Restaurant The Wood Norton in Wychavon

We had a lovely night away in this beautiful hotel, with an extremely comfortable bed in a room in the main house. We had drinks in the bar before exploring the gorgeous gardens and meeting Charlie the kitten amongst the roses. Our evening meal was wonderful. We were offered complimentary Prosecco each (it was our fortieth wedding anniversary) and we started with homemade sourdough and pate which was delicious. For the mains, I chose the lamb which fell apart under my fork and my husband chose the chicken which was moist and delicious. Breakfast was equally fabulous, with a choice of cereals/juices/toast and we had the full English - one with poached egg and one with scrambled - all cooked to perfection. Great place, great food, great service from lovely, helpful and smiley staff - we will return…

This is one of the most amazing unspoiled, clean and well kept hotels I have ever stayed in. We were attracted to it initially because of the beautiful house and French history but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The rooms are stunning as are the dining area, bar area and sitting rooms and all the staff we interacted with were polite, obliging and friendly. The breakfast was delicious with plenty of choice and served in a professional and efficient manner but unfortunately we didn’t eat in the restaurant in the evening which we now regret. I cannot praise this hotel enough everything was first class throughout our stay and it was a pleasure to experience such high standards. Thank you to everyone for an unforgettable weekend.

Stayed overnight and had dinner in the main restaurant. There’s plenty of choice from either a la carte or Robata grill menu (see my pics) - we had a main from each - Haddock and chips/free range pork chop and have to say both meals were of a good quality and well presented. Prices very reasonable in my opinion and the young staff were attentive and friendly. Next morning the extensive breakfast options fuelled us up for the day!!

I did not stay at the hotel but had lunch in the bar this afternoon. I had not thought it possible that you could have a bad meal when all I ordered was cheese and ham on toast but I was wrong because the meal was terrible after slow service. The toasted bread was rock hard and the content was unappetising. The customer before me had ordered the same meal and wished me good luck with my meal before leaving!

Stayed for a week for mam's birthday and the service from all staff was ezcelelnt-especially Sarah, Lesley and Shabs. Food was superb and room was lovely. We will be back -especially loved the Terrace views. Amazing qnd very relaxing.

Have been here a few times. As usual food great - service awful. They forgot to put our food order in, no wait staff around, waited an hour and had to remind them twice. Unfortunate as it is a lovely setting and the food has always been delicious

My daughter booked afternoon tea here for Mother’s Day. The welcome we received was poor .We were NOT shown to a table but told to find one! The waitress returned quite quickly asking us what drinks we wanted. These also arrived promptly. Unfortunately, my daughter and I were having tea, but no cups arrived! There were no staff around to ask, so eventually she went to find someone! She had to walk all the way to reception to find a group of staff having a social chat! There was no ‘callback ‘ during our tea. At the end of the meal, we asked for a box to take some cake home and we’re handed some foil and told to do it ourselves! Needless to say we will not be coming back,

Our welcome wasn't a particularly friendly or engaging one and not even a smile; it was like the Marie Celeste! We had a drink whilst making our lunch selection and the Manager (who's attire was a little unkempt and not in keeping for someone at her level) took our order. There was an option to order a pasta dish as both a starter and as a main course and my husband was very clear that he wanted this as a main. We were the only people in the sizeable restaurant, no water was offered (which we find is standard) and the bread to accompany our starter arrived after we'd finished eating! My main was delivered but they'd produced a second starter for my husband as his main course. Instead of removing this when we explained it had been ordered as a main course serving, they left him with his starter and then brought him another - so he's now had 3 starters instead of 1 starter and 1 main course. Not the end of the world, but this is pretty poor. Whilst the food is much improved on our visit from a few years ago, that's about the only thing that has; albeit my main was somewhat lacking in vegetables. I ordered chicken and chips but it didn't even come with peas or some other suitably matched vegetable. There was absolutely no atmosphere, no music, it was dark, we felt like an inconvenience and if you don't want to serve and open for Sunday lunch - then don't. It would be far better than the experience we had. We've tried this place so many times over the years in the hopes it would match the grandeur of the building, but sadly it's seriously lacking and very disappointing - certainly for a Sunday lunch visit. We won't be re-visiting and wouldn't recommend. We get the impression they're not interested in engaging and encouraging locals to use this venue and would prefer to have the business traveller and/or overnight guests only. If this is the experience, then you're welcome to concentrate your efforts on your preference.

