you plan to have a couple of glasses. I had a chicken/liver pate and my husband had scallops for starters. Then for main we both opted for duck and added a side of Broccoli stems and Potatoes- this was absolutely delicious and I can honestly say the best duck I have ever tasted! For this alone I would visit again. We followed with ice cream. Throughout service was excellent. Would also like to add the table setting was beautiful with linen cloths, napkins and coordinating crockery.

Beautiful food, wonderful Service by Megan and a warm and friendly atmosphere. We had pate, pork belly for starter and it was delicious, we then had fillet of beef which was so tasty and cut like butter. The pineapple soufflé topped off a wonderful dinner .. thank you to all the staff working that night.

The pan roasted chicken was dry and chewy, the bed of vegetables it rested its ancient breast on, was mushed up and ruined by the saltiness of the reduction., Basically overcooked. I was forced to ask for some fries as the door-step style potato was also tasteless. The fries, on the other hand, were superb. The children's haddock was too dry.

Great restaurant, food was amazing. Live singer and pianist made the experience special. It was my partners birthday and they left a card and did a dessert. We went for a few drinks at the bar next door after

Excellent rib eye steak, Rose our waitress was an excellent host and her French husband, very attentive

We live locally and have had some great meals here in the past. However the standards seem to have dropped over the past 12 months, reflected in our recent visit. As seems to be the case on a Friday evening, there was live music in the restaurant. Whilst the singer/pianist duet were very talented, I can’t understand why any staff don’t realise that the volume is so high you literally can’t hear anyone on your table speak. We had to ask to be moved (which was no problem), but even then it was still hard to hear when trying to place an order. Overall, service not attentive. Took far too long to get drinks, and then there was little in the way of checking on us or asking if we wanted more drinks. Food was very good, but portion sizes small. This place could be exceptional but needs work.

Superb food and great atmosphere, I love coming here, however carvery is my least favourite as doesn't match the experience during the other days. Gravy split and dripping down the jugs and roast potatoes on the floor don't match the high experience the rest of the time.

Amazing afternoon tea , fantastic service! Loved every minute of it! Have already booked a return visit.

I’ve just come back from a Father’s Day meal and I was a little disappointed this time . I won’t give a bad review as I truly love this restaurant and visit regularly, but today all the staff seemed to have changed , we had a waitress who was really sweet but when my husband asked what beers they had she said she didn’t know , didn’t go to find out either so he asked for larger , we asked for water 3 times , also I asked for a white wine wine and they brought red wine .The carvery was very nice but they seem to give very small portions of meat paper thin . The dessert which was the cheese cake I couldn’t actually get through the base it was rock hard . It’s not cheap so I think it should be the usual 5 star but we were all disappointed this time . I hope it’s better next time . The manger in a blue suit was very nice . Maybe it was a blip .

Booked for my birthday meal - starter of prawn & crayfish cocktail (£11+ each) was lovely & our table host was absolutely brilliant - yes Rose we got your name! We ordered the house Chenin blanc (£32+) - not as nice as Tesco’s own at...

This is a really stunning restaurant. Beautifully decorated, light and airy feeling. We visited for the Sunday carvery and were very impressed with the standard of the food. The beef in particular was delicious. We were really disappointed by the service though. Nobody gave us...

Thought we’d go here today for our Sunday roast , we absolutely love this place the restaurant manager is so polite and welcoming, the staff are amazing, very well trained in the most top class service while still being lovely and friendly! Our waitress was...

Gorgeous restaurant. The food was lovely. However, what let it down for me is that considering this is the restaurant part of the hotel (and expensive dishes) there were kids running around (this was about 8pm) and in their pyjamas. There were quite a few...

I visited here twice in the last week. The e staff are really attentive, and the ambience is beautiful. I really enjoyed the food, particularly the scallops and chicken. My partner, daughter, and friend all enjoyed the food. I will say some other customers are...

Lovely afternoon Tea, the sandwich’s were fresh, my husband changed his choice of sandwich’s which was no problem. The scones were fresh and the cakes were tasty Plenty of tea to accompany, the staff were helpful and attentive. We had a lovely afternoon , enjoyed...

We visited Palm Court to use the afternoon tea voucher we were given for Christmas. We went with high expectations but unfortunately were left dissapointed with both the quality and quantity of the afternoon tea. Some of the bread was a bit on the dry...

My husband and I visited Palm Court with friends to celebrate my husbands birthday and we had a lovely evening. The atmosphere is incredibly relaxing, the service was very good and the food.......super tasty! We cannot wait to return.

Bought a voucher for Christmas as a present and came with my mother and godmother. Easy to book online and still time left last minute Stunning restaurant it was beautiful and the piano was played in the background. A wedding was also on but this...

We wish to thank the staff for their exceptional service and great sunday roast, s very special mention to Mike the chef who ensured we were happy with the Sunday buffet, he is indeed an asset to the hotel and thanks to Sam too ....

Such a disappointing experience. We've been here many times & tonight was for my birthday. We were expecting a really pleasant evening, but that was not to be. Many diners who had come in to the restaurant after us had been served their meals and...

This was our second visit to the carvery and it certainly didn't disappoint. Loads of selection, i had all 3 meats, it filled half the plate! Chipolatas a real bonus and wonderful Yorkshire puds. All piping hot and fresh. Table service was amazing, our waitress,...

We booked Palm Court for 13 family members for Christmas Eve - what a disappointment ! We were quashed into a corner and had to ask to have the tables / chairs moved so we could sit / eat more comfortably [this seemed like a...

The interior of this restaurant is stunning. Booked a family meal for 4 whilst staying at the hotel. We were sat at a table by a beautiful water feature. The restaurant itself looks amazing. We went on a Sunday and had the carvery which tasted...

We booked to go to the Palm court restaurant as our Christmas meal with friends. After it being recommended. They were short staffed, had to wait 40 minutes for a cocktail, dreadful service at the table the bottle of champagne I had ordered came to...

Lovely menu. Food cooked to perfection and lovey presentation. Background music and palms added to the ambience. We were looked after by Katie who was really attentive and friendly

From the minute we arrived, everything was perfect. Check-in was swift and we were allocated a lovely ground floor room as requested due to walking difficulties. We dropped the bag and went for a couple of drinks in the Nelson bar, it was fairly quiet...

We enjoyed a lovely 3 course meal here. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated and the atmosphere is so warm and sophisticated with the piano playing in the background - very relaxing! They have a separate Vegan Menu that includes 3 good options for each...

Visited on a Friday night. Lovely food & great atmosphere with live music. Staff were helpful & friendly. Highly recommend.

One of the most beautiful restaurants you can visit,but, then you have to eat,and this is were the trouble starts.We were a party all be it a small one,the place was busy,the meals had to be pre ordered so you would not expect a problem,7...

The Sunday Roast was beautiful. We had an early evening table and everything was still freshly cooked and hot. Table service was brilliant, our waitress Grace was very helpful and answered all questions. With her warm friendly smile she made sure our dirty plates were...

With a touch of Art Deco this has a lovely ambiance. Perfect place for a family treat and catch up Food and service exceptional. Following day we had Afternoon Tea. Just divine.

Gorgeous surroundings, friendly waitress and afternoon tea wonderful… beautiful subtle piano music in the back ground… Then breakfast in the morning… wonderful choice, can’t wait to visit again

Great restaurant with nice waterfalls palm tress and a pianoist for entertainment. Warm nice atmosphere.

I was disappointed to have been sat in the servery and not the main palm court restaurant. Whilst service was efficient we had to wait for clean plates at the carvery for 5 minutes. It was difficult to get anyones attention to pay the bill...

Have been wanting to come here for a while to try the Sunday Carvery. First impressions, the restaurant is beautiful. Unfortunately the drinks service was incredibly slow, our starters actually arrived before our drinks. The food however was fantastic, best carvery around, the quality of...

Using a voucher I’d received for my birthday, my husband and I enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea here last week. Service was quick and efficient, the setting pleasant and we both enjoyed the whole experience. There was more food than we could eat so were...

I do not know where to start. We found this online and the restaurant looks like a nice choice for a special type of meal/evening. We ordered cauliflower soup for starters and our daughter ordered ‘soup of the day’ from the children’s menu. The waitress...

I love this place! Good is delicious and the venue is beautiful. I am visiting this place very frequently! My son had his communion arranged there, meals with friends and many more. I highly recommend pumpkin risotto at winter time and sea food tagliatelle! (My...

Myself and my friend had a lovely afternoon tea at the palm court in beautiful surroundings. It was a red letter day voucher, afternoon tea with bottomless bubbles, there was a bit of confusion over this to start with, as apparently they don't get many...