Some of the nicest food my husband and I have eaten. My starter was the buratta with a variety of tomatoes (highly recommend for cheese lovers), and my husband had the duck egg. 10/10 for both and looked beautiful too. For the main my husband had the 8oz rib eye and I had the lamb cannelloni, and all the flavours were balanced perfectly, and my husband is very good at cooking steaks and so he is fussy with a steak, but he was very impressed, even our side of tender stem broccoli was amazingly flavoured and the right amount of crunch. The star of the show was the lamb cannelloni with wild mushrooms, this isn’t minced lamb but a piece of lamb and then slow cooked lamb also in the cannelloni. Absolute perfection. Desert, another wow; salted caramel tart again balanced to perfection, and my chocolate orange torte with Cheltenham strawberry’s. Wow wow wow. And the best looking desert I have every ordered. Not overly orangey, just perfect and balanced. The restaurant was full due to the game fair and the friendly staff created a lovely welcoming atmosphere, and the kitchen could clearly keep up with the high demand, Thanks so much for a great anniversary meal

We were looking forward to a nice meal in the lovely setting on their terrace. However, after placing the order we were told 10 minutes later that they could only offer pizzas and things done on the grill; no starters or anything else on the menu. 10 minutes later we were told it was fine and we could have what we had originally ordered. When my wife's risotto came it was burnt. We pointed this out to the waitress and she said she'd tell the kitchen. There was no apology and no offer to replace it and we were charged for it even tough my wife could only eat a few mouthfuls of it. They clearly had an issue in the kitchen the evening we were there and even my son observed how grumpy all the staff appeared that evening. We stayed for the night and I'm pleased to say that breakfast was a much more pleasant experience.

Had a lovely meal here. The menu was quite unique containing many amazing meals with a plethora of food combinations I’ve never seen out together before. The good was as amazing as the descriptions and great service made this a very pleasurable experience. I was told the chef changes his menus weekly which makes me want to return to try more. I would highly recommend.

We only ate here for breakfast which is fairly simple in my opinion. Quality was so poor I just didn't finish it on either of the 2 days we stayed. Just go somewhere else.

Low quality meal output for price and inexperienced waitressing . Nice kids but not silver service . Didn’t enjoy our meal at all, very basic , plates cold, fish had slightly turned. Really really disappointing experience for our expectation based on website description. .

Terrible service, had to ask everything 3 -4 times to get wine or cutlery or glasses etc. Very unprofessional as working against their will, and restaurant responsible rude aggressive unprofessional, shouldn't be serving , unacceptable behaviour.

Breakfasts were excellent with a wide choice of cooked and continental options. Dinners were imaginative and very good too

We visited this hotel for the restaurant, with its fine-dining menu, and it was excellent. Somewhat off-putting at first, the signage to the car park then back to the hotel was poor. Something other reviewers have noted. The small car park was thronged with cars for a wedding party, but we just managed to squeeze in – not sure where we would have parked otherwise. An overgrown, steeply-stepped path led from the car park to the hotel entrance, where, we presumed, the restaurant was located. A long wait while the receptionist dealt with hotel enquiries on the phone, then some time with a guest who had arrived ahead of us. Our table-booking time came and went, but when we were eventually spoken to, there seemed to be no problem, and we were led through a maze of corridors to the finely-appointed panelled dining room. All the tables were reassuringly well-spaced, so we sat down to one of the most imaginative meals we’ve had in a long time. This was certainly fine-dining – creative, though small portions that saw me get through 3 courses plus a cheese plate that was probably meant for two! The young staff were attentive and knowledgeable, and the courses came and went seamlessly. A credit to all who worked there.

Stayed en route to Cornwall, and took my aunt for dinner one of the nights. She had worked there as a cleaner 40 years ago, and it was nice to treat her to the “other side”. The hotel has been refurbished throughout and the decor is friendly and smart without feeling intimidating. Fantastic couple of meals there and the staff were friendly and professional as always. It made my aunt’s day that a lady ( I think one of the owners?) came over and was complimenting my partner on his shirt - well, someone had to!- and when we told her why we were eating there that particular night, she then went and got the owner Jeremy, over to talk to us. What a charming and delightful man- to take the effort to stay to chat with us for at least 20 minutes, and sharing stories with my Aunty! He then took Pete off to see the infamous Duke’s bathroom, before becoming back to chat some more. So to Jeremy and Barb(?) thankyou for giving my aunt some lovely memories of a great evening out , and hopefully we will see you again soon.. it’s our “go-to” hotel for Evesham, and as usual, neither room, the food or the service let us down!

Crab risotto, partridge, monkfish, chocolate torte with sorbet All were absolutely perfect and without doubt the best cooking I’ve tasted for a long time Been told the chef’s were Vlad and Tibi Flavour, cooking, presentation and execution - very deserving of a Michelin * or 2. Seriously - it is that good Highly recommend the food at this restaurant and would dearly love the recipe for their crab risotto ! Best risotto EVER !

We had afternoon tea for two which absolutely did not disappoint. I think it is a new tea the chef has created and it is beautiful. Really lovely fresh sandwiches (with adjustments made for one who is a veggie). The cakes are unusual and very pretty, the scones still warm. It was so lovely and felt like a real treat. Would recommend

Despite booking for a special birthday meal for 6, nothing was ready, waited 20 minutes for a coffee with no one else in the room, service generally was slow and very poor, gave the impression they couldn’t be bothered, again with no one else in the restaurant after waiting a further 20 minutes to without being asked if we wanted a drink or to order food we left and ate at a local pub.

We had a meal here whilst staying at the Hotel, all the food was delicious but the choice on the menu could have been a bit broader. Never the less what we did have was superb. The service however let the food down, slow, impolite and not interested in the slightest.

A perfect break away. Hotel was clean and beautifully presented. On our arrival we were lucky enough to get an upgrade to a beautiful suite. The staff were friendly and attentive. Particular thanks to Steve the one-man hotel machine, who was our bar tender, waiter and general manager. Never too busy to stop for a chat.

Excellent freshly cooked food, a reasonable menu selection and a restaurant room full of character and history. Service however, could/should be better!

The chefs here are doing an amazing job! The food was stunning. The fish tacos were superb and the steak was the best I've ever had...HOWEVER, the service staff were beyond awful. Maybe they needed to have another server working, maybe that would have helped the situation, but it was so slow, they had no organised system so customers were being missed, empty plates left for 40 minutes plus, drinks not arriving. The people sat near us waited nearly 90 minutes for food - it was not that busy! We would have had dessert, but we were so fed up with waiting that my husband cleared our table himself and took it in. The girl was polishing cutlery and on her phone while several tables were sat outside waiting for service - this is a job for after service! I would Never return here.

We have had several 5star meals and afternoon teas at Wood Norton in the past so thought it would be perfect to kick off celebrating 27 years of marriage with an afternoon tea in August. What happened to this place? First, the yellow tape everywhere and the metal bar and reception make it look like an un-finished building site. Neither appeared clean with marks all over them. Second, the staff really don’t know how to behave. Eating and drinking behind the bar is not what I would expect. Also not keen on being served by tattooed hands. The coffee machine and grinder on the bar are very noisy making it difficult to have a conversation at times. The drinks and afternoon tea were pleasant enough but I will remember the afternoon for all the wrong reasons. There’s more but I feel this is enough.

We had another motive to our afternoon tea experience, we wanted to survey the suitability of the venue for our daughters wedding next year. The afternoon tea was a very average affair considering the price and is forgettable. The venue looked ‘tired’ and the decor was not the most memorable. Service was acceptable but again left something to be desired. I don’t expect to see staff eating and drinking behind the bar.This is a fabulous venue that deserves better.

We loved the food, restaurant and whole experience. Everthing was local, fresh and delicious. Highly recommended!

Booked this for valentines and at £50/head thought it was overpriced for what we received. Sharing platter to start was average - the steak was ok and my wife’s beef was good. Sharing desert mediocre service slow and not attentive. My wife had a ‘complimentary’ glass of Prosecco on the way in and it took 25 mins to refil as I offered her my glass as well. However it still ended up on the bill. The staff were very friendly but it was let down by the service and ok food

First impressions of building lovely. This was soon change as entered by appalling service of front of house staff. I was with my two daughters and grand daughter. We were directed to the bar area, two staff at the bar did not acknowledge us , I had to ask them about our reservation. I had booked using a Travelzoo voucher , which I have used this company many times and always had excellent meals and experiences. I was told could not use the app on my phone had to email the hotel with the voucher , this took about 15mins and they would not serve us a drink until it was done. This took so long as the internet connection was poor.We were then shown to a very low couch and even lower small table. One of my daughters is heavily pregnant and couldn't even sit in it , let alone eat. No highchair for my grand daughter , which I had confirmed when booked. When they got one it didnt have a tray and couldn't be used at a coffee table. We then asked for a proper table , after about 10minutes of insisting we were shown to an empty restaurant.The incorrect drinks were offered , mulled wine , which was only until christmas, when questioned was told that was what they staff had been told to serve. The wrong drinks were then serve , no non alcoholic one, for my daughter. The tea arrived 15mins later with no milk, or coffee. When the milk and coffee arrived , the tea was nearly cold. We waited over an hour for the afternoon tea food to arrive. The food was very nice , the service was terrible.Another large party was also seated into the restaurant with us after it looked as though they had complained.A waitress in the restaurant apologised and said the front of house staff were new and stressed. Offered no compensation or complementary drinks .Very poor service and bad experience, only gave 2 stars as food was good. Would not return.

Very disappointed with the afternoon tea and service at the Wood Norton Hall Hotel, Evesham.This has always been one of our favourite hotels for afternoon tea, however not from today. Some members of staff were totally disinterested in doing their job let alone going a little further and making it an enjoyable experience for the guests. Clearly the staff have changed, the pastry chef being one. The scones were always light and the best we have ever tasted, now they were like lead. My husband called the whole experience Sad, it was supposed to be special. Very disappointed.

Afternoon tea. I have written a very comprehensive review, under the main hotel site, so please read that, but suffice to say, very nice setting, clean and pleasant room, quality food, though not huge portions, enjoyable.

We enjoyed all of the food which was well cooked. I had bream followed by Creme Brûlée which was excellent. The scones for our cream tea were warm and tasty.

Went with my Mom for a delicious afternoon tea, which was a Buy a Gift present.It was nice and quiet as it was a Monday, and we were able to sit where we wanted , in the bar area, so we sat looking over the lovely gardens. We had coffee, with our food which was a vegetarian option and comprised of a cream cheese and cucumber finger sandwich, a small but delicious egg mayonnaise roll, a wrap with cheese and pickle, a salmon mousse on potato cake, delicious scones with jam and clotted cream ( probably the nicest scones we had ever tasted) , macaroon, tiny orange cake, and two slice cakes, one a chocolate with 3 different flavoured layers, and a strawberry and cream slice, again 3 layers. Although the cakes were small, we were full before we finished so took some home with us. The food was absolutely delicious, and we couldn’t fault the service either which was helpful without being invasive. We had a walk round the lovely rose garden afterwards. All in all, a lovely afternoon, and probably the best afternoon tea we have had, and we have been to other places, which have also been good, but this is a special place, and we would go again.