Amazing breakfast with a mix of hot and cold buffet, cereal and pastries. There were muffins, bread for toast, mini pots of jams. Tea's of many flavours, juices and a coffee machine for all those different frothy coffee types. There is also a menu on...

Lovely food, great atmosphere, shame about the attitude of the supervisor/Manager. No mention on the website of the 7.5% service charge (still linked to Covid apparently!) and then to be told they don't give change out if you haven't got the correct amount in cash....

We booked her to celebrate double 80th birthday. Ella kindly put the balloons l supplied on table, the excellent Poppy looked after us very well, BUT we were disappointed in some of the food. Cheese soufflés were superb, but the rare steak was not rare...

This was the last meal in 8 days of staycation in and around Lancashire and Cheshire. We had told our friends that we had not had one single “outstanding” meal during our trip. That is until the Sunday and they treated us to Sunday lunch...

Gave my main course to someone else, thinking it was “spare” without even bothering to check whether everyone had their meal. So, I then had to sit there awkwardly for about 15 minutes while everyone else ate and, when my main was finally brought out,...

Beautiful surroundings. Excellent service by very friendly staff. The Jubilee afternoon tea was an absolute treat. Very well done to all the staff and the pianist who entertained us throughout our visit. Magical!!

Terrific Sunday roast carvery. Excellent service. Attractive and comfortable surroundings. Highly recommended.

Another excellent evening at Palm Court with friends. A warm welcome at the desk started off a great night. The spacious surroundings provided us with peace of mind during the ongoing pandemic. Great choice of food, all of which was excellent & thoroughly enjoyed in...

Family Sunday dinner out arranged by my daughter as a birthday treat the restaurant is beautifully designed with a lovely atmosphere but the service is awful had to wait over 20 minutes after we arrived to be offered drinks not enough staff on duty at...

Lovely evening with friends we don't see often. So it was an occasion to enjoy an special evening meal in such a beautiful restaurant. Live piano music and singing too.

We visited here with friends who live locally and met up for a recommended Sunday lunch. We were not disappointed, the restaurant is lovely. The service was excellent and the Sunday roast carvery was the nicest we have had in a long time , there...

we had an absolutely stunning night. The food was simply amazing with the lamb being amongst some of the best I have ever had. there is a great bar and wine selection with some fabulous cocktails as well. The setting is stunning and the waiting...

The food was amazing Good service Relaxed atmosphere, can’t fault it and I’m usually very picky. The sofas are a good shout before you sit to eat and can double up as a chill zone afterwards We even had our dessert there

Booked a month in advance with full payment for 7 people. Amazing food as always. Waited a while to be seated after our booking time as the table was not ready. Options were carvery or Seabass. No warning to go and get our carvery food...

Had the best ever Mother’s Day here today the food and service is second to none ! I absolutely love this restaurant, I’d you’ve not been please give you’ll be blown away by the beautiful restaurant and food .

Delicate sandwiches, perfect patisserie, lovely surroundings and first rate service. Went today for afternoon tea and although it was busy, everything ran smoothly, we felt welcome and unrushed. The only letdown was when we asked if what we couldn’t eat could be boxed up, we...

What a gorgeous setting for lunch., The restaurant is fab! the food was amazing, the service was excellent, the lady who served us was so lovely - will recommend and return in the future

I’m so unbelievably disappointed with my experience here. I went with a friend for my birthday last week having booked a traditional afternoon tea ahead of time. I received an email asking if we needed to make any adjustments due to dietary requirements which we...

Six of us had a tasty three course dinner here mid week. The food quality and service overall was good. Three of our party had steak and one asked for mustard to accompany it. The reply….”I’m sorry but we don’t have any mustard”. Further enquiries...

Food and location were lovely but I've only given two stars as the service was poor. We didn't seem to have any waiting staff allocated to our table so had to flag down passing staff with requests which seemed to be an inconvenience for them....

Valentines Night 2022 I booked the Palm court restaurant for my wife and myself and having been to this venue many times in the past was expecting a good night. We arrived a bit early but told we could not sit at our table until...

Starting with the positives the setting is gorgeous. The palms, the running water, the piano… is all very relaxing and the restaurant looks very classy. The experience however didn’t feel very special. I love an afternoon tea and after seeing photos I picked this venue...

This restaurant has got the wow factor we booked here for 5 pm Sunday as a surprise for my husband for valentines. From when we walked in the manger who was dressed in a smart grey suit , welcomed us and sat us in the...