Wanted somewhere special who could cater for a vegetarian and lactose free customer which they confirmed they could. Were seated in little more that a corridor and waited 30 minutes for food which when it arrived was not as promised and extremely disappointing. They were disorganised and did not seem to know who we were or what we had pre ordered. I was given food I had specified on booking I could not eat. No one came to ask us if we were happy and to pay, which I wish I hadn’t I had to go and look for someone. When I complained I was treated with disdain and told they were busy so what did I expect.I rang the following day to complain as my family were so upset on the day we just left. I was told to send an email which I did. I had no response for 4 days at which point I rang again. I had to wait all day for someone to call me back. I was then given time to think about how they could put the situation right. I subsequently asked for a refund but was told as we had consumed most of the food we were only entitled to 50%. This I unwillingly accepted but to date have not received. I am extremely upset and angered not only by the awful food and service we received on the day but also by the complete lack of interest in us once I had paid the bill. Overall an experience I never ever wish to repeat and would not recommend their afternoon tea to anyone.

My friend booked us in for a birthday treat for me for afternoon tea. Food was delicious. Service rather, how can I phrase it.... quirky.... had to chase up the tea and extra side we ordered.Table we were given not the best, by the front door with no view of the garden, but as my friend and I were having a good old catchup, not an issue. I've also been here a couple of times before.

Absolutely fantastic venue, from when we arrived to the end it was fab. Beautiful rooms, lovely gardens and very helpful staff.

Enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea here at The Wood Norton. Wonderfully presented and loved the cakes. Service was a tad slow but it didn’t spoil it. Still very much enjoyed our visit.

I have just written a summary of the hotel, so will do a short one here.

Came here a couple of years ago and it was so special, silver service, amouse bouche between courses, special and exotic mains and petit fours to die for.

The food was delicious, I had the Cerney Ash mousse and husband had rabbit, both had fillet steaks which were cooked perfectly and desserts were excellent. Only issue was the service - requests were either very slow to be fulfilled or ignored completely and we had to ask multiple times. If they could sort that out it would be a five star place.

This is the second time I have visited Wood North and been disappointed on both occasions. The first time I bought afternoon tea for 3 friends as a Christmas present back in Jan 2018 and was very embarassed to have bought this as a gift. This time around it was a Christmas present to myself and partner. Although the afternoon tea was slightly better than 2018 it still did not rock my boat. There were no sandwiches as such, a less than quarter of a wrap with ham, a salmon mousse on a cracker, a very greasy piece of think what I think was supposed to be a bit like melba toast and could not fathom what the topping was except for a few pieces of very small cucumber, A small mince pie, chocolate ganache cake, macroons (which I hate so my partner ate my share), some chocolate sprouts, a very milky, non flavourous panna cotta and two very dry scones.

The calamari and lobster had been cooked too long and spoiled the experience. All the other dishes were very good and the breakfast options were lovely.

Lovely setting but the atmosphere is a bit cold. The food was good but not spectacular, and a bit pricey as a result. The young waiter was very helpful but they had to go and look for a barman to serve behind the bar. With a bit more care and attention this could be 5 stars.

A rather underwhelming meal with indifferent service. Maybe we caught them on an off night! Conversely the breakfast in the same restaurant in the morning was excellent in all respects with great service.

Must of been because of a Sunday night, but the food was not the best and would not eat here again. I would stay in the Hotel again as the rooms are excellent

Great restaurant if you plan to eat at the hotel, you won't be disappointed! Little more pricey than eating out in some cases but we found it was definitely worth it, really enjoyed all courses. Everything tasted so fresh, would recommend.

Took my wife for a surprise to see this place and thought to have a nice relaxing afternoon cream tea on a July Saturday when there was a heat wave.

Restrictive menu as almost every dish has a smoked item, fine if you like smoked but challenging if not.

Was invited by friends so felt unable to comment at the time.

Food was not particularly special and the beef served as a buffet was very overdone. Not very impressed.

I took my mother out for afternoon tea for both our Mother’s Day treat.

This afternoon, 20 03 2018. we had Afternoon Tea ,haveing recently spent a couple of nights at Hotel...We would treat my cousin and hubby for afternoon tea....

First visit here for us and our 4 friends who hv just moved to the area.

I wouldn’t rush back, in fact probably won’t go back, my friend bought me afternoon tea for my birthday, I felt sorry for her in the fact that our expectations were definitely NOT met, the sandwiches were dry, the cakes were bland and dry and the service left a lit to be desired. There are so many other nicer places to visit, choose somewhere else.

As a family we have had mixed success with afternoon tea. This week we went to The Wood Norton Hotel on a rearranged visit. My daughter had been given a Festive Tea for Two voucher and we had intended to go in December last year. We had increased the number to three but on the day there was heavy snow so we arranged to go in February. Things were odd from the start as we went through to the bar and were told that we were down for two festive and one normal afternoon tea and were told to find somewhere to sit. The building and views were fantastic if a bit like a rabbit warren. We found a seat and it was about 30 minutes before we were served. In the end it was served as three normal teas. We had one coffee and a pot of tea for two. The food arrived and there were four finger sandwiches, Egg, ham, chees and salmon, all fresh from the fridge I think. There was a very nice scone with cream and raspberry jam, followed by four small cakes. Price £18.50. The service was below average, no top ups of either drinks or food offered. When leaving we queried the fact that the festive mulled wine hadnt appeared and we were told that that had stopped in January. Fair comment by why weren't we told when we arrived. Overall I certainly wasnt impressed by food or service, definitely not the latter. A great shame but there are few places that really understand that a fresh tea and great service actually bring people back again.

What a treat. A special selection of finger sandwiches petite fois scones jam and cream. What more could you ask for except for a well brewed cup of tea to wash it all down with. I have been here on several occasions with family and friends and enjoyed it each time. There are lawn games to keep little ones occupied as well a great tree swing. A lovely way to spend a sunny afternoon.

The menu was lovely with plenty of choice and the selections complimented each other. It was reasonably priced and very well presented.

Would not recommend, all of the samwhiches were tasteless , some of the cakes were ok, scones very dry and hard , best part was the coffee, wouldn’t waste my money going again

We had a three course meal and it was beautiful! Lovely smoked duck to start and really tasty pork for main! Fantastic!

In conjunction with my review of the Hotel/New Year Eve event (which was poor) - I do need to highlight the great work that is being done in the kitchen. The food was consistently good, despite the large numbers of people attending.

We booked afternoon tea for Sunday 17th Dec via groupon. It was a good price , especially for what I’ve...

Beautifully cooked and presented, but really minuscule portions. An interesting experience, but we had to have something to eat when we got home. We had chosen to go there for my 60th birthday, and I had mentioned that when I booked, but I wasn't even wished "Happy Birthday". I know that other details from the booking call were passed on, so I was a bit disappointed.

We chose to use the Wood Norton for our reunion of friends from around Europe.

Having received a present of champagne tea for 2 we were full of expectation when we arrived.

Food was stunning with a great menu, hard to choose but wow not at all disappointed with any selections, First class service completed a wonderful experience.

We stopped by because a friend had told us the afternoon tea here was quite nice, they weren't wrong either. The setting was beautiful and the service was great. It is the sort of thing we'd always wanted to do but never had the chance,

We were staying in this hotel, so decided to have our evening meal in the restaurant. We booked a table, although there were not many guest staying. We had read previous comments that it was not that good, but we both enjoyed both courses, we both had the steak which was cooked perfect for us. The service could have been a bit better. But overall we had a good experience.

We went about 8pm to find a place to eat for our Ruby Wedding anniversary as we were staying nearby.The staff were very helpful and despite the restaurant being full,eventually managed to get us a table.Food and service was fantastic.Really enjoyed ourselves and great place and setting.

We visited Wood Norton Hall, as a birthday treat for my mother, to sample their full afternoon tea at £18.95 per head. Unfortunately the quality of the finger sandwiches and cakes were disappointingly bland and uninspiring. For what purports to be a quality establishment, this offering was atrocious and spoilt what should have been an enjoyable afternoon. The sandwiches were stale with below par fillings, cheese, fish paste - no prawns or beef which at nearly £20 per head is what I would expect. The cakes were dry, and again poor quality - the scones were acceptable which made them the highlight of a decidedly underwhelming experience at Wood Norton Hall. Afternoon tea in a mug says it all - never again.

Went to Wood Norton restaurant for Father's Day lunch, beautiful buildings and gardens.Ordered the crab starter very nice, then everything went down hill. Had ordered a bottle of wine at the bar, asked for 2 more glasses they never arrived. Later asked for more tap water that never arrived. The main course I had chicken and chorizo paella very small portion and looked very pale. 3 of our party had pork belly that was served with rosti, corn on the Cobb and coleslaw the pork had no crackling and looked like it had been boiled rather than roasted. Very slow service, didn't bother with a dessert as we had waited long enough.

A celebration meal for our anniversary was the perfect way to round off our stay at the Wood Norton. The meals were delicious and the portions were very generous. A delightful meal in a gorgeous setting.

Second stay at the Wood Norton. Haven't been for a couple of years and things have changed a bit. What was the restaurant is now the brassiere. Apparently they have switched the locations round as more guests now book the brassiere rather then the formal restaurant. The brassiere serves burger, fish and chips etc. We walked into this by mistake and it had families with a screaming child, food on the floor and generally wasn't much better than the scene at your local harvester. We had however booked the fine dining experience as we were celebrating a special birthday. When we booked we thought we were getting the 5 course menu but got an email after booking to say it had changed to a 7 course taster men. We were first in the restaurant which was nicely decorated luckily we were joined by one other couple as there's nothing worse than being watched by the serving staff if you're the only ones in there. The courses were on a par with the type of meals served on great British menu. Small and pretty looking dishes. The most disappointing course was the fish course, turbot on a bed of spinach, with raisins, and walnut purée. It was bland and lacked any flavour. The best dish was the main course which was the duck 3 ways, that was great. The duck just melted in your mouth. Overall though we both felt the food was safe' in terms of flavour in fact I would go as far to say lacked any wow factor. We were joined by 2 other couples after about 3/4 hours but the restaurant lacked any atmosphere. The serving staff were attentive and polite. The wine ranged from £20 to £130 a bottle, with a good selection. We did find the pace of the food a little fast and would have appreciated a rest after the main course but as they were brining us and the other couple out at the same time so there was little opportunity to ask for time to rest. For 2 taster menus and a bottle of water for £4 and wine £35 the total cost was £139. Overall it was nice but not great.