First time at this restaurant. Came highly recommended so booked Sunday late afternoon for my birthday with family of 7 including our 1 year old son. Despite booking the staff forgot about us and gave our table to someone else and we waited in the...

Really enjoyable birthday meal Food was delicious The atmosphere was perfect We had a great evening Thank you

Went to Palm court for brunch with a friend and my baby. Service was extremely slow, waited over 20 minutes to even be acknowledged by the staff. Asked for a suitable space for a pram and high chair and was given a really small table...

Firstly, great food, great service, great staff. Secondly, we had seen the pictures of 'the palms' and were looking really forward to the visit, which was part of an overnight stay at the hotel. We were shown to our table, which was pretty 'out of...

Visited the palm Court on Sunday for the roast dinner, food was amazing and staff extremely friendly. Will definitely be returning.

I've been wanting to go here for ages, and finally booked a birthday afternoon tea. Sadly we were disappointed with the experience. This was mainly on two counts - covid safety and customer service. The restaurant was packed and we were put on a table...

We spent an evening in great atmosphere, friendly and efficient staff and with excellent food and drinks. It felt completely safe as all surfaces were clean, staff were wearing masks. We were seated away from the main entrance so no issue with drafts or fluctuating...

Decided to visit the Palm Court Restaurant for lunch today, having booked a table in advance. We ordered from the main menu and the food was excellent, as was the service we received from Ellen, who was great. She was attentive, friendly and everything came...

Mt family and I booked a table for 11am on the 28th December 2021 for coffee and some scones. The restaurant was empty except for us and another two tables. There wasn't anyone at the desk to seat us so we asked at the hotel...

Very very disappointed that the menu was a carvery option - no one has told us that the normal menu was not available on New Year’s Day . Chef at carvery too busy chatting in the back then when he did come out he didn’t...

We have eaten in the Nelson Bar before but this was our first time eating out in Palm Court. Atmosphere and décor were lovely. Contrary to recent reviews on here our service was good. Food was amazing- really amazing. Will definitely be back. The only...

This was our 4th visit and I think it will be our last, such a shame as it’s a lovely place to go I have stayed overnight for my birthday and the evening meal and service was great. Unfortunately I can’t say the same for...

I booked festive afternoon tea in the Palm Court restaurant on the 18th December. The food and surroundings were excellent but we were really disappointed with the service. I’ve previously been to the restaurant on a number of occasions and never had any cause for...

The food is cooked perfectly, beautifully presented, 5 stars. It’s a lovely atmosphere inside too and decorated really nicely. Service however I’d give one star. It’s sad as they’re clearly very under staffed, that may be due to COVID but still it was a bit...

Had an amazing afternoon tea with friends from the leisure facilities at the hotel. The sandwiches and cakes were delicious and we enjoyed the lovely warm scones with cream and jam. A very enjoyable experience!

I'm not sure why customers have complained about the service as we found it excellent. There is a lovely atmosphere in the restaurant, great decor and decorations and we really felt as if we had gone somewhere special. We had the Christmas Fayre menu which...

We recently had afternoon tea at Palm Court. The food was nice and the environment was lovely, which made the experience feel special. The staff were friendly, but the service was quite slow. We waited 45 minutes for the food to come. We had booked...

Its difficult to leave a review based simply on stars because parts of our event were good, but the whole thing was overshadowed by the total lack of customer service/care shown by the reception staff who took the booking and, because of their total refusal...

first time visit-lovely venue, the interior is stunning and a pianist playing in the background. I was expecting a great experience as the hotel is four star rated and has been updated in recent years. Definitely somewhere to dress up for and the food is...

Booked breakfast after a recommendation, arrived , greeted and seated then that was the last time any of the staff came near our table . I stopped and asked a member of staff for an item off the menu which I cancelled at least 30...

Had to wait half an hour for a table even though we booked it. Food was mostly good. As the reviewer writes below, the veg was raw! Then as you lay they steal a tip off you for doing nothing in the way of service....

Arrived at the hotel took 15 mins to park !! 3 disabled spaces all full, had to walk from the lower car park very inconsiderate parking here by 4 wheel drivers who used TWO spaces!! On arrival at restaurant reception was kept waiting and not...

As I walked in I had high hopes, beautifully designed and felt very welcoming. I was seated on a lovely table however 15 minutes later I had to go and find someone to ask to order a drink. This service continued throughout and was slightly...