enjoyed afternoon tea, dinner and breakfast at the hotel -food excellent and well presented - at breakfast the yogurt is to die for

Superb fine dining with excellent service.Huge wine choice and highly professional.Would recommend eating there!

I wasn't to write this review but after I have contacted the venue to give them feedback and was told I would be contacted by the manager well I'm still waiting Now I can't understand why I had such a poor experience Fawlty tower revisited The front of house well undertrained have no idea about allergens coeliac and Lacoste intolerance please stay away I'm lactose intolerant but no much effort were done to provide food for me such a shame no allergen list to be found My booking was done through a agency and I did inform them of my condition couldn't even have the afternoon tea which was paid for so on that occasion I was ripped offMade comment to the reception but nothing was done could I get a refund well I don't think so I would be interested to here from other who had the same experience This place is a complete ripoff

My partner and i went for afternoon tea on a Saturday afternoon. We were due to sit in the bar at 2pm, the same time as a wedding ceremony was due to start. The bar was heaving with wedding guests, but the bar man took us to the room next door until the guests went into the ceremony 5 minutes later. Once the bar had cleared out, it was lovely and peaceful. However, there was one member of staff that didn't seem to have a clue about anything she was asked. When our afternoon tea arrived, we were unsure as to what the sandwiches contained, so we asked the female member of staff and explained that I was vegetarian. She said she didn't know as the sandwiches changed all the time, but we should just open the sandwiches ourselves and take a guess as to what they were. We couldn't believe this!! We had a look but it was hard to tell. My partner went up to the bar again and asked the male member of staff, who apologised and sorted us out straight away with a new plate of meat sandwiches and a separate plate of vegetarian sandwiches. The level of service given by the female member of staff was appalling!! However, the guy who seemed to be more senior made up for it. We probably won't be returning for afternoon tea, as the standard wasn't as good as I had expected. Shame, as it's a lovely venue!

I came with two friends a while back for afternoon tea and we weren't overly impressed. The price is way too much for the afternoon tea considering it wasn't anything special.. poor selection of cakes etc, they were dry. The sandwiches weren't that great, especially the selection available.. one of the worst afternoon teas I've had. For the price, you'd expect a lot better! We will not be returning for food/afternoon tea. But I've still given 3 stars as I do think the hotel is lovely, lovely gardens, lovely lounges. And from website, the rooms look lovely too. Just a shame about the food.

Our second visit to the hotel in the last year and we found it much improved. Dinner service was excellent.

Six of us for dinner in the restaurant - nice round table. We were warned of a large wedding party that night. They are looked after in a separate part of the hotel but dominated the bar on our arrival. Once in the restaurant all was calm and chief waitress Alice looked after us very well. The food is innovative, quite small portions but several freebies. Not for the first time the service is a little slow so it took us 3hr 20 min from start to finish. I do thank Alice for the very efficient way she corrected a mistake on the bill. It makes all the difference and makes you want to return.

We went to the Wood Norton Hotel for Christmas lunch in the 'Orangerie'. There is of course always a premium to be paid for eating out on Christmas day. However it is reasonable to expect that for £75 one would receive a good meal. This was not the case. The food was at best mediocre and portions were small. Drinks were seriously overpriced. The service was slow because there were not enough waiting staff on duty although those present were pleasant and helpful. Not recommended.

We booked here for a company staff christmas party. The venue is lovely..but thats where it ends sadly. Service was poor...took nearly half an hour to get any drinks...starter minscule...main was a let down...veg undercooked...only 2 bowls for the table...sweet was underwhelming..only 1 of us ate their pudding...no atmosphere..disco started very late...wont go next year..or even recommend..for the money you could get soo much more..

Arrived for lunch only to be told that due to a wedding taking place the chef was only supplying sandwiches and they had no record of our reservation! After some discussion we were offered a limited menu. Two meals arrived but the third guest was told he would have to wait fifteen minutes for his (appeared as if the chef had forgotten to cook it). Dessert was stale and dry and obviously not made on the premises. Hotel manager promised to make up for all the confusion which consisted of a free drink and a couple of side orders knocked off the bill, hardly worth the effort. Breakfast the next morning was equally appalling. Would never eat here again or recommend it.

I was invited as my mums plus one to the Woodnorton for Red Deers Christmas party. We walked down the steep hill from the car park & arrived at the gorgeous main building to be told we could have a drink in the old part but our party was actually back up the slope in the 'orangery'. Fair enough, so back up we went, only to be told at the door of the Orangery that the bar wasn't open yet so we'd have to go back down to the main building! We dug our heals in and it was agreed that we could go and sit down while they got the bar ready. The room was pleasant enough and a nice waiter came along after 10 minutes and took out drinks order which was a nice touch. This service ended shortly after though) After an hour or so we were given a nice bread roll each, followed 10 minutes later by the butter to put on it! The salmon/mousse type starter came 20 minutes later & was nice enough if not minuscule & had I known there was nothing to put it on I'd've kept my roll back but by the time it arrived I was so hungry having saved myself all day that it had long gone! About 30 minutes after the starter, things really went downhill - our turkey & stuffing arrived & was barely luke warm (due mainly to the cold plate it was served on) 10 minutes after the meat came, having eaten half of it before it went stone cold, the waitress brought out ONE small bowl of vegetables which we had to share between a table of TEN of us, seriously we thought it was a joke, we took literally one piece of veg each (& when I say piece I mean a small piece) & one of the main directors of the company didn't even get one sprout! When we questioned this we were told we couldn't have any extra veg until the other tables had been served. After the majority of our table had finished the tiny meal, another bowl of veg appeared plus a few more roasties - too little too late! I have been going to this company's Christmas parties for over 6 years and with a table that size we have always been given a minimum of 3 bowls of veg per table. Either the management seriously mis calculated the amount of food needed or the place is out to give as little as they can get away with for maximum profit, either way, it's not acceptable. The final joke was when my mum asked when the coffees would be coming & was told we would have to pay for this if we wanted it, even though coffee was included on our menu. We were then told by another member of staff that yes, we would be getting the coffees included - a serious case of miscommunication & bad management I think. I wonder, did the people in the main building have the same disappointing treatment....?As it turns out it was a nice night but this was down to the company of friends & definitely not to the food or the general service. Okay, so our meals were free but Its not the point; the night was meant to be a treat for all the hard work of the staff over the last 12 months & the cost was covered by the company who, if you ask me should be given a significant discount as I know that many of us, including 2 of the directors were very disappointed & won't be recommending the Woodnorton anytime soon based on tonight's experience.

Just had a lovely weekend here with friends. The hotel and room was stunning, full of character, clean and overlooking beautiful gardens . Gorgeous bathroom with roll top bath and walk in shower. The food was first class and the staff were really friendly and helpful. The hotel setting is beautiful, close to lovely villages/walks. Would definitely recommend.

This hotel is getting worse. Main issue being the lack of staff. Rooms are clean and comfortable although 301 and 401 need to be avoided due to noise. Sat down for dinner at 7 still waiting for food at 8.15 no drinks asked for water three times. This place offers so much but delivers little.

What was supposed to be a special 50th birthday meal turned out to be an absolute disaster. We arrived at the venue for our meal that had been planned prior to the event, meals had been ordered and seating plans arranged. Sadly, the pre ordered menu had been lost and the seating plan misplaced also. We had arranged to be seated in the main dining room, well, somehow we were sat on a lone table in the board room. the table was not laid properly, no side plates, no salt and pepper and no dessert cutlery (we had ordered 3 courses). The staff had no idea. The first course took an hour to come, by this point we had already finished our drinks and were waiting for more. I cant write much about the first course as there was a slither of nothingness on the plate. The second course, well.... if you are after a luke warm, thrown on the plate mess then look no further. No condiments, and when we asked we had nearly finished by the time they came. The roast potatoes had been reheated as did the vegetables and pork, the only thing that looked fresh was the beef. Finally when the mains plates were cleared (about 30 minutes after we had finished) we decided to treat the birthday boy to a drink. One of the members f a party went to the bar, after thirty minutes i thought he might have gotten lost, when i found him still stood at the bar and not served i was quite frankly mortified. Eventually the dessert came, they may as well not of bothered as it was disgusting.Im not quite sure what they are advertising as dessert could be called that at all. How embarrassing, for a venue supposed to be of class we were let down. I will never come back and nor will i advise anyone who might ask me.

We had the 5 course menu which was excellent along with the service. The food was beautifully cooked and tasted fantastic, the setting of the restaurant is stunning overlooking the beautiful gardens

Went to The Wood Norton to celebrate for afternoon tea.The building is very nice inside and out and has some nice views.There was a Wedding on in the Orangery and there only seemed to be minimal staff in the hotel itself.We ordered afternoon tea and although we had a booking were told that we could only have cream teas which we accepted. This tasted nice and we were not too disappointing. However, once I paid on my credit card we noticed that we had been charged for an extra cream tea. When I told the person behind the bar this he went to charge me the correct amount but did not refund the original bill ! I pointed this out and another member if staff can out and credit this for me. Not sure if these were genuine mistakes so check your bill carefully.

We were not hungry after a late lunch so we did not eat at the main restaurant which only offered 5 course pre-set menu. Instead we ate in the Brasserie which was very austere atmosphere and not so attentive service and we found the choice of food was quite limited.

Not fancying a rich five course dinner in the restaurant at Wood Norton my husband and I opted for what we thought would be the more relaxed food and environment of the Brasserie. What a disappointment the place was. Originally the kitchen of this 119 year old house, it would have been appropriate to make use of, and incorporate, the obvious period features. But no, the 'renovation' has produced a cold, soulless environment the tasteless decor totally unsympathetic to the age and style of building. As irritating Muzak played, (the volume lowered without us having to ask), I ate my very ordinary Wood Norton house burger redeemed by the excellent chips alongside. I asked for vinegar which seemed a problem, only white wine vinegar could be produced and served in a mini ramekin making it very difficult to pour. However, my lemon tart dessert was delicious and beautifully presented.The evening ended with an extremely long wait for the waitress to bring a form that we needed to sign as hotel guests to add the meal to our tab.I have rated the food as average, but if the system had allowed our experience actually warranted a between average and very good rating.

Four of ate in the Brasserie and we all thought the food was excellent. I looked at the alc menu in the main restaurant but this was based on a five course meal which I could never manage that much food. One minor complaint - the only bacon served at breakfast was smoked and not to my taste.

The menu is extremely limitedThe service was the worst ever experiencedStarter was served coldSunday roast- the beef was of reasonable quality. The jus was salty. The vegetables were coldThe staff didn't answer basic questions and didn't seem botheredWe waited an hour for food order to be takenSunday lunch took 3 hours for 2 coursesVery expensive and quality of food not that wonderful- Sunday roast- whoever expects only 1 meat to be served???????To be honest I would not have paid the bill!The décor was dreary- who wants Ito sit in rain clouds? Looks like a school canteen

Fantastic 5 course dinner exceptional food and service Nothing more you could have asked for great evening

Tried the Wood Norton (brasserie) for lunch - was mid-week, so were the only diners (outside at last). The setting itself is great, with lovely views, and really nice to sit outside; which makes it all the more of a shame that the food is so basic and disappointing.The menu itself is pretty uninspiring, but still had the capacity to be decent if the food was actually cooked well, but unfortunately, this wasn't the case. A quick run down of the issues: the 6 chips for £3.50 were verging on being undercooked (never sure why restaurants insist on doing chunky triple cooked style chips when they don't bother to cook them for long enough); had the blandest chicken ever, without crispy skin and a predominantly butter sauce, with almost no taste of what it was meant to be (cider/honey/coriander); pork belly had ok flavour, but again, no crispy skin, which must be the whole point of pork belly.I was asked afterwards what I thought and (politely) let the waitress know, after establishing that they were genuinely interested in knowing, good or bad. After reeling off the issues, no attempt was made to apologise or call the manager or offer any form of solution, just stated that the new restaurant manager was reviewing the menu and so was interested in feedback.It seemed to be a question of lack of basic cooking ability/incompetence, as not sure how any chef could look at the food prepared and think it was adequate. A shame, as the hotel is only down the road and would have been nice to have found a regular local spot, but I won't be returning!

Restaurant in this hotel is great. Good food well presented with a twist. The 5 course meal is great value and whilst feeling full at the end of it you weren't ready to burst! Good wine list as well.

we had a family gathering in this hotel......we commenced our stay with a meal for 12.....we all got served at different times, some hadn't been served whilst the others had, finished their meal. I had the misfortune to pick the rissoto, it resembled and tasted like a bowl of cold tasteless porridge. I sent it back, I didn't want a replacement as everyone had finished....10 mins later the waitress brought me another bowl and said the head chef had insisted and cooked it himself. I tasted much better, but by that time people were leaving the table. 2 of the party had red snapper.....truly awful and completely over cooked.....to be honest they couldn't even get the chips that accompanied some meals right....some cooked inside some rock hard! Unfortunately we had a repeat performance at the private dining we booked for the next day. We had pre booked curry and lasagne and accompanying vegetables. The lasagne was awful, just a dollop of stodge, i saw no layers! the curry was ok but food was booked for about 30 people and there was insufficient food and again, it came out in . The desert, apple crumble was a watery mess, and to add insult to injury had nuts in the topping whilst we specifically requested no nuts as one of the group had an allergy. the baskets of delicious bread were brought out after we had finished the meal! it was a total shambles and very disappointing. some of our group had come from overseas, it was so disappointing in every way. I would like to say that breakfast was better....it was on the second day, but the first morning I had 2 hard boiled poached eggs and bacon that resembled jerky and was not edible....the second day I admit was delicious but they did seem to have more time on the Sunday. I honestly think that all their attention was on the weddings taking place on both days to the detriment of all other guests. Would not stay here again despite the hotel being beautiful

The hotel is beautiful you relax the minute you arrive the staff couldn't do enough The beds are so comfy and the breakfast was amazing.

Both dinner & breakfast meals that we had during our one night stay were wonderful. The 5 course dinner menu was very professionally presented & tasted wonderful. Loved the fresh honeycomb & unusual yoghurts at breakfast, thoroughly recommend the smoked salmon & scrambled eggs

I had a business meal here with 12 colleagues. It was a five course meal, but it was a little too much for what we would have liked. The food was adequate, but nothing special, and service was slow. It took us about three hours from start to finish.

This meal was included on the package we were on. Amazing experience in fine dining loved the blackberry sorbet and chocolate desert. Beautiful surroundings would highly recommend